Inquisitor Review 2013-14 by Nimrod

by

My, what a difficult year 2013 was to follow! But follow, 2014 did, with another harvest of wonderful ideas from an amazing collection of setters. I’m slightly surprised, looking back, to find only a handful of “new” compilers, and of these only ’Eck and Jago can legitimately claim Inquisitor debuts. You’ve seen Ilver before as a third of Rasputin, but never alone; Artix, too, as another third of the same team, will no doubt appear soon in his own right; each of them appeared as one sixth of S.M.E.R.S.H. in November. As part of a New Year’s resolution, I shall be ensuring appearances for several new compilers in the coming months. Five setters (Pointer, Radler, Syd Lexis, Wickball and Xanthippe) added second puzzles to their personal records, but sadly that will be the final count for Syd Lexis (Alan Donovan), who passed away in February just after the appearance of Variations on an Original Theme.

When feeding back their comments to me, each of the solving team grades a puzzle out of 5 on scales of Enjoyment, Difficulty and the ‘wow’ factor of the Final Step aka the “Penny Drop Moment”. I solve each puzzle from scratch and do the same: my own ratings are given for each puzzle below. Where I have contributed as a setter, the given ratings are distilled from comments made about the puzzle by the guest editor (a highly discerning chap, by the way).

As you can see below, puzzles are “blocked” in fives. Except for February (all medium), in each five, one (*) is considered the easiest of the bunch, and one (***) the hardest, with three medium (**) difficulty puzzles completing the group.

END OF 2013
[07/12/13:1311 Transfer Window
14/12/13:1312 Shortfall
21/12/13:1313 Leading Light		 Kruger**
Phi**
Nudd**]
28/12/13:1314 Rhyme Schadenfreude 543***
INQUISITOR PUZZLES 2014
04/01/14:1315 Affliction ‘Eck 333*
11/01/14:1316 Swingers
18/01/14:1317 Who’s the Daddy?
25/01/14:1318 Variations on an Original Theme
01/02/14:1319 What are you Doing?
08/02/14:1320 From There To Where?		 Lato 554***
Eclogue 434**
Syd Lexis 334**
Kruger 433**
Samuel 423*
15/02/14:1321 Note
22/02/14:1322 Any Other Name
01/03/14:1323 Achieve Dead Boxer’s Struggle
08/03/14:1324 Baby Talk
15/03/14:1325 Stopping Service		 Schadenfreude 535**
Nutmeg 435**
Ifor 535**
Chalicea 333**
Phi 433**
22/03/14:1326 Caught in the Act
29/03/14:1327 Returning
05/04/14:1328 Tribute
12/04/14:1329 Insert Cut
19/04/14:1330 Ninety Four		 Ferret 333**
Shark 435**
Lato 444***
Augeas 423*
Schadenfreude 334**
26/04/14:1331 Operation
03/05/14:1332 Self-Reference
10/05/14:1333 Gamble
17/05/14:1334 Even Owl
24/05/14:1335 Clue Two		 Kruger 435**
Hypnos 434**
Gila 434**
Wickball 324*
eXternal 545***
31/05/14:1336 Additive
07/06/14:1337 Racehorse
14/06/14:1338 Septet
21/06/14:1339 The Man with a Gun
28/06/14:1340 Strange Hobby		 Xanthippe 434**
Nimrod 535**
Dysart 434**
Phi 324*
Schadenfreude 453***
05/07/14:1341 Circling the Square
12/07/14:1342 Omen
19/07/14:1343 Partly Connected
26/07/14:1344 IQ Test
02/08/14:1345 Wideboy		 Ferret 433**
Nutmeg 433**
Lato 443***
Samuel 424*
Kruger 333**
09/08/14:1346 Strides
16/08/14:1347 Soprano
23/08/14:1348 Reset
30/08/14:1349 Walk this Way
06/09/14:1350 3 Down		 Schadenfreude 544**
Pointer 545***
Shark 333**
Ifor 433**
Charybdis 323*
13/09/14:1351 How to Spell CAT
20/09/14:1352 Identity Crisis
27/09/14:1353 Eight from Eight
04/10/14:1354 Vintage Suite
11/10/14:1355 Holy Inappropriate		 Phi 324*
Jago 433**
Radler 434**
Kruger 444**
Lato 545***
18/10/14:1356 Weapon Material
25/10/14:1357 Cause and Effect
01/11/14:1358 Calling Card
08/11/14:1359 Comparative Advantage
15/11/14:1360 Blockage		 Schadenfreude 334**
Eclogue 334**
eXternal 324*
Chalicea 434**
Ilver 453***
22/11/14:1361 Unsteady
29/11/14:1362 1 Across
06/12/14:1363 Associations
13/12/14:1364 Find the Word
20/12/14:1365 Christmas Charity Donation		 Gila 333**
S.M.E.R.S.H. 543**
Kruger 433**
Phi 444***
Nimrod 424*

