Independent

Solving time: 11:36. Monk is one of my favourite Indie setters and today was another gem with clues as inventive and accurate as ever. Some difficult words – five I didn’t know (12, … Read more >>

More quality cluemanship from Dac. Across 6 hidden in “riCE REAlly”. 10 O,I,GIRL< 11 YO,SEMITE – I guess this is a reference to George Bush’s infamous “Yo Blair!” comment. 12 (EACH HIPS)* 13 … Read more >>

Another amazing tour de force by Virgilius, whose weekly Indy puzzles usually have a theme. This time (1) all the sixteen perimeter cells contain the letter F (2) there are seven rows and seven … Read more >>

I really enjoyed this. Quite tricky in parts, with some subtle and genuinely inventive wordplay. I got one wrong (18D), confirmed one on the Interweb and filled in a couple without fully understanding … Read more >>

Like the last Scorpion puzzle a few weeks ago I found this very challenging but very enjoyable. I wish I could put my finger on exactly what made it difficult for me as … Read more >>

When I solve a clue and think I’m certain I won’t have to go back to verify it, I tick the clue number in the paper. This is usually the case if I … Read more >>

Solving time: 24 minutes If there were to be awards for consistent setting, I am sure Phi would in with a shout of the award.  His puzzles are always entertaining and are just about … Read more >>

… unless you need to write up a blog entry, in which case you can often spot extra points while writing up these notes. it took me quite a while to identify the … Read more >>

Quality stuff. I can only repeat something a fellow blogger said about Dac, that aspiring setters should study his clues and learn from them. His puzzles aren’t particularly tough and they don’t have … Read more >>

Giving away no secrets with that.     “Poet” appears as full or partial definition in twelve clues,  and another two as part of wordplay.  Impressed that, despite these constraints, (a) the other words in the puzzle were normal … Read more >>

Solving time: 12:37, held up by two pairs at the end; one mistake (1dn), or perhaps two (19dn). I think this is Mordred’s second puzzle in the Independent. Like his first, this contained … Read more >>

This puzzle was obviously something out of the ordinary as soon as I looked at the grid and saw the ‘extended H’ shape made by black squares in the middle. Sure enough, 1/2/6/7 … Read more >>

Solving time: 14:20, of which 5 mins on 8ac and 1dn. Nimrod continues his recent theme of epic constructions today: just 22 clues in this puzzle, which includes six crossing 15-letter words and … Read more >>

Some very clever misdirection and puns in this puzzle.    Solving time, 23 mins * = anagram ACROSS 10 C(h)OPPER    Busy  = slang for policeman 12 f(ACTOR)y    Workplace “not taking sides” 14  PHILATELISTS    late … Read more >>

Solving time: 34 minutes  Life is full of worries and paradoxes.  Mrs Dale (for those of us of an age) always worried about Jim.  Me?  I worry about Simon McStraphanger.  Who he, I … Read more >>