Judging has taken place for these two competitions, which represent the culmination of each year’s 3D puzzling. Again the entry for both competitions has seen the submission of 3D grids accompanied by their word lists, and in the case of the World Championship, by clues for three items — GIFT, INCARNATION and SEASON OF GOODWILL: all were of a very high standard. The grids were assessed by Alan Goddard (Mang) and Alan George Chamberlain (Komorník), and detailed evaluation of the clues was again kindly carried out for us by Shirley Curran (Curmudgeon). Before judging took place, all entries were as usual anonymised, so that no judge knew whose entries he or she was assessing.
It was a feature of this year’s competitions that the three judges found themselves fully in agreement; this does not always happen!
There were three entries for the World Championship competition. On this occasion Calluna (Heather Knowles and Chris Cooper), who were the title-holders, submitted a very skilfully filled grid on an interesting theme, but had to be content with third place. The first two places were taken by Abby Braunsdorf, our wonderful American reviewer and grid composer, designing as Absolution, and Jonathan Treml, who designs as Gerontius. Both grids were outstanding for their originality and the pleasure they offered solvers in working them out. Indeed, the judges had a slight preference for Absolution’s grid, which features a superb device in construction and a most cleverly disguised theme. However, when the marks for clues were taken into account, it was Gerontius who came out slightly but indubitably ahead.
The two entries were of the very highest standard, and Absolution is in the opinion of the Production Team most unlucky not to have won a trophy this year. Surely one or other of our constructors’ trophies will be making its way to Indiana before long.
3D World Championship
⭐ 1st: Jonathan Treml (Gerontius)
⭐ 2nd: Abby Braunsdorf (Absolution)
⭐ 3rd: Heather Knowles and Chris Cooper (Calluna)
Clues for GIFT
Present of hot figgy pudding sent back (4)
by Gerontius
Hidden in hoT FIGgy reversed
5/5. This lovely little clue is a star because of its concision and fine surface reading. The ‘of’ appropriately links the definition and word play. There isn’t a redundant word with ‘sent back’ being used for the reversal of the word play but also the returning of the defined ‘present’ and we get the amusing picture of a rather quaint present being returned by someone who doesn’t “Want some figgy pudding”.
One present at disorderly fight outside hospital (4)
by Absolution
FIG(h)T*
3/5. This compiler has cleverly used two senses of present (the presence at the fight and the thing kindly offered) to mislead their solver and produce a fine surface sense for their clue. Their editor, lacking space (as they so often are) might question and delete the ‘One’ and suggest the accepted link-word ‘in’ rather than ‘at’. ‘Disorderly’ works well in the surface-reading of the clue (a tussle outside a hospital) and also as the anagrind for the FIGHT. Our setter wants us to lose that H from FIGHT and has used ‘outside’ as a subtraction indicator but that jars slightly in the grammar of the clue — it needs something like ‘husband absent’ or ‘hearts not included/missing’. Nevertheless, this clue reads well.
Talent of man-eating Roland (4)
by Calluna
Double definition – Talent, and the lead singer of the 1980s English pop rock band Fine Young Cannibals, Roland Gift
2/5. The compiler has used a double definition clue but one of the two definitions would not be approved of by their editor as it is not in Chambers (or in the ODE). For a solver who doesn’t know this second definition of the relevant English pop rock band (the ‘cannibal’ aspect), the surface-reading of the clue is somewhat disorienting. Of course, with the clue explanation, a smile is produced as we have to recognise that the talent of any cannibal must be recognised as a ‘gift’.
Clues for INCARNATION
Krishna say, appearing as a vision in pink (11)
by Calluna
Krishna (an avatar of Vishnu) and IN PINK (carnation)
5/5. Chambers informs us that Vishna is ‘The second god of the Hindu triad, believed to appear in many incarnations, regarded by some worshippers as the saviour’ , thus we have a fine definition by example and this humorous clue gives us an image of Krishna ‘appearing in pink’ (and why not?), a lovely breakdown of the INCARNATION to a second meaning. What a successful clue!
Manifestation of where Radiator Springs must be, country-wise (11)
by Absolution
A play on the town from the movie Cars. Being a town of cars, it must be IN CAR NATION.
4/5. The solver is likely to consult Wikipedia to find that Radiator Springs is a Disney World town and our setter has prompted us that we are looking for a country, thus a ‘nation’ so the cluing of this difficult word teaches us something and breaks the word down in an amusing and imaginative way.
