Guardian Quiptic 1,405/Chandler
A thoughtfully constructed Quiptic from Chandler to ease us into Greenwich Mean Time.
Ourtoboros Puzzle – York Sloggers & Betters 2026
This blog is for a puzzle by Ouroboros, who I thought was a debut setter, but I note he had an Independent puzzle published in 2024, and, slightly embarrassingly in terms of memory, … Read more >>
York S&B 2026 – Await Further Instructions by Henri
Await Further Instructions by Henri
Hello from a bright and friendly corner of a damp and grey York. A copy of the puzzle is available here.
Invicta Puzzle – York Sloggers & Betters 2026
I think this is Invicta’s first puzzle to be blogged on fifteensquared, but he does contribute regularly to the site as a blogger (Leedsclimber)
Gemelo No. 51
What a good crossword Gemelo has set. The surfaces are convincing and read sensibly, and the crossword gave me much pleasure to solve.
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.
Definitions in crimson, underlined. Anagrams indicated *(like this) or (like this)*
Everyman 4,174/18 October 2026
The puzzle may be found at https://observer.co.uk/puzzles/everyman/article/everyman-no-4174
York S&B by metagloria
What a splendid puzzle from metagloria. This was great fun. Here is a link to the puzzle: York S&B by metagloria
S&B 2026 – A puzzle by tpg
tpg (Anthony Barra) has kindly provided a puzzle for the York gathering…if you want to solve the puzzle before reading the blog, it can be found here.
Bad Postman by NoBadWeather
Bad Postman by NoBadWeather This puzzle clearly has some things missing, but it also has something extra; you might want to work in pairs to find a special Bonus Clue. Solution to the … Read more >>
Guardian Quick Cryptic 134 by Chandler
This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here
Independent 12,495/Dalibor
Dalibor is one of the setters introduced to the Indy stable (some time ago now) by the current editor. I have always enjoyed his crosswords, because they are an intellectual challenge and are always carefully crafted. So I was pleased to get the opportunity to blog this one, which most likely will be his last for this paper.
Puzzles distributed at York Sloggers and Betters 2026
Updated with the addition of the Methuselah ‘tribute to Independent setters’ puzzle made available in York earlier today
The York 2026 Sloggers & Betters gathering is being held today.
Thirteen puzzles have been distributed at the gathering, but for those crossword enthusiasts who aren’t in York, but would like to attempt one or more of the puzzles, PDF files of all of them can be displayed by clicking on the links below.
Guardian Prize 30140 / Maskarade
Maskarade set the challenge for the Guardian prize puzzle this week A bit of general knowledge is always useful when solving a Maskarade puzzle. I learnt something new with this puzzle when I … Read more >>
Listener 4940 Spy by Karla
We find Karla’s compilations in the Magpie and the EV and IQ series. This will be his seventh Listener and they have covered a wide range of subjects. Where is ‘Spy’ going to take us?
Guardian Cryptic crossword No 30,145 by Yank
Apologies for a delayed and slightly rushed blog. An interesting mix of clues today, and my favourites were 22ac, 23ac, 28ac, and 8dn. Thanks to Yank for the puzzle