NB not including 1366 Spot the Difference by Ferret (live puzzle)

I invite you to vote for your favourite puzzles of the year. You have six points at your disposal. Normally 3= your favourite, 2= second and 1= third, but you are at liberty to distribute your points differently, with halves (no other fractions, please!) if you like. Please register yours below: we’ll close the voting on January 7th, the solving deadline for Spot the Difference by Ferret, for which you may not vote this year (By all means include the end-of-2013 puzzle by Schadenfreude, not included last year). Compilers may not vote for their own puzzles! After much deliberation (more than last year!), here are my own best of a fantastic bunch:

1st (3 pts) Clue Two by eXternal 2nd (2 pts) Soprano by Pointer =3rd (½ pt each) Holy Inappropriate by Lato and Strides by Schadenfreude

Special (alphabetical) mentions for: Achieve Dead Boxer’s Struggle by Ifor, Note by Schadenfreude, Rhyme by Schadenfreude, Swingers by Lato and 1 Across by S.M.E.R.S.H.

As usual, I must recognise the fantastic job that Gaufrid does to keep things ticking so efficiently on this marvellous site. Thanks, Geoff! More personally to me, where would we all be without the all-trilling, all-pogoing bells-and-whistles master blogs from our Fab Four?

Thanks to you all. Bring on 2015!

Nimrod

 

27 comments on “Inquisitor Review 2013-14 by Nimrod”

  1. You’ve rather stolen my thunder. The two stand out puzzles of the year for me were … Clue Two and Soprano. Many others worth a mention and I’ve spent an enjoyable few minutes browsing back through them – I think I’ve settled on Kruger’s Operation, which still brings a smile to my face.

    As you’ve offered halves as an option I’ll go 1st (3pts) Clue Two, 2nd (2.5 pts) Soprano and 3rd (0.5 pts) Operation.

    Thanks to all setters (and editors) for a bumper year.

  2. I only started solving the Inquisitor in May so it would be unfair on the earlier setters for me to vote. For what it’s worth, though, of the puzzles I did solve the ones that stand out in my memory from the list were Strides, Clue Two, Strange Hobby, The Man with a Gun and, of course, the agony/extacy of discovering the correct solution to Soprano on this site. That said, I have enjoyed every single puzzle that I attempted so sincere thanks to all setters for the effort they put into allowing us to indulge every week in this, well, strange hobby.

  3. Soprano by Pointer (1347) 4 points

    Operation by Kruger(1331) 2 points – being one of my best blogs may be influential.

  4. An almost impossible choice, but here goes:

    Variations on an Original Theme by Syd Lexis (1318) 3 pts. A masterpiece!

    Soprano by Pointer (1347) 2 pts. (Would have got three points if I’d managed to get it right!)

    Swingers by Lato (1316) 1 pt. I still remember the joy of the PDM!

