15:21 for this – quite a tough challenge, with plenty of original wordplay and not too much of a knowledge test. My first answer was 15A, and the hardest part was the NW corner, with … Read more “Times 24164 – tough but good”
Author: petebiddlecombe
Mephisto 2530 – Mike Laws
A moderately difficult one this – about an hour to solve, though with a fair amount of looking up. A few less words than usual – 16 each of across and down rather than the … Read more “Mephisto 2530 – Mike Laws”
Times Championship – a date for some of your diaries
I’ve just heard that this year’s championship will be on Sunday October 11th. As far as I know location and everything else are the same as the last few years, except that the puzzles will … Read more “Times Championship – a date for some of your diaries”
Times 24158
9:33 for this – so pretty much average difficulty. This is a slightly disappointing grid, with no very long answers, but it does have every answer-length from three to ten letters. Wordplays read well throughout … Read more “Times 24158”
Sunday Times 4316
Sunday Times 4316 This should probably have been a sub-5 minute puzzle for me, as there were plenty of easy clues. But I made a poor start by guessing at SIEVER for 1A. I didn’t … Read more “Sunday Times 4316”
Anax Imperator puzzle
Another plug for this “introduction to the barred grid” puzzle in Anax’s latest Puzzle Collection PDF. Good challenging stuff but I only needed Chambers two or three times, so mostly accessible vocab.(And quicker for me … Read more “Anax Imperator puzzle”
Times 24152 – small states
Solving time: 9:48 A not too difficult puzzle, though I did get a good start with 1A/1D both falling at first look. This despite Mrs B’s attempt to slow me down with some gentle tickling … Read more “Times 24152 – small states”
Suggestion list sent to the Times
Here’s what I sent to the Times …. This is a list of suggestions about the crossword club search facility. It’s the result of some discussion at the Times for the Times blog, and I’ll … Read more “Suggestion list sent to the Times”
Jumbo 798 – Do you know the way to ….
… Bulawayo? Solving time: a very nominal 60 minutes. I got interrupted for this or for some reason failed to note a time, but it would have been a bit meaningless, as one clue – … Read more “Jumbo 798 – Do you know the way to ….”
Another new blog – Crosaire
Hot on the heels of the new Telegraph blog, I’ve just discovered a daily blog about the Crosaire puzzle in the Irish Times. If you’ve never tried Crosaire, the first thing to know is that … Read more “Another new blog – Crosaire”