Never knowingly undersolved
Although the instructions seemed clear, it took me a while to realise that the “thematic word” to be paired with the undefined answers was not the same every time. I think it was … Read more >>
Absolutely no ambiguity about the preamble this month, but a tricky challenge nonetheless.
This is Jack’s 4th Genius puzzle. We’ve enjoyed his previous offerings, but we know him better as Serpent for his excellent Independent crosswords and Inquisitor puzzles in the i.
Why is it that I find writing a preamble more difficult than solving/parsing the clues? Probably because I have a analytical mind rather than a creative one. Anyway, to business. The introduction indicated we … Read more >>
For Qaos’ Genius 220, we are told that: “With 12 solutions our Inspector’s coding is the wrong way round. His mistakes in these 12 cases need to be reversed before entry in the grid.”
The September Genius puzzle has been set by Kite The preamble was fairly short and told us that one (related) element is lacking from each of the first 12 italicised … Read more >>
The words “Genius puzzle” and “Vlad” are a scary combination for a blogger, but this one turned out to be “only” moderate-to-hard on the Genius scale. My way in to the theme was … Read more >>
A puzzle where every clue was incomplete made for a difficult but ultimately satisfying solve.
Monk sets June’s Genius challenge.
So we have a preamble, as was to be expected, and one with no apparent ambiguities: “Fourteen solutions need to be partially amended before entry into the grid in a consistent manner by … Read more >>
I think this is the fourth Puck Genius that I have blogged, from Genius 136 way back in Nov 2014, through 160 and 190, approximately every two-and-a-bit years. Always a pleasure to ‘shake hands with an old face’, as my grandfather used to say!
Qaos provides the March Genius challenge The preamble told us that the letters in 16 squares are not allowed for in the wordplay of the clues involved. Taken as a … Read more >>
A new setter, or at least a new pseudonym, for the Genius slot: perhaps a John le Carré fan? The rather strangely-worded instructions tell us that “Fourteen clues contain no definition of their … Read more >>
This is the second Genius puzzle by Chameleon (his first was No 202, back in April last year). The special instructions said: “In six clues their wordplay element contains surplus letters, to be … Read more >>
Well, this was a real Genius puzzle. We knew we were in for a serious challenge this month when we read (or tried to read) the preamble: Tjyuffo tpmvujpot nvtu cf fodjqifsfe cfgpsf … Read more >>