    Special mentions to Self-Reference (very amusing), Operation, and Clue Two, and to pretty much every other puzzle. Sincere thanks to setters. The best entertainment to be had for £1.80. And to those who don’t bother to post it in, it’s worth a shot…I’ve won five bottles this year, so based on simple probability there can’t be many entries.

  5. I missed a whole month’s puzzles while in the US in Sept. so apologies to setters whose puzzles appeared in that month but my votes are as follows:

    1335 Clue Two by eXternal – 3pts

    1364 Find The Word by Phi – 1 and 1/2 pts

    1347 Soprano by Pointer – 1 and 1/2 pts.

    Many many thanks to all the setters and bloggers in 2014, and a happy new year for 2015.

  6. I really enjoyed and admired the clever grid designs of these –

    3 points – 1335 Clue 2 by eXternal (Labyrinth)
    1.5 pts – 1322 Any other Name by Nutmeg (Rosebud/red herring)
    1.5 pts – 1359 Comparative advantage by Chalicea (huge long quote hidden in grid!)

  7. I’ve just spent the morning reviewing my agony and ecstasy of 2014’s IQs. A million thanks to all the setters and bloggers for all the brilliant fun this year, and of course gaufrid for enabling this community to thrive.

    I started doing the Indy magazine puzzles when they first started and after a very very long break I “rediscovered” them these last couple of years; rekindling my interest and awareness has been one of the plus points of 2014 for me. I look forward to every Saturday morning and as Dan@4 says, the best £1.80 I spend every week. I have total admiration for all the setters, and it has been an almost impossible task in narrowing them down, but here goes:

    Soprano by Pointer – 2 points
    3 Down by Charybdis – 1 point
    Holy Inappropriate by Lato – 1 point
    Calling Card by eXternal – 1 point
    Variations on an Original Theme by Syd Lexis – 1 point

    I have one outstanding little question which has gnawed at me since the “Circling the Square/Ferret” blog by Duncan. Would anyone know if the IMPS reference in the middle of the grid was intended or purely coincidental?

    New Years Resolution – contribute my feedback more regularly on this site.

    Happy New Year to all

    Phil

  8. Phil,

    I’m sorry I missed your question in the original thread on Circling the Square. I was unaware of the imperial standard plaques in Trafalgar Square; the letters in the centre of the grid were not intended to signify anything.

    Happy New Year to all.

    Ferret

  10. Oh dear Ferret – we made a special trip to see them when we were in London!

    We’re still trying to sort out our favourites John. Can we vote twice if we disagree?!

  11. This is Joyce’s vote:

    Soprano (1347) and Clue 2 (1335) both 2 points – unfortunately we failed at the last hurdle on both of these two!
    Operation (1331) 1 point – we loved knnmac’s blog by the way
    Any other name (1332) – 1 point – we thought the misdirection was very good

    A special mention to Variations on a Theme (1318) and Rhyme (1314) – thanks Hihoba for the Humpty Dumpty blog which was great.
    Also we made a special trip to see the imperial plaques in Trafalgar Square mentioned in Circling the Square (1341) so must mention that puzzle as well.

  12. I don’t wish to appear mercenary, but does anyone know what happened to the prizes for 1363? Were they swallowed in the City Link fiasco?

  13. 3 pts. to 1331: Operation by Kruger [Carte blanche: BARGE and WATER flow through the LOCK GATES]

    2 pts. to 1347: Soprano by Pointer [SVENGALI & TRILBY? NO! LAZINSKI & FEDORA? YES!]

    1/2 pt. to 1322 Any other Name by Nutmeg [ROSEBUD, BROWNIE; diagonal reads BADEN POWELL or ORSON WELLES]

    1/2 pt. to 1317 Who’s the Daddy? by Eclogue [Tyger Tyger, burning bright; WILLIAM BLAKE -> JOHN STEINBECK]

  14. 3 points to Pointer for Soprano (1347) which I blogged and got wrong. The most amazing piece of misdirection ever!
    2 points to Syd Lexis for Variations on an Original Theme (1318). A wonderful musical theme and memories of Morecambe and Mr Preview.
    1 point to Schadenfreude for Rhyme (Humpty Dumpty) (1314) which I enjoyed both doing and animating the blog!

