scchua – Page 57 – Fifteensquared

Financial Times 14142 Alberich

October 24, 2012 at 12:00 amOctober 23, 2012 at 11:10 am by scchua

Approached this with trepidation as I didn’t have much success solving previous Alberichs, much less blog them. Started off okay with the NE quadrant, then the SE, then considerably slowed down. 14across defeated me, … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 675 Nutmeg

October 22, 2012 at 7:32 am by scchua

A straightforward Quiptic. Thanks to Nutmeg for some enjoyable surfaces. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at the bottom of the blog have unidentified links to the puzzle.]] Across 1 One … Read more >>

Guardian Cryptic 25770 Paul

October 19, 2012 at 3:07 amOctober 18, 2012 at 10:17 am by scchua

I had a very pleasant time solving this – a witty and clever puzzle. My favourites were the clues with the mathematical signs, the setter managing to include the 4 most common. Thanks … Read more >>

Financial Times 14136 Phssthpok

October 16, 2012 at 6:23 pmOctober 16, 2012 at 11:42 am by scchua

The NE corner took me longer than usual for a Phssthpok. Thanks for the challenge, Phssthpok. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at the bottom have unidentified links with the puzzle.]] Across … Read more >>

Independent on Sunday 1181 Raich

October 14, 2012 at 11:51 amOctober 14, 2012 at 12:02 am by scchua

An IoS towards the harder end of the spectrum, I thought. There were quite some answers that had to be teased out, including the 4 long anagrams, of which I found 8 down … Read more >>

Financial Times 14130 Jason

October 9, 2012 at 6:43 pmOctober 9, 2012 at 10:02 am by scchua

Another enjoyable one from Tuesday regular Jason. Plain sailing until the last one 19A. I got the answer, but it was one of the usually short ones that I can’t explain. Called a friend, … Read more >>

Financial Times 14124 Neo

October 2, 2012 at 2:07 pmOctober 2, 2012 at 7:16 am by scchua

Occasionally, Neo lets us off the hook, with an easier than usual puzzle. No complaints, though, and there were clues with excellent surfaces today. Thanks to Neo. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The … Read more >>

Guardian Cryptic 25755 Rufus

October 1, 2012 at 9:19 am by scchua

Another Monday Rufus. Not one for the more advanced (though 27 did hold me up, why I now can’t see). Thanks to Rufus, for the compact and smooth cluing. Definitions are underlined in the clues. … Read more >>

Financial Times 14118 Sleuth

September 25, 2012 at 3:11 pmSeptember 25, 2012 at 6:16 am by scchua

This is the first Sleuth I’m blogging, though I’ve done a couple of his alter ego, Hypnos’s. Quite straightforward Tuesday FT fare, and enjoyable. Thank you to Sleuth. Definitions are underlined in the … Read more >>

Guardian Quiptic 671 Nutmeg

September 24, 2012 at 6:18 pmSeptember 24, 2012 at 5:54 am by scchua

I found this, in parts, trickier than the usual Quiptic, taking longer to complete as a result. But no complaints, and thank you to Nutmeg. My COD was the very clever 13down. Definitions … Read more >>

Guardian Cryptic 25746 Crucible

September 20, 2012 at 12:53 pmSeptember 20, 2012 at 10:29 am by scchua

This took a bit of time to get into, the key being 10. After getting some of the others, I finally got it via 2 and 16across. The pace quickened after that, and it turned out to be quite an enjoyable solve. Thanks to Crucible. (Apologies for the slight delay in posting – I had to interrupt the writing of the blog for a doctor’s appointment.)