The Official Crosswords Championship Chat Thread

Author   vinyl1Posted on Categories Announcement
Here is a special thread for the week of the championships.   I expect we will hear excited anticipation in the days leading up to the championships, followed by live reports from the site of the action.   I will try to put the results up on the sidebar as soon as possible, but there is usually some delay in reporting and posting the outcome.

In the meantime, chat away!

62 comments on “The Official Crosswords Championship Chat Thread”

  1. Thanks for putting this up, vinyl1.

    So, who else is in the second prelim on Saturday? And will you be in the George before that?

    I’m expecting to be jet-lagged, so expectations are modest here.

    Edited at 2017-11-02 01:06 am (UTC)

    1. Yes I’m in prelim 2 for a change. I’ll be train-lagged due to the closure of the East Coast Mainline at Grantham so will be cutting it a bit fine time-wise so will not be in the pub until after the prelim.
      1. Seems like all the cool kids are in prelim 2 so far.

        Not sure if I’ll be in the George beforehand but I’ll certainly show my face afterwards.

  2. I’m in prelim 2, I think, but will probably be chasing up confirmation in the next couple of days in my usual “now where did I put those instructions” kind of way.
  3. Unable to attend this year, though annoyingly I am in London on Saturday.. family matters have taken precedence.

    Good luck, all!

  4. Yes the anticipation mounts and I’m in the 2nd prelim. Not been to Times HQ before so hoping i won’t distracted by the architecture. Had all kinds of ideas to bring the three-ringed circus along but reduced to the task of just getting there and the George for sure . Wondering about the goody bag possiblities; i am assuming the Times will be as tight as ever especially now we are on our knees as a nation.
    1. I attended the 2013 champs and my London cabbie dropped me at the wrong building! Luckily someone (I think it was Tom Stubbs) had advised me to take extra time to find it but even so I was having trouble when a nice gent somehow intuited that I was a fellow solver (was it some sort of special crossword pheromone?) and guided my steps. Sadly I never saw him after to thank him.
    2. I remember two things from last year: the view from the conference room upstairs where the competition was being held (I was sitting at the front and it was like being back in school — I kept looking out of the window), and a sort of ‘mood wall’ thing in the foyer with a stream of consciousness bunch of stuff about journalism. Or possibly not about journalism. I wasn’t sure.
    3. My guest is bowing out so i guess i have a spare but not sure how i would pass it on. I register at 12 then i cirumambulate . . used to enjoy the grounds at Cheltenham. Some inconcistency in logging in here . .oh well
  5. I am in Session #1 (clearly not one of the cool kids) and certainly intend to appear at the George in the afternoon. Looking forward to the day as always.
    1. Add me to the uncool list. Session 1 – and like grestyman a first time qualifier. I do, however, know where the George is (I think, it’s been a while – used to be a regular haunt when I worked by Southwark Bridge).

      I am now working on Mrs O to convince her that spending Saturday afternoon in a pub in London when she is at home with 4 children is a good use of my time.

        1. Verlaine and Keriothe are the real cool kids though. They’re too cool even to let on which heat they’re in.
      2. And me! Both a first timer and in the first session. Looking forward to getting to drink all afternoon.

        Edited at 2017-11-03 12:07 pm (UTC)

      1. *blushes* I must confess I am that man. I think it’s on our next appearance that I am introduced as a cryptic crossword enthusiast (though unsurprisingly, this is a description which applies to a lot of OC contestants…)
    3. I’m uncool enough to be in the first prelim. Judging by my form this week it’s going to pay off in spades when I get to be in the pub ALL AFTERNOON!
      1. Somehow I suspect that the pub may be the highlight of my day. If your performance is classed as bad this week, then mine is “off the scale downright shockingly awful”.

  6. First time qualifier and in prelim 1. Looking forward to it, but more to the pub after, for which I shall hope for directions on the day.
  7. I’ll be in the second prelim for my third bash at this. The first time round I found myself next to Mark Goodliffe, whom I only knew by name until he put his hand up distressingly early. At that point I knew that it was either him, or I was miles out of my depth.
  8. My daughters will be delighted to receive confirmation that their daddy, who is again in the morning session, is indeed not part of the in-crowd.
    Looking forward to it as ever, good luck to all.

    Edited at 2017-11-02 12:20 pm (UTC)

  9. I will be at The George for the social side. Big Dave’s group will also be there.
    As a local resident I always use public transport. I think London Bridge station is open this weekend. The tube station there is closest to the Times building.
    The road over London Bridge is usually clogged and walking is faster.
    This from the TFL (Transport for London) website re Central London:
    Road users may be affected by the following this weekend:

    Westminster – From 12:00 until 16:30 on Saturday 4 November, there will be closures between Mayfair and Parliament Square including Grosvenor Square, Oxford Street, New Bond Street, Old Bond Street, Piccadilly, Lower Regent Street, Pall Mall, Cockspur Street, Trafalgar Square and approaches, and Whitehall. This is for a march.

