Solving time: 8:35 Easyish but well-made puzzle – I can’t see anything for anyone to argue about today. Clues completed without full wordplay understanding were 14, 22, 6, 9. The Times Crossword Club website was … Read more “Times 24218”

Solving time : 30 minutes For the most part, an enjoyable puzzle with a smattering of good surface readings and one or two quite complex wordplays. I had no particular hold-ups and went from top … Read more “Times 24,217 Do You Come Here Orphan?”

Solving time: 50 mins Music: Vaughn Williams, Sinfonia Antartica, Boult/LSO While I finished, I am not too certain of two of the answers. In fact, one seems quite unlikely, but there is nothing else that … Read more “Times 24216 – Do not disturb the mole station!”

Solving time: 8:20 This puzzle had a hard act to follow after last week’s excellence, but it stepped up to the plate – generally accurate, albeit with a few ST-isms, some good clues and no … Read more “ST 4326 (Sun 26th April) – Attention: theca”

Solving time: 23.53 I thought this was very difficult and very clever, with lots of devilish disguises and traps, verbs craftily disguised as nouns, and some very complex wordplay to decipher. At one point I … Read more “Times Crossword 24214”

No secs, please, we’re skittish – just a reminder that the posting of solving times for qualifying puzzles is frowned upon in this fashionable parlour. A little easier than most daily fare, with a lot … Read more “Times Crossword Championship 2009 – 2nd Qualifier”

Solving time: 5:38 Being so late doing the puzzle, I decided to make a start on the tube platform, as the indicator said there was six minutes until the next train. And I finished it … Read more “Times 24,213”