John

Born 1946. Since retiring (maths teacher) have spent an increasing amount of time on crosswords, something that was impossible before – am not in the sub-ten minutes league and probably never will be. Do The Times every day (more often than not in over half an hour), also an assortment of other puzzles. Have been doing Azed monthly for some years and entering his clue-setting competitions, occasionally with some success (I even won once, have had 36 VHCs and 138 HCs — yes, I keep a record, sad isn't it) but not enough for my liking. I've set a few crosswords: five in Oxford Today, a few on Derek Harrison's website, and five in The Independent, under the name Vernon. Also play a lot of chess and golf, although as I age I'm getting weaker at both.

Independent 7964/Anax

Tue April 24, 2012 at 11:32 am by John

A quite excellent crossword from Anax. He seems to be a frequent contributor to the Independent (or perhaps it’s just that he always seems to get me) and although his crosswords are on the … Read more >>

Independent 7959/Dac

Wed April 18, 2012 at 12:06 pmWed April 18, 2012 at 11:34 am by John

As usual a thoroughly satisfactory crossword from Dac; indeed ‘satisfactory’ is to damn with faint praise. It is of course far more than satisfactory, and as always the surfaces are smooth and shiny. … Read more >>

Independent 7954/Klingsor

Thu April 12, 2012 at 11:24 am by John

Yet another excellent workout from Klingsor this morning. Many of the clues have quite tricky constructions, but it is all perfectly fair and often very nice. As always with Klingsor — what else, when … Read more >>

Independent 7949/Phi

Fri April 6, 2012 at 10:58 am by John

As usual a good crossword from Phi. It was not the difficult one that some on this site feared when we had some easier ones early in the week, but it was made harder … Read more >>

Azed 2077

Sun April 1, 2012 at 12:02 am by John

The usual thing from Azed: utterly sound clueing and lots of wading through Chambers in search of words you have never heard of, which is quite fun, once you’re used to it. As … Read more >>

Independent 7940/Anax

Tue March 27, 2012 at 11:41 am by John

An excellent offering from Anax today. It seems that he is making his crosswords a bit more accessible, without the devilish twists of wordplay that have characterised his puzzles in the past. Although, … Read more >>

Independent 7935/Dac

Wed March 21, 2012 at 10:47 am by John

As always a smooth solving experience from Dac. His surfaces are quite outstanding: without apparently trying he manages one that is suited perfectly to the clue and he does this time and again. Across 1 PICNIC … Read more >>

Independent 7930/Monk

Thu March 15, 2012 at 11:12 am by John

As expected Monk has produced a good crossword with a nice range of clue-types. And also as expected I have failed to understand some of them, so what seems to be his brilliance … Read more >>

Independent 7925/Quixote

Fri March 9, 2012 at 10:43 am by John

Musical chairs have been much in evidence this week, with Phi, who has usually been on Friday, on Monday, and Quixote now in Phi’s usual place. When I saw Phi on Monday I … Read more >>

Independent 7916/Morph

Tue February 28, 2012 at 10:58 am by John

A nice crossword from Morph today. One or two of the clues are perhaps a bit long, but there are also some very good ones. As to a Nina, something which I always … Read more >>

Independent 7911/Dac

Wed February 22, 2012 at 1:50 am by John

As we expect, a smooth efficient job from Dac. Some of the clues are excellent and it is sad that these masterpieces which he produces week after week are here for a day and then almost completely forgotten. … Read more >>

Azed 2071

Sun February 19, 2012 at 11:36 pmSun February 19, 2012 at 12:02 am by John

The usual experience from Azed — excellent sound stuff. There is one about which I’m not sure: I think my answer is right, but I’m glad that the doubt occurred when I was … Read more >>

Independent 7906/Anax

Fri February 17, 2012 at 2:58 pmThu February 16, 2012 at 2:18 am by John

Yet again, because of the vagaries of randomness, Anax has to put up with my inability to parse his clever clues. There are I’m afraid one or two that I just can’t understand, … Read more >>

Independent 7900/Monk

Thu February 9, 2012 at 12:08 pm by John

When I saw the rather strange grid, with six 15-letter words and only 22 answers, it immediately seemed that something was afoot, but I can’t see anything. Perhaps there is indeed something there, … Read more >>

Independent 7892/Anax

Tue January 31, 2012 at 11:46 am by John

Poor old Anax seems to be stuck with me at the moment and I probably don’t do justice to a beautifully-crafted crossword with some lovely clues. But this was tough. On several occasions I … Read more >>