Solving time : 1hr 10minsAnother difficult Monday for me – I got going straightaway with a few anagrams, but then failed to get many of the others for a while. There are still three I … Read more “23,558 – double trouble”
Mephisto 2429 / Tim Moorey – Carnifex!
Solving time – about 32 minutes, with fairly extensive use of Chambers. One of the rules of crossword grid construction observed almost everywhere is “no duplicated entries”. This puzzle throws the rule in the bin … Read more “Mephisto 2429 / Tim Moorey – Carnifex!”
ST 4216 – Dyak knifed
Solving time: About 20 mins by the time I gave up looking for alternatives and wrote in my three guesses (starred) of which (at least) one was wrong. Also spent a long time on 26dn. … Read more “ST 4216 – Dyak knifed”
Times Saturday 23551
Solving time: approx 15 mins. I was in London last week to meet up with some Irish friends for St. Patrick’s Day, so I solved this from the paper while sat in Covent Garden having … Read more “Times Saturday 23551”
It’s a lovely day for a Crossword Tournament …
Just about now, some nervy sleepless solvers will be getting up in Stamford, Connecticut. This weekend sees the 30th American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, where the best solvers can dispose of an easy New York Times … Read more “It’s a lovely day for a Crossword Tournament …”
23,556 – Sturm und Drang
Solving time: 25 mins I found this one really tough, struggling with the NE corner in particular, although other words seemed to take their time finding their way from my brain to my hand. A … Read more “23,556 – Sturm und Drang”
Championship Qualifier 1 – a fairly easy starter
Once the closing date for the championship qualifiers is safely in the past, we’ll discuss them in the usual way. I’m writing about the first two, and richardvg is covering the third and fourth ones. … Read more “Championship Qualifier 1 – a fairly easy starter”
23555 – Well done, Helen O
Solving time : 14:07 Hidden messages or tricks, sometimes referred to as Ninas, are routine in the Times2 non-cryptic puzzle, but rare in the cryptic. Today the bottom and top rows celebrate Helen Ougham’s status … Read more “23555 – Well done, Helen O”
Jumbo 686
Solving time 19:59 Another late posting. Just scraped inside 20 minutes, so not a giveaway jumbo. Clues picked out are rather good as well as possibly tricky. Across 5 S(A MARK)AND – “a mark in … Read more “Jumbo 686”
Google custom search
I’ve tried using another of those free gizmos the chaps at Google keep tempting people with. (A Google calendar is in use behind the scenes here to try to make sure we keep track of … Read more “Google custom search”