In aid of RNIB and BBC Children in Need
This year, for the first time, the marking of grids for both the World Championship and the RPM Trophy was carried out anonymously (i.e. designers’ names were not provided to the marking team). I have to say it was quite exciting to see the names of the winners eventually revealed. 3D World Championship ⭐ 1st… Read more Results of the 2023 3D World Championship and RPM Trophy competitions
Clues by Arachne and Grid by Rikki Enter the prize draw by 29 February. Our monitoring stations have intercepted an intriguing message. It seems to have been written by an operative codenamed Arachne based on a design by an operative codenamed Rikki. The first page is a photograph (bearing the name Andrew Littlewood) showing the… Read more Hints & Tips February 2024
Clues by Raich and Grid by Calluna
January is traditionally designed to be a relatively straightforward exercise for experienced solvers and a gentle induction for newcomers into the mysteries of 3D crosswords. As such, therefore, Raich has served up a well-judged and timely offering for the first puzzle of the year.
Clues by Raich and Grid by Calluna Enter the prize draw by 31 January. The background for this puzzle is a Graham Fox photograph showing a gull perched on a rock sticking out of the sea. This puzzle uses a conventional 7x5x6 grid by Calluna and marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of a much-loved but… Read more Hints & Tips January 2024
Clues and Grid by Komorník The first notable thing about this puzzle is the unique diagram. It’s clearly a teapot caught in the act of pouring. And the first clue uses its shape to bend an answer through the handle, around and out onto the smaller grid.
Clues and Grid by Komorník Enter the prize draw by 31 December. The background for this puzzle is a Graham Fox photograph that I find difficult to describe: it may be a time-lapsed picture of a firework display, or it could be a waterfall; at any rate it gives the impression of clouds of steam billowing round… Read more Hints & Tips December 2023
Clues and Grid by Soup. Someone will correct me if wrong, but this is the first Alphabetical Jigsaw (AJ) which I recall seeing in the 3D Calendar. I enjoy them very much: they present a different sort of challenge, while obviously offering crucial help, in that one knows — more or less — the initial letter of each item.
Clues and Grid by Soup Enter the prize draw by 30 November. The background for this puzzle is a Graham Fox photograph showing a meal of alphabetti spaghetti on toast. This puzzle uses a modified 7x5x5 grid by Soup in which the central 7-letter entries have been extended to 9 letters. Clues are given in… Read more Hints & Tips November 2023
Now is the time for you to start preparing your entries for the 2023 World Championship and the RPM Trophy. We are a small team and are always looking for grids for the Calendar Puzzles and the Extra Puzzles, which is why both challenges require the design of a 3D grid, or indeed, if you… Read more 2023 World Championship & RPM Trophy Competitions
Clues and Grid by Shark. The mezzanine floor lives (thanks to Shark and his little grey cells)! I have always thought that we could do more with our interstitial levels — anagrams, Ninas, patterns — and this month Shark has filled them — with words. He has also taken us deep into the realm of highly successful popular culture