Absolutely no ambiguity about the preamble this month, but a tricky challenge nonetheless.
Guardian Genius
Guardian Genius 222 by Jack
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.
Guardian Genius No 221 Set by Pangakupu
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 >>
Guardian Genius 220 by Qaos
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.”
Guardian Genius 219 / Kite
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 >>
Guardian Genius 218 – Vlad
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 >>
Guardian Genius 217 by Enigmatist
A puzzle where every clue was incomplete made for a difficult but ultimately satisfying solve.
Guardian Genius no. 216 by Monk
Monk sets June’s Genius challenge.
Guardian Genius 215 / Picaroon
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 >>
Guardian Genius 214 by Puck
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!
Genius 213
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 >>
Guardian Genius 212 – Karla
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 >>
Guardian Genius No 211 by Chameleon
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 >>
Guardian Genius no.210 by Soup
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 >>
Guardian Genius 209 / Paul
This month we have another of Paul’s whimsical puzzles with which to do battle. Having read the preamble regarding possible book titles and authors, my first step was to highlight the clue numbers … Read more >>