Independent

Well, just a personal record. I’ve done the great majority of the Indy cryptics since the paper first appeared in 1986 and this was my fastest solve ever. Last year I broke my … Read more >>

This seemed slightly easier than Nestor’s previous puzzles but no less brilliant. Practically every clue reads perfectly and the construction of the wordplay is absolutely spot-on throughout. There’s a couple that I didn’t … Read more >>

Lots of fire and explosions today. The usual quality from Dac but with one clue leaving me perplexed as to its definition. Across 1 AXING — A+XI+N.G. — team is often XI, as … Read more >>

Another tour de force from Virgilius.    Each row containing a part of the body in approximately correct order from the head to the feet.    Despite this constraint, the remainder of the grid contains normal … Read more >>

Completion Time: 11 minutes (including 3 minutes working out 10 across) Oh dear.  I have thought about this long and hard, went away, downed copious coffees and medication, and came back but I … Read more >>

A prize crossword and I found it trickier than a weekday with some fairly current references and well hidden definitions. As far as I can see, which is not always far in such … Read more >>

This had everything I expect from Phi, clear precise, clues, easier wordplay to the less familiar words, everything fully understood.    The extra bit was that, like some other of this week’s puzzles, there … Read more >>

Fairly straightforward, with the SW corner the slowest. As always with Quixote, everything stacks up unambiguously. Solving time: 21 mins * = anagram ACROSS 8 TI PP ER Slightly unusual construction in which … Read more >>

Solving time 11:07 (if correct) A theme that kept me guessing for a while, as the crucial no. 5 didn’t fall until I’d got one of the theme answers, most of which are … Read more >>

Solving time: 24 minutes (one dubious answer) Another sound puzzle from Dac which held my enjoyment right the way through. Not terribly sure about 13 across, I wondered if the countries had been … Read more >>

Ah what’s the theme, I thought as I opened the back pages of the Independent. Momentarily distracted by the pictures of weekend’s big fight between Arsenal and Chelsea, I returned to wondering if … Read more >>

Another fine puzzle from Tees and, in keeping with the last few Monday puzzles, quite difficult in places. Across 1 (MARK)* in WON – “Newmark” (helped out by “Maybe”) to indicate an anagram … Read more >>

I found this really difficult but never frustratingly so. There seemed to be just right mix of easy clues to get you started and tough ones to stop you getting too cocky. I … Read more >>

I found this puzzle incredibly easy, for me, for a Friday, and for Phi. I usually start my crossword on the train from Newcastle to Durham and then pick the paper up later … Read more >>

This was my slowest Quixote solve of 2007 – contains some good stuff as set out below. Solving time: 34 mins * = anagram ACROSS 1 B(AIL)IFF Jointly with 5 down, my favourite … Read more >>