27 comments on “RIP – Orlando”

  1. Very sad news. Great setter, loved his puzzles in Gdn, and as ‘Cincinnus’ in FT. Condolences to family, friends and fans.

  2. Wonderful compiler, truly one of the best, Michael was very much an inspiration to me.

    Thanks to Alan Connor for an informative and (aptly) well-written obit.

  5. Very sad news, I grew up as a solver with Orlando, always glad to see the name. Always fair to newer solvers and I learned a lot from his puzzles as I improved. RIP.

  6. I learned crossword solving with Orlando as one of the Guardian setters and found his crosswords entertaining puzzles. Really sad news.

  7. Orlando was my first cruciverbal crush who got me hooked in the first place. And then I devoured every Orlando puzzle I could find. Such a good setter.

  8. Such sad news.

    Like others, I’d admired Michael Curl’s puzzles for years and felt fortunate that my first blog, in 2008, was of an Orlando. I knew that I could totally rely on the integrity of his meticulous cluing, along with wonderfully smooth surfaces and a generous amount of wit. Later, I was delighted to meet him at several S and B gatherings – one of the best, in every respect.

    RIP. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

  9. I always enjoyed Orlando’s puzzles in the Guardian, he was a great setter. I will do some of his puzzles today as a lovely reminder of the man.
    My thoughts are with his family and friends.
    RIP dear Orlando.

  11. Thank you to michelle for the idea followed up by the link provided by Eileen – what a respectful thing to do for a great setter like Orlando. This is very sad news and I feel for his family, friends and crossword communities.

  12. He was one of the best – precise, witty, reliable. Part of the enjoyment was in the anticipation of tackling his puzzles – it felt like a shared pleasure between compiler and solver.
    With condolences to Michael’s family and friends.

    Thanks to Michelle & Eileen for the chance to revisit

  13. Very sorry indeed to hear this. His puzzles were always elegant and fair, a great joy to solve. I’d the pleasure of meeting him at crossword events and also admired his innovative work on Best for Puzzles. My deepest condolences to his family and friends.

  15. Eileen @10: thanks for that. I just did the most recent one, and was impressed anew by the clarity and precision of every clue. It’s a perfect demonstration that great and difficult do not need to (and often don’t) coincide in this art form.

  16. Thank you to Michael Curl – a man I never knew but who has brought joy and comfort into my life. There are times, for all of us no doubt, when life’s pressures and difficulties can mean that one’s mind is best comforted by a puzzle that doesn’t break the ‘rules’ and I am indebted to him….

    Crystalline

    Bless you, Orlando

  17. There was a lightness of spirit and wit to Orlando’s puzzles – you always knew you were in safe hands and would enjoy the ride. RIP to him and condolences to his nearest and dearest

  18. Others have said it better than I could, such a gifted, precise setter of enjoyable puzzles. After breaking into the world of cryptics a decade ago he quickly became my favourite setter. I worked through the Quiptic+Orlando and Cryptic+Orlando pages with relish, his Quiptics remain best in class in my opinion.

    I too will attempt one of his puzzles today…RIP.

  19. I liked Michael Curl’s stuff, and he had that great website at Best For Puzzles. RIP to a very good writer indeed.

  21. The Independent puzzles page also has 40 Cincinnus cryptics and 40 of his anagram crosswords. I’m always amazed by the anagram crosswords and have been nibbling away at them for ages.
    RIP Orlando.

  22. I’ve always loved the fact that Cincinnus is Latin for Curl.
    One of my favourite Cincinnus clues is ‘A climber of rocks somewhere in Devon (10)’.

  23. Yes Eileen, he was a master of the anagram, and the above is a great example of the clue type. Perhaps not surprisingly then, he is the author of The Anagram Dictionary, apparently published by Hale, which is a 250-page monster compilation.

    Just one example from the cognate section for WILLIAM SHATNER: well, I am in trash …

  24. One of the all time greats – I remember one year an Orlando happened to appear on my birthday, and I was thrilled to have his company. My thoughts are with his family and friends.

    Everyone knows that Araucaria was the longest serving Guardian setter of all (1958 – 2014, including his final posthumous puzzle), but as pseudonyms were only introduced on 28/12/1970 the name “Orlando” had the longest run: 18/3/1974 – 4/11/2019.

  25. Eileen @22 – that is a super clue!

    I’m another who always looked forward to an Orlando puzzle when I was a beginner at solving, and continued to enjoy his puzzles even when I became a more competent solver – for all the reasons already mentioned.

    RIP Orlando

  27. Michael and I had some email exchanges related to my blogs of his FT puzzles. I recall that he was, like me, a fan of Pink Martini. One of the greats, for sure. RIP.

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