Comments on: Inquisitor 1162 – Split Personality by Ikela

By: Scarpia

Scarpia — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:22:28 +0000

HolyGhost,thanks for the lead to D.H,’s site,very interesting discussion.
I must admit that in a barred puzzle I doubt if I would notice whether the grid was symmetrical or otherwise,so obviously it wouldn’t bother me.
For a blocked puzzle I think symmetry is important,an asymmetrical grid would just look ugly.

By: HolyGhost

HolyGhost — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:30:44 +0000

Mike Laws’ recent soliciting of views on ‘Symmetry’ initiated quite a lengthy conversation at Derek Harrison’s Crossword Message Board. (I don’t seem able to include the web address in my comment.) Personally, I find symmetry æsthetically pleasing, and I do notice when a puzzle grid is asymmetric, but am by and large tolerant if it’s because the setter has embedded a sizable amount of thematic material, as here.

By: HolyGhost

HolyGhost — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 13:21:39 +0000

My experience seems rather like Scarpia’s (above). Solved all the clues with barely a problem, then arrived at the “tilt” trio almost straight away. Resolved my MICKELSON/MICHELSON debate in favour of the former when I spotted CASEY, and Googled for KAYMER. But then I ran into a brick wall …

I just couldn’t make sense of KID, STEAK, PARLIAMENT & ONION/ORION (and didn’t have the other two), so I just put the puzzle away for a day. And then “rump” came to mind, and, as Scarpia says, ‘the rest was plain sailing’.

As to Mike Laws’ recent soliciting of views on ‘Symmetry’, more later …

By: REGALIZE

REGALIZE — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:30:25 +0000

I dont usually submit entries when I’m not entirely sure how I arrived at the solution. However, I could find no real alternatives. A golfing fanatic who was in my house at the time gave me the MICKELSON, KAYMER, CASEY and ELS connection. The TILTs and the RUMPs swung it though. There are various endings to the Grimm tale but I think Scarpia is right in the ‘split’ theory. Thanks HiHoba for the blog and to Ikela for the headache.

By: Scarpia

Scarpia — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:51:25 +0000

Thanks Hihoba.
The actual clues of this puzzle were fairly straightforward,but the thematic element caused me quite a bit of head scratching.
I guessed most of the unclued entries and thought ‘golfers’ might be one of the triplets,but had to resort to Google to find Kaymer.
After much thought PARLIAMENT and STEAK = RUMP suddenly clicked after which the rest was plain sailing.
I thought the title might have something to do with the end of the Rumpelstiltskin story when,in anger,he tears himself in two.
Very enjoyable puzzle.