Enigmatic Variations No. 1072: Companions by Wiglaf
I found this puzzle quite challenging, partly due to a gap in my cultural references, which will be revealed – although I suspect many people who don’t have this gap may have got … Read more >>
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Independent 8309 by Punk (Saturday Prize Puzzle 1 June 2013)
A bonus blog for me – covering for Bert & Joyce, who are no doubt on some well-earned R&R… An interesting and enjoyable challenge from Punk this week. No obvious theme or Nina … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1068: Bargain by Nutmeg
Some sad news to report first – which I don’t think has been mentioned on this site yet – is that the preamble to EV1069, published on Sun 5 May informs us that James Leonard, … Read more >>
Independent 8285 by Rorschach (Saturday Prize Puzzle 4 May 2013)
I think I have solved all the clues correctly, but I can’t quite explain the parsing/wordplay in all cases. And although I could detect an underlying theme-ette, there were a couple of ‘almost-nina’s … Read more >>
Guardian Genius 118 by Araucaria
Guardian. Genius. Araucaria. What more to say?!… (I have to admit my heart skipped a beat when I saw my turn on the Genius rota was an Araucaria. After 20+ years of solving the … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1064: Upper Half by Shark
OK – I know when I’m beaten – I surrender! I’ll come out quietly with my hands up. A seemingly simple preamble, a reasonably quick grid fill, and then two-plus weeks staring at … Read more >>
Independent 8225 by Nimrod (Saturday Prize Puzzle 30 March 2013)
An interesting mixture from Nimrod here – a plethora of long answers – six 15-letter entries – and a smidge-ette of a theme which, unless I missed something, didn’t seem to develop into anything … As it … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1060: Change of Title by Oxymoron
An intriguing preamble: As ‘instructed’ by the grid, solvers must make a choice in the case of eleven clashes; and a further ten clues omit a letter in the subsidiary indications – these … Read more >>
Independent 8225 by Bannsider (Saturday Prize Puzzle 23 February 2013)
The usual high-quality clueing from Bannsider, with a varied mix of the old and the new – and no particular theme or nina (that I could see). The old/classic? References to Levi, Hosea, Eucharist, … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1056: Winter Festival by Kcit
My first thoughts on seeing this puzzle were a) not another ‘split clue and decide where to put the answers’, like my last blog, EV1052, and b) that the split grid device was … Read more >>
Independent 8195 by Tees (Saturday Prize Puzzle 19 January 2013)
There seem to have been quite a few Saturday Prize puzzles from Tees recently, but this is the first to have fallen on my blogging schedule. An interesting puzzle with a little extra…and … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1052: Mixed Doubles II by Kruger
Did anybody get a really tough jigsaw for Xmas – the kind that you start and then realise you’ve bitten off a bit more than you can chew, with everything else that’s going … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1048: Missing Title by Nutmeg
Another annoyingly misleading editing error in the preamble – which starts: ‘Half of the 24 clued answers…’ but should probably start: ‘Half of the 48 clued answers…’, or ‘Of the 48 clued answers, 24/half…’. … Read more >>
Independent 8166 by Anax (Saturday Prize Puzzle 15 December 2012)
The first thing that struck me about this puzzle was the amount of white space amongst the clues – combined with the identity of the setter, Anax, this was enough to strike fear … Read more >>
Enigmatic Variations No. 1044: Seven Things by Wiglaf
Wiglaf is a new name to me – and doesn’t seem to appear anywhere else on 15×15, so is either a new setter. or one of those occasional collaborations of setters(?). Either way … Read more >>