Nutmeg’s not giving too much away here. The title, STRATEGY, is in some way inappropriate or at least has to be made ‘more appropriate’. Someone or something ‘has a problem’, and the grid has to be ‘altered’ is some unspecified way. Let’s hope we can get more from the clues.
Enigmatic Variations
Enigmatic Variations 1106 Take Heed by Samuel
Welcome back to the telegraph puzzles site – a complex preamble this week. 30 misprinted definitions, 4 unclued entries, seven clashes in the grid and 3 cells to be highlighted. Sounds like fun. … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1105: Loss of Life by Kcit
[Apologies for the slightly early (and slightly bizarre) time of posting this blog. Fast forward to Spoiler Alert to find out why!] OK! So here we had a Kcit puzzle with a long … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1104: Nice by Ferret
The preamble tells us that twelve answers need to be substituted with a ‘thematically associated’ word before entry. And the one unclued entry can be ‘similarly’ associated with a word which must be … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No.1103 – Snapshot by Nod
Oh dear, a Playfair code-square. And the preamble says that there’s a four-word code phrase, which is going to greatly complicate things. An inauspicious start, so how are things going to work out?
Enigmatic Variations 1102 Just Brussels Sprouts by Chalicea
Sounds like there may be a seasonal theme here – Brussels Sprouts – tasty. Across clues are normal, whilst the downs have misprinted definitions – sounds fun. Then there is some modification required … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1101: Prevention by Charybdis
Charybdis is one of my favourite setters (mind you I’ve got quite a few). His puzzles are always sound and often quirky… like his recent Listener, #4268 Check This Out last November. Here … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1100: Compère by Oxymoron
The EV series clocks up another hundred on the mileometer and, due to the rotation of the four current bloggers, I am the lucky one to mark the occasion (as I was with EV1000 … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No.1099 – School Team by Kruger
There’s only a short preamble this time. There are, we are told, ten answers which are to be modified. The remark about the lengths of grid entries implies that these may involve the addition or removal or letters. But the pressing question is, as always, which letters?
Enigmatic Variations No 1098 Find and replace by Poat
A new setter for me to blog, but not a new setter. Poat’s puzzles tends to lie at the harder end of the spectrum – all seems so simple 16 clues with words … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1097: Distortion by Stick Insect
A smaller than normal 10×10 grid this week, so do I expect easier than normal clues or a toughie? I wasn’t really expecting the theme of this puzzle this week, but assumed that … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1096: Demand by Samuel
The preamble to DEMAND tells us that ‘the hunt is on’ for the unclued 14D. In 34 clues an extra letter in the wordplay will give us a ‘group’ met on the way, … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No.1095 – And finally… by Artix
A monster preamble this week. Also, so far as I am aware, a new setter for the EVs. Having so recently dodged a rather tough Ivor puzzle, I’m a little nervous about this unknown quantity. Who will have the last laugh?
Enigmatic Variations 1094 Riddle in Eight Parts by Jaguar
An EV from Jaguar, a second for me to blog – 3 different groups of seven to wade through. 7 unclued of a theme, 7 clues with misprints which can spell out theme … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1093: Phenytoins by Ifor
This week it’s another chance to blog one of my favourite setters. Here, we had to change the appearance of ten answers with nine clues containing a word or phrase which would help … Read more >>