    Good luck to all on the day. David

    1. I am in no way an official spokesman, but previous experience suggests it would be very unusual if they didn’t…
  11. Panicking because I’ve only today e-mailed the Times asking for a guest to accompany me – yesterday apparently was the cut-off date for asking- and she is coming up from Essex and has booked a hotel for the night before.
    I’m in the morning session for the first time ever.
  12. Best wishes to everone taking part in the Championship.
    Whether you are as fast as Magoo, or as slow as me, I hope it’s a very enjoyable occasion.

    Edited at 2017-11-02 08:12 pm (UTC)

  13. I am in the second prelim too and would like to come to the pub but don’t know quite where it is – can someone please let me know? Thanks, Sue Sweeper
    1. Hi Sue

      This is the map reference if it helps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/51°30‘15.1%22N+0°05’24.1%22W/@51.5042221,-0.0912012,17z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d51.504182!4d-0.090021?hl=en

      The marker on that is in the middle of the pub. The entrance is on Borough High Street (the A3). The entrance is a big archway into what looks like an old coach house yard.

      Coming across London Bridge, you would go past Borough Market on the right and the George is on the left a bit further along.

      Crosswordy people probably to be found all day Saturday in the yard, or inside if the weather’s not so good.

  14. I’m also in the 2nd Prelim this year, first time ever (I normally try to avoid Magoo and he always goes for the 2nd).

    Hope to see a lot of familiar faces and be introduced to a few new ones who’ve joined the team since I passed the baton to Vinyl1.

    One regular feature of The George during and after the event is Eric Westbrook flogging copies of next year’s 3D Crossword Calendar in support of Children in Need and the RNIB Pears Centre in Coventry. He can’t make it this year as he’s awaiting a heart operation and is too unwell to travel, so my wife Sue will be there in his stead hoping to shift a few copies.

    If you’ve never tried it before check out the website at http://www.calendarpuzzles.co.uk/puzzle_downloads.php, where you can also download puzzles in PDF format.

  15. Hi, as I’ve lost my acceptance letter, could someone please provide the timings for tomorrow? Pretty sure I’m in the second prelim. Thanks!
    1. 10:00-10:50 first session contestant arrival and registration

      10:50-11:00 mad scramble for the gents by the male contestants.

      11:00-12:00 first preliminary session

      12:00-12:50 second session contestant arrival and registration

      13:00-14:00 second preliminary session

      14:00-15:00 pub

      15:00-16:00 grand final

      16:15 results

      16:30 pub

  17. If you see someome with a pink Adnams carrier bag looking a bit lost, that will be me. Do say hello.
  19. Hello all. Looks like I’m the first to post after the competition. I expect everyone else is still in the pub. I had to leave early to be home in time for fireworks night, which seems to have been cancelled. The kids seem keener on the idea of watching a movie at home, and I’m wondering if this wasn’t the plan all along. Actually I’m not really wondering at all. Oh well, my liver is grateful.
    It was very nice indeed to put a few more faces to avatars, as it were, this year, and to catch up with some older friends. I am rather annoyed with those second prelimers who didn’t come to the pub before the final though (you know who you are: would a quick pint have been so much trouble, hmm?).
    I did well this year: 17th place in the first prelim. I wasted over ten minutes because of a silly error, so I am still of the view that I have a chance of making the final one day if I get lucky. I just have to keep doing this for another decade or two. Commiserations to verlaine, who missed the final because of one of those annoying errors we all make from time to time, and congratulations to all the qualifiers, particularly crypticsue who absolutely stormed the first prelim.
    Look forward to next year!

    Edited at 2017-11-04 05:53 pm (UTC)

    1. Hi.

      I scraped through to the Grand Final, coming 12th in the 2nd session.

      Not quite sure where I finished in the end, because my wife dragged me away before I could get a print-out of the results, but I know for sure I got one wrong (GARLIC instead of GAELIC).

      1. Congratulations! Was that your first time through to the final?
        I expect if I ever get through I won’t really care about my performance in the final.
        1. Yes, it was. I competed last year for the first time and came 14th (2nd session), so I was very fortunate to just make the cut-off this time.
    2. Sorry to have missed you. I mistimed getting towards the venue and didn’t have time to call in at the pub before competing.

      Unsurprisingly, jet-lagged and short of sleep, I had my worst performance so far, running out of time with 3 clues still to get in the second prelim. I really wasn’t with it at all.

      A nice time at the George afterwards, though. Like you, keriothe, I was really pleased to see some old friends again and to make a few new ones.

