Thanks to all who responded for your kind comments on “Downfall”. There were a few queries about the unusual theme, so (belatedly) I felt some kind of explanation would be justified.
The inspiration for the puzzle (more…)
I hope it is not inappropriate to write up a Listener puzzle in this forum, but it’s the closest thing I have to a ‘home’ in the crossword cloud. Plus most of our regulars will have done it (I hope), so won’t feel left out. And finally, if it entices an outsider or two onto our pages that has to be a good thing.
In my latest editorial (more…)
This is my third puzzle since my last setters blog. Back in January, Waterfall had the lowest number of correct entries and highest number of incorrect entries. Luckily that all changed when (more…)
In early April 2011, the idea occurred to me that it would be fun to set a Magpie puzzle that would appear to have The Beatles as its theme, but that would actually be about spoof band The Rutles (more…)
In May 2010 the man who inspired many to pursue a career in mathematics died aged 92 and that man was Martin Gardner. His columns in Scientific American delighted many and (more…)
First of all, a slight retraction. I wrote in the editorial to Issue 101 that the GCHQ Challenge seemed likely to be less of a challenge than the Magpie. This was based, as I admitted, on having a go at a few of the puzzles that showed up early on during the challenge, and finding them to be (more…)
Many years ago I contacted Tarquin Press and suggested that a book of cryptic cross number puzzles like those in The Listener would make a fine addition to their catalogue only to be told that they wouldn’t really be interested in that sort of thing. So imagine my surprise when (more…)
The original source of inspiration for this puzzle was Lewis Carroll’s series of mathematical posers known as the Tangled Tale. Though it has to be said that (more…)
Who was it apologized for a letter being inordinately long “because I haven’t time to write a shorter one”?
I feel the same sentiments about this blog which I’ve (more…)
A horse-themed puzzle inspired by The Wizard of Oz? Well, let’s just say that this one evolved … (more…)
