Last updated: 15 September 2025
This is a list of setters whose work has appeared in the three main daily blogs featured on Fifteensquared since the start of 2023, including known aliases. Please let us know via site feedback of any errors or omissions. Further information about many of these setters can be found in the Crossword Who’s Who on the Best for Puzzles website, created by the late Michael Curl (Orlando/Cincinnus) – but note that the site has not been updated for some time.
Financial Times | Guardian | Independent
Financial Times
| Name | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Also known as… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aardvark | • | • | • | Scorpion (Independent) |
| Artexlen | • | • | • | eXternal (Independent), proXimal (EV) |
| Basilisk | • | • | Jack (Guardian), Serpent (Independent) | |
| Bobcat | • | • | • | |
| Bradman | • | • | Pasquale (Guardian), Quixote (Independent, Inquisitor) | |
| Buccaneer | • | • | • | Picaroon (Guardian), Rodriguez (Independent) |
| Chalmie | • | Alchemi (Independent) | ||
| Falcon | • | • | • | |
| Flimsy | • | • | • | Nitsy (Independent) |
| Gaff | • | • | • | |
| Goliath | • | • | • | Philistine (Guardian) |
| Gozo | • | • | • | Maskarade (Guardian) |
| Gurney | • | • | • | Raich (Independent) |
| Guy | • | • | • | Filbert (Independent) |
| Hamilton | • | • | • | |
| Io | • | • | • | Enigmatist (Guardian), Nimrod (Independent) |
| Jason | • | • | • | |
| Julius | • | • | • | Knut (Independent) |
| Leonidas | • | • | • | Wire (Independent) |
| Monk | • | • | • | Harpo (Guardian), Monk (Independent) |
| Moo | • | • | • | |
| Mudd | • | • | • | Paul (Guardian), Punk (Independent) |
| Neo | • | • | • | Tees (Independent) |
| Pedrock | • | • | • | |
| Peto | • | • | • | Poins (Independent) |
| Phssthpok | • | • | • | |
| Rosa Klebb | • | • | • | Arachne (Guardian), Anarche (Independent) |
| Sleuth | • | • | • | Hypnos (Independent) |
| Slormgorm | • | • | • | Hoskins (Independent) |
| Solomon | • | • | Bluebird (Independent) | |
| Steerpike | • | • | • | Italicus (Independent) |
| Velia | • | • | • | Matilda (Guardian) |
| Xela | • | • | ||
| Zamorca | • | • | • | Hectence (Guardian Quiptic) |
Guardian
| Name | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Also known as… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alia | • | |||
| Anto | • | • | • | |
| Arachne | • | • | • | Rosa Klebb (FT), Anarche (Independent) |
| Boatman | • | • | • | |
| Brendan | • | • | • | |
| Brockwell | • | • | • | Grecian (Independent) |
| Brummie | • | • | • | Cyclops (Private Eye) |
| Carpathian | • | • | • | Vigo (Independent) |
| Chandler | • | • | ||
| Dynamo | • | |||
| Enigmatist | • | • | Io (FT), Nimrod (Independent) | |
| Fed | • | • | • | Bluth (Independent) |
| Harpo | • | • | • | Monk (FT, Independent) |
| Hugo | • | One-off collaboration of multiple Guardian setters | ||
| Imogen | • | • | • | Vulcan (Guardian) |
| Jack | • | • | Basilisk (FT), Serpent (Independent) | |
| Kite | • | • | • | |
| Ludwig | • | • | Collaboration of Alan Connor (Everyman) and Enigmatist | |
| Maskarade | • | • | • | Gozo (FT) |
| Matilda | • | • | • | Velia (FT) |
| Nutmeg | • | |||
