NealH

I've been doing crosswords off and on since university back in the 1980s. I used to do the Guardian, but defected to the Independent a year ago. My solving standard is still not what I'd like. I'd love to be able to knock off a crossword in 10 minutes, but find I'm still getting stuck for long periods when the inspiration doesn't quite arrive. I once had a go at compiling crosswords but, after a very rude rejection for the editor of the Telegraph, I didn't bother any further.

Independent 12,394 by Bard

Mon June 29, 2026 at 10:14 am by NealH

This was an interesting and enjoyable puzzle.

Independent 12,376 by Hippogryph

Mon June 8, 2026 at 9:00 am by NealH

This wasn't my favourite puzzle of the year.

MyCrossword Featured crossword No 12 by Boznut

Mon June 1, 2026 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this quite challenging and there was a period where I thought I wasn't going to get anywhere at all.

Independent 12,358 by Hoskins

Mon May 18, 2026 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this generally on the easier side. The south east corner took a little longer than the rest.

Independent 12,340 by Major

Mon April 27, 2026 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this quite an enjoyable and sometimes challenging puzzle.

MyCrossword Featured crossword No 8 by Temple

Mon April 6, 2026 at 9:00 am by NealH

Lots of nice clues in this puzzle.

Independent 12,322 by Italicus

Mon April 6, 2026 at 9:00 am by NealH

A very sound and enjoyable puzzle from Italicus.

Independent 12,304 by Kairos

Mon March 16, 2026 at 4:04 pmMon March 16, 2026 at 9:46 am by NealH

I've blogged Kairos before and I found the previous puzzle quite gentle. This was a little harder in places but had a lot very commendable clues.

Independent 12,286 by Liari

Mon February 23, 2026 at 9:00 am by NealH

I've not seen this compiler before but I see that there have been a number of previous puzzles. I thought it was of a very high standard with some great clues.

MyCrossword No 4 by Iguess

Mon February 9, 2026 at 10:00 am by NealH

This was my first go at a puzzle on MyCrossword and I found it to be fairly tricky.

Independent 12,268 by Quince

Mon February 2, 2026 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this quite a struggle. The compiler is new to me, which usually makes things a little trickier because you're not used to the way they express things.

Independent 12,250 by Italicus

Mon January 12, 2026 at 9:00 am by NealH

This was a mostly gentle puzzle with a few that required some work to parse them.

Independent 12,232 by Bard

Mon December 22, 2025 at 10:30 am by NealH

I've not done many Bard puzzles before, so it took me a while to get into the mindset. The grid was unusual with 4 longer double word clues around the perimeter.

Independent 12,214 by Italicus

Mon December 1, 2025 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this a little easier than some Italicus puzzles I've done.

Independent 12,196 by Grecian

Mon November 10, 2025 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this quite a slog. It had some very tough clues and occasionally quite obscure references.