Solving time : 13m23s – 3 wrong(!). Yesterday’s gloat has been fully paid for, not just by fbgp beating my time, but by a horrendous foul-up today, with eons taken to resolve 15, 18, 19, … Read more “Laugh at me, mock me, beat my score and time”
23448 – easy for a Thursday (or any day)
Solving time : 5:41 This may not be the fastest time in which I have ever completed a Times Crossword, but it is certainly the fastest I have ever timed accurately. With the single exception … Read more “23448 – easy for a Thursday (or any day)”
23,447 – Not a giveaway / Shameless advertising
Solving time 12:28 + a tad for previous knowledge This was the first puzzle in preliminary session B of the championship, and it was solved by 53 per cent of the competitors. After some daft … Read more “23,447 – Not a giveaway / Shameless advertising”
23,446 – Slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Solving time : 28:50, of which about 20 mins on the six starred clues; one mistake (13dn) Had a bad start, eventually getting going with 12ac, but thought I was going to get away with … Read more “23,446 – Slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”
23,445 – the long ones got me going / Farewell to the TES Crossword
Solving time : 48mThat’s a pretty fast time for me. I got the four long answers quickly and that gave me lots of letters to play with. There also seemed to be more anagrams than … Read more “23,445 – the long ones got me going / Farewell to the TES Crossword”
Mephisto 2410 – Mike Laws, weekend round-up
Solving time 41:20 – Chambers used after about 10 minutes. After implying last week that Mephisto was easier than Azed, it was probably inevitable that this week’s puzzle would take over twice as long as … Read more “Mephisto 2410 – Mike Laws, weekend round-up”
4917: easy even for a Sunday
Solving time: 23’ Not very hard – but I was making tea and answering email while solving the puzzle. Got my first copy of Chambers yesterday – which really does make a difference. I found … Read more “4917: easy even for a Sunday”
23438 – nice ‘n’ easy for a Saturday
Solving time 9:50 – which I thought was pretty good until I saw Peter’s time of 4:02… ACROSS 4 S(NOB)BISH – Bish was a new word for me, meaning a mistake (or faux pas) 11 … Read more “23438 – nice ‘n’ easy for a Saturday”
23,443 – Played IT by ear
Solving time : 6m45s – Seemed a little hard to get started, and then I had one of those experiences where partial answers and clues that wouldn’t yield meant a corner (NE) was filled with … Read more “23,443 – Played IT by ear”
Jumbo 666/Oct 28 – Diabolical
Or at least, that’s what I was expecting from the crossword’s number. In fact, other than APOCALYPTIC (and perhaps MAFIA and SWASTIKA), there seemed to be no particularly devilish entries, so I suspect the setter … Read more “Jumbo 666/Oct 28 – Diabolical”