Independent 8364/Raich
One of the little pleasures in life is being a Monday Indy blogger and seeing who you’ll be up against when Quixote is enjoying a long weekend. Today it’s Raich, who has given … Read more >>
Pierre
Independent on Sunday 1222/Poins
Poins has become a bit of a regular in the IoS slot over the last couple of years, and I always look forward to solving and blogging his/her puzzles. This was a value … Read more >>
Independent 8346/Quixote
Those that followed a thread elsewhere in cruciverbal cyberspace a few weeks ago will have seen an opinion expressed about bloggers being sycophantic, and blogs here and elsewhere being unhealthy blogger and setter … Read more >>
Everyman 3483/7 July
Another thoughtfully-constructed cryptic from Everyman. We only as a rule get a few comments on this site. But I’m certain his Sunday puzzles bring pleasure to many solvers, both in the UK and … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 712/Orlando
People have said previously that Orlando has mastered the art of the Quiptic, and I think this was another example of that. Plenty of anagrams to get you going, plenty of wit, and … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1218/Kairos
Well, I don’t know about you, but I found this hard. Some very good cluing by Kairos, and you have to say that this setter takes care with his surfaces; there were some … Read more >>
Independent 8328/Alchemi
I’m not sure what to make of this one. It’s not a bad puzzle by any means, but it didn’t really hit the spot for me. Some of the cluing is pretty complicated … Read more >>
Everyman 3479/9 June
A delightful, well-constructed entry-level puzzle from Everyman, with a variety of devices and everything clearly clued. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 708/Moley
A Quiptic from Moley that is clearly aimed at the target audience, but which I found a bit clunky in places, with some unconvincing cluing at times. Perhaps I’m being a bit unfair. … Read more >>
Independent 8310/Morph
I really enjoyed this Morph puzzle. We keep bumping into one another on a Monday, but when a crossword is this good, I don’t mind in the least. Plenty of excellent surfaces, some … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1214/Crosophile
Crosophile has been a regular monthly contributor to the Wednesday slot in the Independent, but is this his first IoS puzzle? It’s certainly the first time I’ve blogged him. It was a good … Read more >>
Everyman 3475/12 May 2013
A pleasing puzzle in the usual Everyman style, including – as is often the case – some references that I’d not come across before. I did however need to phone a friend to … Read more >>
Guardian Quiptic 704/Hectence
According to her profile, Hectence is a Manchester City supporter, so to cheer her up after Saturday’s events (footie haters can look away now) I will say that I thought that this was … Read more >>
Independent 8292/Quixote
It’s Monday, it’s a Quixote puzzle … you know what to expect. A pleasing, accessible crossword which is often a quickish solve for more experienced crossworders, but a fine learning device for those … Read more >>
Independent on Sunday 1210/Hypnos
A pleasing puzzle from Hypnos in the usual IoS style – not too challenging, but with plenty of good clues to enjoy. This one fell out nicely – it was a solver-friendly grid … Read more >>