Friday 23rd-Sunday 25th October 2026
Guardian 30,111 / Brummie
Brummie starts the week in fine style
Independent 12,460/Jeemz
A nicely judged and tractable cryptic from Jeemz to start the week for Independent puzzlers.
Financial Times 18,478 by Leonidas
Puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 12, 2026
Guardian Quiptic 1,399/Anto
Anto is to be seen regularly in both the Quiptic and Cryptic slots for the Guardian.
Independent on Sunday 1,907 by Filbert
A stiff Sunday workout from Filbert
Everyman 4,168
I thought this was on the easy side for Everyman, but everything is good and sound (apart from one or two small criticisms). There are some excellent clues with convincing surfaces and the usual Everyman trademarks indicated in colour below.
Definitions in crimson, underlined. Indicators (homophone, hidden, containment, anagram, juxtaposition, etc) in italics. Anagrams indicated *(like this) or (like this)*. Link-words in green.
Azed No. 2,783
Several clues where I’m not 100% sure, and one that at the time of writing quite defeats me. However, I’m sure that all will be explained.
My guess is that anyone who does these crosswords will have a copy of Chambers to hand and so won’t need everything to be spelled out. In the parsing I have confined myself to explaining when the wordplay is not immediately clear.
Guardian Quick Cryptic 128 by Dice
This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here
Independent 12,459 by Bluebird
Bluebird has come round on my Saturday blogging day again and I know what that means:
There will be a well hidden theme …
Guardian Saturday Prize Crossword 30,104 by Enigmatist (5 September 2026)
Another epic journey through the devious mind of the Enigmatist in Saturday Prize mode – with some brain-stretching definitions, imaginative surface reads, tricksy word-play and (for your blogger) one un-parseable clue at 14A…
Listener No 4934 Yet Another Sudoku by IOA
This is IOA’s tenth Listener Crossword (or crossnumber – it seems that most of them were numerical puzzles).
Guardian 30,109 / Kite
Kite rounds off the weekday puzzles
Independent 12458 / Phi
It’s a normal Friday for Independent solvers with a puzzle from Phi.
Financial Times 18,477 by NEO
A fun challenge with a couple of obscure parses.
Guardian Cryptic crossword No 30,108 by Paul
Thanks Paul – this was an enjoyable struggle, with some tricky parsing to work through afterwards. My favourites were 15ac, 3/24, and 5dn.