Today’s puzzle was extremely heavy going especially in the South-east corner which took me twice the time for the rest and even then, I am a bit unsure. There are, however, plenty of very clever … Read more “Times 24572 – Birdie Birdie Num Num”
Month: June 2010
Times 24571 – no football in the title …
Solving time: 14:30 Quite tricky vocabulary here, one of which I zoomed ahead with, and one of which slowed me down at the end. Just completed inside the 15 minutes that Sotira once mentioned as … Read more “Times 24571 – no football in the title …”
Times 24,570 – a game of two halves
21 minutes, and not entirely satisfactory from my perspective, I’m afraid: I don’t mind a straightforward puzzle (as long as it doesn’t contain too many chestnuts), and I like a three-pipe puzzle that requires lots … Read more “Times 24,570 – a game of two halves”
Times 24569 – Vuvuzelas 1, Kororareka 0
Solving Time: 65 minutes I knew I shouldn’t have stayed up watching New Zealand play Italy, but when they scored the first goal, what was one to do? So it was with brain working at … Read more “Times 24569 – Vuvuzelas 1, Kororareka 0”
Mephisto 2598 Paul McKenna
There’s not a lot to say about this puzzle. It’s of average difficulty with a straightforward, completely fair, set of clues. I solved top to bottom, left to right, in just under the hour. Across … Read more “Mephisto 2598 Paul McKenna”
Sunday Times 4385 (13 June)
Solving time: 7:40 Talbinho’s computer has gone up in a puff of smoke, so you’ve got me as an instant sub, solving while Australia were going through at the hands of Ghana and their own … Read more “Sunday Times 4385 (13 June)”
Saturday Times 24562 (12th June)
Solving time approx 15 minutes. There were some very good “container and contents” clues in this one, although 25% of one clue type is probably too many. I think there was a mistake in 1D, … Read more “Saturday Times 24562 (12th June)”
TLS 834 (28 May)
Solving time: 22:31 – all correct if the answer to 17A is UKULELE and the answer to 18D is LEGRENZI; but maybe 1 or 2 wrong if UKALELE is expected at 17A (see below) and/or … Read more “TLS 834 (28 May)”
Times 24567 – Labyrinth
Time taken to solve: Off the map but somewhere in excess of two hours with some resort to aids after the first hour had passed. I feel like pasting in yfyap’s comments about yesterday’s puzzle … Read more “Times 24567 – Labyrinth”
Jumbo 874 – 5th June 2010
If I kept accurate records I reckon this one would have been close to my fastest ever Jumbo, taking 22:16. It’s good to have a nice easy one once in a while and I thoroughly enjoyed … Read more “Jumbo 874 – 5th June 2010”