NealH

I've been doing crosswords off and on since university back in the 1980s. I used to do the Guardian, but defected to the Independent a year ago. My solving standard is still not what I'd like. I'd love to be able to knock off a crossword in 10 minutes, but find I'm still getting stuck for long periods when the inspiration doesn't quite arrive. I once had a go at compiling crosswords but, after a very rude rejection for the editor of the Telegraph, I didn't bother any further.

Independent 11,728 by Wire

Mon May 13, 2024 at 9:00 am by NealH

This was an enjoyable and challenging puzzle from Wire.

Independent 11,710 by Mog

Mon April 22, 2024 at 9:00 am by NealH

This was a very entertaining puzzle from a setter I've not seen before, although I can see there have been other puzzles.

Independent 11,692 by Twin

Mon April 1, 2024 at 9:00 am by NealH

This was a very entertaining puzzle with some excellent and deceptive wordplay.

Independent 11,674 by Twin

Mon March 11, 2024 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this quite tough and it took me a long time to get going.

Independent 11,665 by Coot

Thu February 29, 2024 at 9:00 am by NealH

This was an entertaining puzzle with some great clues.

Independent 11,656 by Gila

Mon February 19, 2024 at 9:00 am by NealH

I mostly enjoyed this and there were some great surfaces.

Independent 11,638 by Methuselah

Mon January 29, 2024 at 10:11 amMon January 29, 2024 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this a puzzle of two halves, with the top half being very easy but some of the clues in the bottom half were a bit of a struggle.

Independent 11,620 by Filbert

Mon January 8, 2024 at 9:00 am by NealH

This was a thoroughly entertaining puzzle with some tough clues.

Independent 11,602 by Hoskins

Mon December 18, 2023 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this mostly on the easy side with a few that I struggled to get at the end.

Independent 11,584 by Gila

Mon November 27, 2023 at 9:00 am by NealH

This was a very intricate and challenging puzzle.

Independent 11,566 by Tees

Mon November 6, 2023 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this a slightly mixed bag, with a lot of nice clues but one or two where I struggled to justify the parsing. The breadth of Tees's vocabulary is, as ever, impressive.

Independent 11,548 by Stamp

Mon October 16, 2023 at 9:00 am by NealH

I've not seen this compiler before and I found it quite tricky in places.

Independent 11,530 by Filbert

Mon September 25, 2023 at 9:00 am by NealH

Another excellent puzzle with clues that were both concise and precise.

Independent 11,512 by Umpire

Mon September 4, 2023 at 9:00 am by NealH

Umpire is a new compiler to me and I did wonder if it was a made up name for the duration of the US Open tennis, but I can see that there have already been puzzles by this compiler that have been blogged on the site.