Comments on: Financial Times 13,272 / Alberich

By: Alberich

Alberich — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:54:43 +0000

Thanks for the nice comments and Happy New Year to you all.

Sil, re 20d – the clue I submitted had “independent means finally” to provide the second IS – so perhaps the editor felt that I/independent was too obscure. I think “island” makes for a good if not better surface but I too would have omitted the S in brackets.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:01:04 +0000

I did three croswords today … (nothing else to do?)
This one came between yesterday’s Cinephile and today’s Paul, but I must wholeheartedly say Alberich has clearly the edge over the other two.

This setter is so inventive, very precise and keeps an eye on the surface reading as well (like in the ARCHDUKE of 1d).
Well, talking of very precise, ‘backdoor’ for ‘rood’ is what I would call more Guardianesque – and I like it.
Like some others BURT BACHARACH got me puzzled for a while (although I saw the answer rightaway).
But I see it now, as Anax explained: B (UR T(BACH)AR) ACH.

As to 20d (CRISIS), I think the blog should read IS1 and IS2 the other way around, so IS (lives) IS (islands).
Not sure why Alberich put brackets around the ‘s’, because I’ve seen ‘island’ abbreviated to ‘is’ before.

But, Gaufrid, no negative comments on your blog whatsoever.
It is not really nice to be more or less forced to do this on a day like this.

Happy New Year to you all.
(when maybe some more solvers will discover the great Alberich)

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:08:06 +0000

Yes, I’ve done most of Alberich’s puzzles in the FT and this was one of the best yet. Everything read so well and it showed puzzles don’t have to be hard to be good. Thanks for explaining ARCHDUKE, I got it straightaway from the wordplay but had no idea why, but then if the setter’s pseudonym is Alberich…

Favourite clues, GANDER, CHOIR (the latter just shading it) but a lot more to admire. Saw BURT all right, but that just happened to be the music I was a little more familiar with…

Thanks, Alberich

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:04:07 +0000

Anax
Thanks for the correction. I should have checked the spelling when I was having trouble with the parsing but I took ‘original’ as an anagram indicator and tarre is a variant spelling of tar according to Chambers.

By: Jake

Jake — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:59:35 +0000

Thanks for posting the answers Gaufrid.

Anax, I agree. Alberich pulls out the good ‘uns.

I’m never disappointed with his work.

Thank you Alberich.

Good New Year to you all.

By: anax

anax — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:54:20 +0000

Another great one from Alberich and I too had some trouble with 10d even though I got the answer very quickly – the parsing, though, is different as the name is BURT – it uses UR- (Greek suffix meaning “original” + TAR (pitch) with those two uses of BACH as you’ve mentioned).

I thought the observation at 12a was particularly good and the &Lit at 25a also noteworthy. The run-together of “backdoor” at 28a might ruffle the feathers of Ximenean purists but it didn’t worry me.

Great stuff Alberich, and a Happy New Year to you!