Independent

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def I found this very hard-going. Spotting the symmetric anagrams around the perimeter of the gird earlier would have helped a lot. Across 1 Secret Agent: anag of … Read more >>

Pleasant fare from Phi, with one clue that defeats me but which will I’m sure be quickly explained. I wonder if the clueing style used in 10ac and 13ac is consciously Azedian. Across 1 … Read more >>

A chess inspired puzzle from Mass, where every clue makes reference to the game and/or some its famous players. Like all puzzles from this setter I found this pretty tough but got there … Read more >>

A puzzle in the quirky and individual Merlin style.   Some gems.   I found it ranged from very easy indeed to extremely difficult, with the SW corner taking me much longer than the rest … Read more >>

Solving time, 19 mins. * = anagram < = reversed ACROSS 1 DA (GO) B A (a bad)< A type of Buddhist shrine found in Sri Lanka 4 OBJECT ED 9 RE MARKS … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. Wednesdays have become distinctly tougher this year. Several unfamiliar terms and some challenging clueing meant that this one really put up a fight. I’m not … Read more >>

Slightly unexpected to see Nimrod on a Tuesday – I was hoping for something a little easier on the first day back after a long weekend! I struggled with the corners on this … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def Some nice clues with one or two I didn’t entirely follow. Across 1 Hazard: Hard around AZ. 5 Banknote: >: Bank + note. Not sure that in … Read more >>

A bit tougher than usual from Phi, maybe because of some words that were unfamiliar to me.   But all excellently put together.    Solving time, 31 mins * = anagram  < = reversed ACROSS … Read more >>

We get a puzzle from Bannsider around once a month, and every month that puzzle is never less than bloody marvellous. I’m pleased to say that this month is no exception. Across 1 … Read more >>

Like most other people no doubt, I seem to have a full week’s worth of stuff to fit into 4 days this week, so not much time to stop and admire this puzzle … Read more >>

I found this a little harder than normal, 19 and 20 across in particular, the latter not fully understood. Solving time, 32 mins. A theme to it. I refer to this after the … Read more >>

In ‘Logical Chess’, by Irving Chernev, the author takes it upon himself to make a comment on every single move. As you might expect, the commentary on the opening moves of games become … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition. Interesting puzzle. The across clues present us with various ways of stating the obvious, whilst the many, very short, down clues seem to just fill … Read more >>

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def This was a puzzle of two halves for me. I flew through the left side of the grid but struggled for a while to get going with … Read more >>