Embodiment of an icon in Art Movement (11)
by Gerontius
(AN ICON IN ART)*
4/5. Looking for an appropriate anagram is a good way to approach this difficult word and this setter has found one that works well with the definition they have chosen: ‘Embodiment’. The anagrind ‘movement’ (I wonder why they have used the upper case) causes a slight problem within the grammar of the clue. We are advised to avoid nounal anagrinds as we need one that instructs the solver to ‘move’ the words. Nevertheless, this is a fine clue.
Clues for SEASON OF GOODWILL
Snowfall, goodies and nothing more make Christmas (6,2,8)
by Calluna
(SNOWFALL + GOODIES + O)*
5/5. A compiler faced with these three words to clue is most likely to opt for an anagram, as our three setters have done. Judging is therefore a question of four aspects of the clue: the anagram chosen; the anagrind; the concision of the clue; and its technical accuracy. This clue is a star in all respects. The anagram is delightfully appropriate with the clever inclusion of that awkward O as ‘nothing more’, the simple anagrind ‘make’ which fits grammatically into the clue and all that in just seven words. What a gem of a clue.
Yuletide goose and filo, slow-cooked (6,2,8)
by Gerontius
(GOOSE AND FILO SLOW)*
4/5. A compiler faced with these three words to clue is most likely to opt for an anagram, as our three setters have done. Judging is therefore a question of four aspects of the clue: the anagram chosen; the anagrind; the concision of the clue; and its technical accuracy. This concise clue evokes the ‘season of goodwill’ with the most appropriate definition ‘Yuletide’ and the chosen anagram of the ‘goose’ fits nicely, though a cook is unlikely to use filo pastry with the greasy bird. How nicely the ‘slow’ of the anagram material is linked with the anagrind ‘cooked’, the linking hyphen being perfectly acceptable technically.
Period of giving lawn soil goofed so badly (6,2,8)
by Absolution
(LAWN SOIL GOOFED SO)*
2/5. A compiler faced with these three words to clue is most likely to opt for an anagram, as our three setters have done. Judging is therefore a question of four aspects of the clue: the anagram chosen; the anagrind; the concision of the clue; and its technical accuracy. This clue is concise and badly works well as the anagrind, clearly telling the solver that they are faced with an anagram. However, the surface sense of the clue is somewhat disappointing. What, we wonder, is a ‘period of giving lawn soil’. The rather slangy ‘goofed’ doesn’t help in this respect either.
RPM Trophy results 2025
The RPM attracted nine entries, ensuring that the 2027 and indeed future Calendars are unlikely to be short of grids! A feature of this year’s competition was that relatively few of the grids submitted were tied to a particular anniversary. We do like anniversaries very much, but puzzles on a theme which cannot become outdated have the great virtue that they can be used at any time.
The judges agreed totally on the podium-filling entries. Again an entry from Calluna took third place: their well-designed grid has a very creditably high proportion of items of a thematic nature, the theme being susceptible of two different interpretations. However, there were in this category also two highly original grids, which presented the post-solve “Easter Egg Hunt” in differing but equally innovative ways. Either might have won the competition in some other years, but on this occasion the judges agreed that the best was that submitted by Mark O’Connor, who sets in several prestigious puzzle series under the name of Cranberry. We are delighted to take him on board the BBC CinN / RNIB 3D train and congratulate him on being a winner on his first participation. Second place was earned by our very own Nora Boswell (Bozzy), whose excellent grids, often with a delightfully domestic theme, have featured in Calendars many times.
Solvers will, I am sure, have an absolute treat when tackling the varied challenges of these grids in the 2027 Calendar, alongside original work by Shark, Sirius, Chalicea/Curmudgeon, Komorník and Pickles.
⭐ Winner: Mark O’Connor (Fez/Cranberry)
⭐ 2nd: Nora Boswell (Bozzy)
⭐ 3rd: Heather Knowles and Chris Cooper (Calluna)
As usual, the first and second prize-winners in each category will be included as Calendar pages, while several other excellent submissions will also be published, some as monthly pages and others as Extras.
We in the Production Team thank all our competition entrants for sending in grids of such high quality. There would be much less variety, and perhaps no Calendar at all, without all your creativity and wit.
Forty-nine solvers were qualified to enter the World Championship competition for 2025, but only eight felt they had an idea good enough to enter either competition. All those eight people were justified in their decision, but surely there were more of you who could have sent in submissions. You don’t have to be as challenging as a Shark, as original as a Sirius, or as twisted as a Komorník, to get your idea adopted! We would really encourage more 3D solvers to have a go in 2026 — you never know!