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 9,591 by Serpent

Mon July 10, 2017 at 10:18 amMon July 10, 2017 at 9:00 am by NealH

A good puzzle with some ingenious clues.

Independent 9,573 by Hoskins

Mon June 19, 2017 at 9:00 am by NealH

A nice start-the-week sort of crossword with lots of well written clues.

Independent 9,555 by Knut

Mon May 29, 2017 at 9:00 am by NealH

A highly political puzzle with some great clues.

Independent 9,537 by Vigo

Mon May 8, 2017 at 3:07 pmMon May 8, 2017 at 9:00 am by NealH

An enjoyable outing from the reliable Vigo.

Independent 9,519 by Alchemi

Mon April 17, 2017 at 7:38 pmMon April 17, 2017 at 9:00 am by NealH

This was one of those themed puzzles that can be difficult to start with if you don’t get the gateway clue quickly.

Independent 9,501 by Gila

Mon March 27, 2017 at 9:00 am by NealH

Quite a tough puzzle in places with some neatly deceptive clues.

Independent 9,483 by Peter

Mon March 6, 2017 at 9:00 am by NealH

An enjoyable and fairly easy puzzle with some amusing clues.

Independent 9,465 by Dutch

Mon February 13, 2017 at 7:58 pmMon February 13, 2017 at 9:00 am by NealH

Top-notch stuff from Dutch. There was a good balance of clues and some had excellent surface readings.

Independent 9,447 by Vigo

Mon January 23, 2017 at 9:00 am by NealH

An excellent and absorbing puzzle with lots of very subtle touches.

Independent 9,429 by Punk

Mon January 2, 2017 at 8:12 pm by NealH

A very late appearance of this on the Indy website means the blog has been considerably delayed. It’s not giving too much away to say there was a theme of cities.

Independent 9,411 by Anglio

Mon December 12, 2016 at 9:00 am by NealH

I found this a bit of a grind with lots of quite involved clues and a number of off-centre or obscure word usages making the clues seem more difficult than they actually were.

Independent 9,393 by Gila

Mon November 21, 2016 at 10:33 amMon November 21, 2016 at 9:00 am by NealH

A puzzle full of intricate clues, but also some humour.

Independent 9,375 by Peter

Mon October 31, 2016 at 9:00 am by NealH

Peter is another fairly new setter for the Indy. The style seems similar to Dac with generally straightforward clues and polished surfaces.

Independent 9,357 by Phi

Mon October 10, 2016 at 9:00 am by NealH

It’s fairly unusual to see Phi on a Monday, so this was a rare treat for me. After a run of quite difficult Monday puzzles, it was also nice to have something a little easier to get one’s teeth into. I thought this was very enjoyable and was able to keep going without long periods of getting stuck.

Independent 9,339 by Crosophile

Mon September 19, 2016 at 9:00 am by NealH

Crosophile continues to please with some imaginative clues which often succeed in getting away from the standard anagram, charade etc model altogether.