  15. My votes are limited to the handful of puzzles that I actually managed to complete this year (8). Looking back over the list, I was pleased to find that this total was greater than I had expected. Will aim to beat this score in 2015!

    3= 1359 Comparative advantage (I particularly enjoyed the moment I realised the message told me to look for a second message in the across clues).
    2= 1357 Cause and effect
    1= 1348 Reset

  16. Identity Crisis – Jago 2 pts

    Find the Word – Phi 1.5 pts

    Holy Inappropriate – Lato 1.5 pts

    Honourable mentions to Racehorse and Variations on an Original Theme.

    Frankly I’m amazed by the plaudits for Pointer which was a Googlefest rather than a puzzle and one of the worst of the year for me.

  18. Another great year of puzzles. Reviewing the list has reminded me (again!) how many of them I didn’t actually finish. My votes are a combination of enjoyment level and I-wish-I-could-write-’em-like-that awe….

    2pts – Clue 2 by External
    2pts – Soprano by Pointer
    1pt – Cause and Effect by Eclogue

    Thanks as always to those who blogged and/or commented on my puzzles and to the good Mr. H and team. Here’s to 2015.

    Ali/Gila

  19. So many to choose from my ‘must have’ puzzle of the week.
    Like Phil R @7 I have been ‘doing’ these since long before they were IQs.
    Also, like David Mark Thomas @ 16, Googling is still anathema to me (old fashioned girl).
    My votes coincide with my holidays away with no laptop, no internet and no dictionary. So,Satisfaction (albeit they seem to be at the easier end of the editor’s spectrum of difficulty)for me being able to complete without CHEATING! Undercover now waiting for the flak.
    So, 1335, Clue Two by eXternal (3 points)
    1331, Operation by Kruger (2Points)
    1350, 3DOWN by Charybdis ( 1 Point)
    Happy New Year to all IQ fans

  21. A hasty vote between packing cases. As Steve Redgrave once almost said, if I ever suggest moving house again please shoot me

    3 pts 1335 Clue 2 by eXternal
    2 pts 1322 Any other Name by Nutmeg
    1 pts 1364 Find The Word by Phi

    Thanks to all setters for another vintage year and to John for overseeing it all. I hope to join the happy setting throng again some time this year. Meanwhile a happy new year to all

  24. As always, very difficult to choose – many thanks to all setters! I’m just giving one point to each of my six favourites:

    Any Other Name by Nutmeg
    Comparative Advantage by Chalicea
    Operation by Kruger
    Racehorse by Nimrod
    The Man with a Gun by Phi
    1 Across by S.M.E.R.S.H.

  25. After a year in which my solving has been a bit patchy (so apologies to any setters of brilliant puzzles I haven’t had time for), I will award 3 points each to the two that I enjoyed most:

    Operation by Kruger
    Strange Hobby by Schadenfreude

    I must hurry away from my computer before I change my mind! (Almost too late now, anyway — deadline only 2 hours away.)

  26. I just went downstairs and told the editor how I had voted, and he said I had broken the rules, and my vote would be invalid if I didn’t vote for at least three puzzles.

    So:

    2½ to Operation by Kruger
    2½ to Strange Hobby by Schadenfreude
    1 to Clue Two by eXternal

  27. jetdoc: outrageous! You didn’t break any rules. The editor’s blog states:
    “I invite you to vote for your favourite puzzles of the year. You have six points at your disposal.”
    followed by an example, then
    “but you are at liberty to distribute your points differently, …”

    I think you should demand that your original decision be respected.

Comments are closed.