Times Crossword Championship 2011

Author   petebiddlecombePosted on Categories Announcement
(Information just posted in the Crossword Club forum)

The main news from yesterday is that Mark Goodliffe won for the 4th time in succession, finishing the 3 puzzles in the grand final in 24 minutes on my watch.  In second place 8 minutes behind was Simon Hanson, fulfilling the potential shown by his position on the leaderboard here and the times he used to report on the Times for the Times blog.  Apologies to Simon for not congratulating him in person yesterday.  1997 champion David Howell finished 3rd, about 2 minutes after Simon from memory.  Jason James (“jason” here) was around 5th from memory in his first final since 2006 (others missed from working abroad), and the final seemed very strong overall – as ever, a few big names made a mistake in the prelims, but I thought I remembered all but 2 of the 24 finalists from previous finals – many previous finals in the cases of old stagers Tony Sever (1981 winner), Michael MacDonald-Cooper(1991) and Philip Meade (no wins, but many podium finishes in the John Sykes days). I believe all 3 finished the puzzles correctly inside the time limit.

Mark’s 4 wins in a row matches the record set by John Sykes in 1972-5.  After that, Sykes decided (or was persuaded) to compete in alternate years only.  But as I said when presenting Mark with the trophy (in the absence of Richard Browne, who was unwell and not present), Mark may quite reasonably decide not to do the same,because of the lost chances to win in 2001-5 when the championship wasn’t held.

12 comments on “Times Crossword Championship 2011”

  1. I much enjoyed my visit to the very smart News International headquarters in Wapping. It was a very interesting day and it was nice to put faces to some names I know well from here and from the crossword club website, such as Peter and Andy (Linxit).
    Even though it confirmed me in my long held view that solving against the clock is not for me, some of those competing were most impressive. I was also struck by how age seems to be no barrier to competing at the highest level, with some such as mr Macdonald-Ross and our own Tony Sever able to hold their own with the best.
      1. Actually it’s Macdonald-Cooper (with a lower-case “d”) – at least that’s the way I’ve always seen it spelled.

        Good to see you yesterday, Jerry (assuming that JerryW really was you). You were taller (and slightly less furry 😉 than I’d expected from your avatar.

  3. I was very pleased to come 2nd behind Mark – although the margin was considerable. The puzzles were just on my wavelength I suppose. In previous finals there have always been a few clues that I agonised over before handing in the solution, but nothing like that this time.

    I’m not sure how I would feel about competing if Mark stood aside. If I was lucky enough to win, it would seem a bit of a hollow victory. Anyway, I will be there next year to try my best.

    Holding the finals at the offices of the paper worked OK as far as I was concerned, although the travel and access arrangements meant that I cut it a bit fine for my arrival for the first session.

    This weekend’s Jumbo is mine to blog, but I might give my brain a rest and attempt it in a few days!

    1. Congratulations on coming 2nd, Shane.

      > I’m not sure how I would feel about competing if Mark stood aside. If I was lucky enough to win, it would seem a bit of a hollow victory.

      Seconded.

      > Holding the finals at the offices of the paper worked OK as far as I was concerned, although the travel and access arrangements meant that I cut it a bit fine for my arrival for the first session.

      Seconded. Will I never learn?

  4. Congratulations to all those who took part, especially those who frequent these pages. Well done, Simon. Eight minutes behind the remarkable Magoo is like finishing a tenth of a second behind Usain Bolt: something to be proud of.
  5. I very much enjoyed my first outing to the championships. I couldn’t stay for the afternoon unfortunately but I got to meet Andy and Mark (Thakkar) which was nice. And I managed to finish in the first 25 in my preliminary, which was a very pleasant surprise.
    I nearly missed the whole thing, having chosen to drive in and then parking in the wrong place entirely. I also found the whole thing surprisingly nerve-racking. It felt so much like an exam, and it’s been a while since I did one of those, other than in nightmares. Still, I’ll certainly be back next year.
    1. Good to meet you too, James, and well done!  I hope you can stick around for longer next year – the competition itself is only the start of the fun, especially if (as has become traditional for me) you’d otherwise be spending the rest of the day kicking yourself…
      1. Thanks Mark. I’ll certainly stay longer next year if I can, although my weekends are generally taken up by ferrying assorted children to and from various activities.
  6. First timer – much enjoyed it, and thought organisation and venue both excellent. Was amazed to get through to Grand Final, even if came 23rd/24 in it … Still very chuffed.
    Thanks to all involved – bestest
    Richard Foden
    1. Well done. I suspect all the “usual suspect” finalists can remember a disastrous final. Mine was my second, reached after a variety of solving disasters in 3 mid-1990s regional finals in a row. I got back into the final after an easy win at Birmingham (courtesy of a careless last puzzle from a former champion), but 17th of 18 on the day that counted.

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