Comments on: Independent 7623/Dac

By: redddevil

redddevil — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:28:57 +0000

..and in Chinese chess – from which our version is derived – the pieces in the corners are in fact chariots and move the same as our rooks/castles (except that in Chinese chess you move along the lines not the squares).

By: Allan_C

Allan_C — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 08:28:25 +0000

… and the move by which the king and the rook move to the opposite sides of each other is known as castling.

But oddly enough I hadn’t spotted the rook/castle connection so although 13a could only be ‘cast list’ form the definition I couldn’t follow the clue. Thanks, John, for the explanation.

All in all, a nice, well-constructed Dac offering. Completed in one session without recourse to outside help but enough of a challenge to be satisfying.

By: Paul B

Paul B — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 22:01:41 +0000

Rukhkh, that is.

By: malc95

malc95 — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 19:00:53 +0000

K’s Dad @2 (if you’re still around)-

Apparently “rook” is derived from a Persian word for “chariot”, which used to be constructed with castellations for the protection of archers on board.

By: flashling

flashling — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:25:14 +0000

The usual smooth stuff from Dac, a nice pleasant solve, thought 6d a very nice clue. Thanks all.

By: ele

ele — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:02:41 +0000

agree – a nod to Budget Day. A lovely straightforward puzzle where you know when you’ve got it right as there are no ambiguities. Last one in was ARRAIGN, and I admit to using the wordfinder for it. In retrospect absolutely obvious, but not at the time. Thanks to John for the blog. I think VIOLENT is OK as a synonym for strong – think of the violent emotions beloved of Victorian novelists.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:43:00 +0000

I too thought this was excellent and easier than usual from Dac. In a few clues I thought there was a nod to the budget. I guess Maastricht’s main claim to fame is that, like Lisbon and Nice, it has an EU treaty named after it, the treaty that established the euro as the EU’s common currency.

By: walruss

walruss — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:18:34 +0000

Short-selling, that is! But an enjoyable run-out from Dac, if not too spicy.

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:58:50 +0000

I failed on 26 across as well, but otherwise found it to be a straightforward well-constructed crossword. I was, however, rather more than a little disappointed to find exactly the same crossword in the i newspaper, for which I had just begun a one-year subscription solely for the crosswords. I hope this is just a slip-up and not a sign of things to come! Eimi please note.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 10:56:03 +0000

Nothing special indeed, John. Where do you start to choose the pick of the crop in this one? PIERS MORGAN wouldn’t be a bad place; but you could equally well begin with INCOMES POLICY. CAST LIST is another option (incidentally, why is it called a rook when it looks like a castle?)

I think VIOLENT is okay: a very strong storm is a violent storm. ‘Papers’ for REAM just about works, doesn’t it?

Like you, I had to press ‘reveal’ to get CORTES, but although it’s a slightly obscure definition, you couldn’t say it wasn’t clearly signposted.

Lovely puzzle with outstanding surface readings.