| Omnibus | • | Compilation of clues from Guardian readers | ||
| Pangakupu | • | • | • | Kcit (EV), Phi (Independent) |
| Pasquale | • | • | • | Bradman (FT), Quixote (Independent, Inquisitor) |
| Paul | • | • | • | Mudd (FT), Punk (Independent) |
| Philistine | • | • | • | Goliath (FT) |
| Picaroon | • | • | • | Buccaneer (FT), Rodriguez (Independent) |
| Qaos | • | • | • | |
| Soup | • | • | • | |
| Sphinx | • | • | ||
| Tramp | • | • | • | Jambazi (Independent) |
| Vlad | • | • | • | Tyrus (Independent) |
| Vulcan | • | • | • | Imogen (Guardian) |
| Yank | • | • |
Independent / Independent on Sunday
| Name | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Also known as… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alchemi | • | Chalmie (FT) | ||
| Amoeba | • | • | ||
| Angel | • | • | • | |
| Atrica | • | • | • | |
| Bard | • | • | ||
| Bluebird | • | • | • | Solomon (FT) |
| Bluejacket | • | |||
| Bluth | • | • | • | Fed (Guardian) |
| Brunel | • | • | • | |
| Coot | • | • | • | |
| Crosophile | • | • | • | Charybdis (Inquisitor) |
| Dalibor | • | |||
| Deri | • | • | ||
| Dill | • | • | ||
| Dutch | • | • | ||
| Eccles | • | • | • | |
| Filbert | • | • | • | Guy (FT) |
| Gila | • | • | • | |
| Grecian | • | • | • | |
| Guinevere | • | |||
| Hippogryph | • | • | • | |
| Hoskins | • | • | • | Slormgorm (FT) |
| Italicus | • | • | • | Steerpike (FT) |
| Kairos | • | • | • | |
| Knut | • | • | • | Julius (FT) |
| Laccaria | • | • | ||
| Lark | • | • | • | |
| Lette | • | |||
| Liari | • | • | • | |
| Madcap | • | • | ||
| Magus | • | |||
| Maize | • | |||
| Major | • | |||
| Math | • | |||
| Methuselah | • | • | • | Chameleon (Guardian Genius) |
| Mev | • | • | • | |
| Mog | • | • | • | |
| Monk | • | • | Harpo (Guardian), Monk (FT) | |
| Moriarty | • | |||
| Nimrod | • | • | Enigmatist (Guardian), Io (FT) | |
| Nitsy | • | • | • | Flimsy (FT) |
| Norman | • | |||
| Ouroboros | • | |||
| Phi | • | • | • | Kcit (EV), Pangakupu (Guardian) |
| Punk | • | • | Mudd (FT), Paul (Guardian) | |
| Quince | • | • | • | |
| Raich | • | • | Gurney (FT) | |
| Raider | • | • | • | |
| Rodriguez | • | • | Buccaneer (FT), Picaroon (Guardian) | |
| Saladin | • | |||
| Salty | • | • | • | |
| Serpent | • | • | Basilisk (FT), Jack (Guardian) | |
| Shabbo | • | • | • | |
| Silvanus | • | |||
| Skinny | • | • | • | Gumm (FT) |
| Stamp | • | • | • | |
| Stetson | • | • | ||
| Tack | • | • | ||
| Tees | • | • | • | Neo (FT) |
| Twin | • | • | • | |
| Tyrus | • | • | • | Vlad (Guardian) |
| Umpire | • | • | • | |
| Vernon | • | • | ||
| Vigo | • | • | Carpathian (Guardian) | |
| Wiglaf | • | • | • | |
| Wire | • | • | • | Leonidas (FT) |
| Xestobium | • |
I thought Don Manley also sets as Quixote in the Independent …..
(I mostly stopped doing the Indy not long after its paper version’s demise – perhaps the Quixotic Don hasn’t appeared since before 2021, in which case my apologies)
Just realised I’m the first to comment and it was remiss of me not to say what a super, useful list has been produced….. Many thanks to the compiler, and for being so generous with their time
Neil Shepherd (Alberich/Klingsor) died in April 2022.
Should the headings for the columns be 2025, 2024 and 2023?
Good point, Rudolf. Done now.