In aid of RNIB and BBC Children in Need
Clues and Grid by Curmudgeon The background for this puzzle is a Graham Fox photograph showing nuts and bolts and coins. Curmudgeon’s grid commemorates the 50th anniversary of an important alteration that one could consider a small change, but certainly not a loose change. The solutions (mostly 5- or 7-letter) have to be entered jigsaw-wise… Read more Hints & Tips February 2021
Clues by Nutmeg and Grid by Jolt. The winner of the January puzzle was Robert Campbell of West Yorkshire. Not much by way of instruction. We are simply told that we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of an impromptu first instance of an innovative new format.
Clues by Nutmeg and Grid by Jolt The background for this puzzle is a Graham Fox photograph showing Ravi Bopara playing a summer sport for England against New Zealand. The coloured clothing indicates that this is not a Test Match. Jolt has constructed a grid celebrating the 50th anniversary of an impromptu first instance of… Read more Hints & Tips January 2021
Clues by Enigmatist and Grid by etc. The winner of the December puzzle was Jack Nichols of South Korea. The rubric said ‘Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of the 40, who is unclued but appears in the grid as 13ba, 10d, 42ac-2.
Clues by Enigmatist and Grid by etc The background for this puzzle is a Graham Fox photograph showing a beautiful sunset with a crescent moon casting a little moonlight. As creators of this grid, celebrating a 250th anniversary, we were delighted to see the final form of this puzzle. Enigmatist has orchestrated a mellifluous composition… Read more Hints & Tips December 2020
Clues by Nutmeg and Grid by Mang. The winner of the November puzzle was John Minter of Telford. Not much by way of instruction. We are simply told that clues with asterisks are 1 of 44 and lack definitions and that cells indicated boldly are thematic.
Entry Requirements The entry requirements for the 2020 3D Crosswords World Championship are as follows: The November Extra/Tie-break puzzle must be solved correctly, with the solution submitted by the given deadline of January 15 2021. Two written clues must also be submitted by the same deadline, these being clues for the highlighted word and phrase… Read more 2020 3D Crosswords World Championship Qualification
The task is to design a 3D Grid suitable for inclusion in the 2022 3D Calendar Puzzles publication. The RPM trophy is in memory of Ray Parry-Morris, who designed many successful 3D grids. Anyone may enter. The deadline for entries is January 15 2021. Information on how to submit your entry is contained in the… Read more RPM Trophy 3D Grid Design Competition 2020
Clues by Nutmeg and Grid by Mang The background for this puzzle is a deep blue Graham Fox photograph which appears to be a close-up of a flower. A Seven Dials grid is used and there are 49 clues. There is a theme that is literally out of this world: the 8 bold edged cells… Read more Hints & Tips November 2020
This is a general introduction. It covers briefly the most common types of cryptic clues and looks at how to recognise a clue type and solve them, as well as how you might design one yourself. Setting clues can be just as much fun as solving them and will illuminate the solving process. A useful… Read more How to solve cryptic clues