      I ran out of steam around 6.30 and headed for my hotel. The post-match analysis (and beer appreciation) was still going strong at The George when I left.

      Lovely day out, as usual.

      Edit: forgot to say well done. And to contrarian. Good stuff.

      Edited at 2017-11-04 08:15 pm (UTC)

      1. Thanks. I was hoping you might come to the George for a quick drink between your prelim and the final. Never mind, there’s always next year…
        1. Yes, sorry. I had intended to head to the pub after the prelim but somehow found myself staying for a bash at the finals puzzles. Next year, for sure.
  20. The results have now been posted on the Club website if you scroll down to the bottom of the home page. Congratulations to Keriothe and Contrarian. One of our (now-to-be-lamented) TLS regulars Dave Howell came first in the first prelim and 3rd in the final so kudos to him. And of course to Mark….
  21. Well that was fun. And being in the 1st prelim I got to stay in the pub all afternoon. I wasn’t expecting to finish all 3 but I was pleased to complete the first and third and needed a bit longer to finish the 2nd one. So I was quite happy with 46th out of 88…. and happier to meet a few fellow bloggers and commenters.
    Bad luck with the one letter out Verlaine, and well done Keriothe.
    1. Thanks John. Very nice to meet you, and to discover the terrible origin of your nom de blog!
      1. Sh. Don’t tell anyone. Let them work out the grizzly cryptic secret for themselves.
          1. No. Keriothe is right. It is a terrible pun. But I can’t work out how you got to coming from Ryde. lol.
  22. Didn’t make a good showing at all. Didn’t eat the bananas i brought nor necked the chocolate drink i bought. A little phased by the view and the clicking camera maybe. Too much biffing built up into a mental block ; i’m underestimating the underactive thyroid after all. Had a cursory pint at the George to commune with Will and Chas . Did prelim 1 on the train home and alas would probly have been light in that too . Know my new testament from my old but not my obscure capitals. All gettable but for those assumptions that instantaneously become invariables. Tomorrow is another year . .
    1. The New/Old Testament caused me a huge amount of trouble in the first prelim. It cost me at least ten minutes.
  23. My first experience of the championships was very pleasant and it was good to be able to put faces to names at last. Thank you Keriothe, Johninterred, Verlaine, Mike and Anthony (and I see you well beat me!) for being such pleasant company. The George was an excellent watering hole and well worth the trip. Oh and the puzzles? Well I definitely dried up for the first 10m but at least I got more than half the clues right. Always next year!
  24. Another grand day out. I managed to achieve my twin aims of a) coming just close enough to the Grand Final for it to be mostly gratifying but also slightly annoying* and b) matching some more people in real life to on-line personalities (all of whom were as nice as you would hope).

    *I can’t really complain. I finished 14th in prelim 1, just behind Dr Charles Wood, who thus had the honour of being the best person not to make the Final. And now I look at last year’s results and see that the poor devil finished in exactly the same place last year. Dr W, you have my deepest sympathies…

  25. Great to meet so many competitors and others; and I managed to solve a few more clues from today’s puzzle on the way home. Just two left now. David
  26. Very good to meet so many familiar faces. I stuffed up something chronic in the first session, putting san tome for the blasted place and assuming the bird was a jay. Chatted to young David Parfitt too.
  27. Very embarrassed about my stupid brainwrong – I was fourth to submit in my prelim so I had loads of time to reconsider my error, and of course I had worked out the correct answer within about a minute after my submission.

    Rather amazingly there were only 24 fully correct entries in my prelim so I just scraped into the free entry for next year bracket. Better lucky than good! I was even able to capitalise on my misfortune by checking whether it is advisable to try sitting the final puzzles with several pints inside on, and the answer turns out to be a resounding NO, though I did get close to finishing the three puzzles in an hour even through an alcoholic haze.

    I would never have come close to Magoo’s incredible performance in the finals whatever happened, wasn’t he done in 20 minutes or so? I think he may be champion for another 10 years in a row at this rate!

  28. Great to meet some of you at The George on Saturday and already looking forward to next year! I used to post here as astonvilla1 and I aim to post my efforts again on a regular basis.

    Anthony St.John Daly. I use St.John as my name.

  29. I made my debut at this year’s Times Crossword Championship. I was in the afternoon session, and although I wasn’t up there in the automatic qualifying spots for next year, I think I did myself justice after only a couple of years’ worth of daily crosswords. Forcing myself to graduate from the Quick Cryptic earlier this year was definitely a good move… Here’s hoping a qualify again next year – I definitely fancy another go.

    I’ll definitely be upping my activity on this blog in the coming year!

    Many congratulations to Mark Goodliffe on another insanely quick performance. I’m not convinced I could copy the letters in from an answer sheet in 20 minutes…

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