Comments on: Financial Times 14,195 – Dante

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:50:46 +0000

Thomas, everything you said really makes sense.
It could have been my verdict if, yes if, I would have persisted.

I have not encountered puzzles like this since I started doing crosswords (in 2008). Azeds (and barred crosswords in general) are not really my cup of tea, so never seen Carte Blanches either. As some will know I do some setting myself (as Dalibor). Several pros have encouraged me to do something with it – some suggested the barred crossword is the best way in (into the broadsheets, that is). Unfortunately, I have no affinity with these kind of fancy puzzles. So, I never look at Azed et al.
No Carte Blanche for me, more a Grey Area.

By: Thomas99

Thomas99 — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:04:38 +0000

I thought this was brilliant – in the end! It was a stiff challenge – wouldn’t want it them to come up too often – but worked very well as a “Carte Rosee”. I’m surprised at Sil and others’ lack of familiarity with the genre. Azed does “Carte Blanches” fairly regularly and there is certainly nothing especially controversial about them. All the same it might have been helpful for newer solvers (like me – I’ve never actually completed a Carte Blanche before) to be told explicitly that the clues were in the normal order (see Pelham B above) – though surely this was a possibility that must at least have occurred to everyone? (Unlike in a jigsaw, they were marked across and down.) The great thing was that it was still recognizably a Rufus “libertarian” puzzle but even with the challenge of designing the grid I could be 100% sure about everything by the end. The story of the editor deciding to make it carte rosee is surprising, but I think he chose the right puzzle (I’m one who still sometimes finds Rufus’ clues very challenging). Anyway, it felt really great to have persevered with it and (sort of) helped create an excellent crossword as well as solve it.

By: fearsome

fearsome — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 12:29:33 +0000

Thanks Sil and Dante/Rufus
I enjoyed this challenge and did wonder quite early on if the grid was the same as the earlier puzzle.

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 13:12:51 +0000

Thanks Rufus and niloci for dropping in and filling in the gaps of the inside story behind this puzzle.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 23:20:38 +0000

Dear niloci, no-one’s put any blame on Dante as far as I can see.
I am not talking about “blame” anyway!
It’s clear that the Carte Rosée was the editor’s choice. No problem with that either. You say “we have published several in the past”, but I am not long enough around in Crosswordland to remember that – I really hadn’t come across a thing like this before, but all in all I liked it.
And your “accident”, well, it really helped me .

By: niloci

niloci — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 23:07:32 +0000

No blame should attach to Dante over this. It was the crossword editor’s decision to turn it into a Carte rosee; we have published several in the past. It was an accident that the grid was the same as that day’s solution grid.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:24:25 +0000

Just one more thing, something that Pelham Barton already pointed at.
I just had my PinC on the phone (again!) and she told me that she now had 23 clues and still couldn’t find the grid. Why? It was not clear to her that the clues were in the right order, she thought they were randomly given.
So, yes, PB, as you say, “we should have been told this explicitly”. Bit naughty (as she called it) from Mr Editor.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:59:30 +0000

Dear Dante/Rufus, many thanks for dropping by – quite amusing to hear that you were just as surprised as anyone else.
I hope all is well with you.

On second thoughts, I should have realised that only 8 rows can be used for 16 clues, so indeed (presumably) 2 per row. It is exactly as mike04 says. With the first few Across solutions plus the first few Down solutions, it is surely possible to find the grid rather quickly. On hindsight, a pity that I did not allow myself to find the grid that way.
I see now that it is perfectly doable, and although – like I mentioned in the preamble – I understand solvers like Bryan who found the crossword off-putting, it must have been Great Fun for those who persisted. Alas, not me

By: John Newman

John Newman — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:55:25 +0000

Well done Sil.

I have to say that I was rather pleased with myself for getting this out. It was by the same method as you but of course once you get the top half out you get the grid for the bottom half. Unfortunately the hardest clues for me were the middle across clues which prevented me from being sure of the grid. I tried not to look at the grid of the previous puzzle which was on the page for us to see but must admit to continually peeking.

I thought perhaps Dante had decided that he would put easy clues to start with for the across ones so we could get under way with the grid. But now we learn that it wasn’t Dante’s idea at all. Well I never!

All in all it was an enjoyable puzzle and included the usual Dante wit, viz postcard and trombone and I liked Chestnut too!

By: Rufus

Rufus — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 11:28:46 +0000

Hi Sil!
I was just as surprised as anyone! As the Monday puzzles are prize ones and brilliantly blogged by you on the following week’s Thursday, I usually wait until then to see your comments.
The editor did send an e-mail warning me that he had made the puzzle more difficult by making it a Carte Rosée, but we were away in Liverpool giving our daughter, who was on duty as a doctor over Christmas, her Christmas dinner – and wasn’t picked up until later.
Pelham is correct in surmising the name came from Carte Blanche which, when printed in the FT, comes out somewhat pinkish. It has been used for special dates for many years.
I was able to remember 1 across so was able to track it down from my records – I am usually about 20 puzzles in advance to ensure the papers have my puzzles despite holidays, health problems etc.
Happy New Year to all the bloggers and looking forward to more excellent blogs from Sil in 2013!