Bertandjoyce

There was a tradition in both our families of solving Telegraph concise and cryptic crosswords. During our student days we moved on to the Observer. When we could afford a daily, we enjoyed the Guardian cryptics until the Indy arrived on the scene. Nowadays, Saturdays are not complete without the Inquisitor in the i paper. We never time ourselves but we do feel cheated if we finish quickly and really enjoy seeking out themes and ninas etc. We are now retired and when time allows, we supplement the daily Indy solve with the on-line Guardian cryptic, Genius and the occasional Quiptic. Finding fifteensquared was a revelation – we realised we are not alone in our attempts to stave off Alzheimer’s!

Independent 8403 / Nestor

Thu September 19, 2013 at 3:24 pmThu September 19, 2013 at 6:00 am by Bertandjoyce

As it is a Thursday, we were expecting a challenge. However, we found this to be less tricky than your average Thursday indy puzzle. We did need to resort to an electronic search … Read more >>

Independent 8398 / Phi

Fri February 2, 2018 at 1:21 pmFri September 13, 2013 at 7:30 am by Bertandjoyce

We always look forward to our Friday solve and blog! Our first one in was 9ac and it really brought a smile to our faces. We thought there may be a nina when … Read more >>

Guardian Saturday Prize 31/08/13 / Boatman

Mon September 9, 2013 at 11:10 amSat September 7, 2013 at 7:45 am by Bertandjoyce

We normally blog Indy puzzles and so this is only our third Guardian blog after a weekday puzzle and a Quiptic. We were really pleased to have the opportunity to blog this offering … Read more >>

Independent 8369/ Raich

Tue September 3, 2013 at 7:44 am by Bertandjoyce

We hadn’t realised until we checked that it is over a year since we blogged a Raich puzzle. This was good fun and when we started finding double and then treble instances of … Read more >>

Independent 8384 / Rorschach

Wed August 28, 2013 at 8:38 am by Bertandjoyce

Rorschach’s first puzzle was published in the Indy just over a year ago on July 5th and since then there have only been four others. Some of his offerings have been devilish to … Read more >>

Independent 8379 / Nestor

Fri August 23, 2013 at 7:47 pmThu August 22, 2013 at 8:03 am by Bertandjoyce

We invariably approach the Thursday Indy crossword with some trepidation, given its reputation for being the trickiest of the week. However, we found today’s offering from Nestor less challenging than some, but it … Read more >>

Independent Saturday Prize Puzzle 8369 10/08/13 / Monk

Sat August 17, 2013 at 8:02 am by Bertandjoyce

We were expecting a tricky solve for the Prize Puzzle when we saw that it was Monk. We’ve been blogging for well over a year now but this is only the second Monk … Read more >>

Independent 8374 / Phi

Fri December 22, 2017 at 11:42 amFri August 16, 2013 at 7:58 am by Bertandjoyce

We sat for quite some while before we managed to solve the first clue, which happened to be 8d. We were becoming increasingly worried that we were never going to be able to … Read more >>

Independent 8365 / Scorpion

Tue August 6, 2013 at 7:52 am by Bertandjoyce

We enjoyed this themed puzzle from Scorpion today. We didn’t find it too difficult but that may have been because we solved the gateway clue and 11 ac very quickly. It … Read more >>

Independent 8360 / Crosophile

Wed July 31, 2013 at 12:42 pmWed July 31, 2013 at 7:50 am by Bertandjoyce

A bit of head-scratching today and not a nit in sight! There are still a few where we have the odd itch, but – we may be missing something. We hope that someone … Read more >>

Independent 8355 / Nestor

Fri July 26, 2013 at 1:18 pmThu July 25, 2013 at 8:03 am by Bertandjoyce

It’s Thursday so we expected a tricky solve……. There was some really good clueing which was not surprising, given that the setter was Nestor. However we were and still are, completely stumped by … Read more >>

Independent 8350 / Phi

Fri November 17, 2017 at 1:00 pmFri July 19, 2013 at 8:11 am by Bertandjoyce

How time flies! It’s Phi-day again already. The grid will suit those solvers who like lots of checking letters. However, despite all of these we still had a bit of difficulty with a … Read more >>

Independent Saturday Prize Puzzle 8339 / Nestor

Sat July 13, 2013 at 9:15 amSat July 13, 2013 at 8:30 am by Bertandjoyce

It seems a while since we last blogged a Saturday Prize puzzle. We were away last month and mc_rapper67 kindly stepped in for us. Many thanks to him! We thought this was a tricky … Read more >>

Independent 8341 / Tees

Tue July 9, 2013 at 8:15 am by Bertandjoyce

We struggled a bit more than expected with this one. We solved this independently for a change and found that we each struggled with the same clues in the SE corner although all … Read more >>

Independent 8336 / Dac

Wed July 3, 2013 at 8:30 am by Bertandjoyce

As expected a delightful puzzle from Dac. We always appreciate the smooth surfaces or stories behind Dac’s clues. Our favourite today is 26ac. Or could it be 29ac? Or maybe 9ac? On the … Read more >>