Crossword News June 2026
The May Prize
Puzzle was Adorns Anew by Yimin. Solvers were asked to find three works and
complete a perimeter quotation. The
three works are Birth of Venus (11a/13d), Venus and Mars
(13d/26d) and Primavera (12d) – paintings by Sandro Botticelli: the
title being a clue to his first name. The perimeter quotation (and source) is BOTTICELLI
ISNT A WINE YOU JUGGINS BOTTICELLI IS A CHEESE (PUNCH). Which explains why
three wines (21a, 28a and 43a) must be changed to cheeses. It was an original
idea to make extra letters check with the unchecked cells in the perimeter.
Here are some of the comments from solvers.
Brilliant. Delightful clues (I loved 20).
Allowing the extra letter to be anywhere in the clue gives great scope for
finding ingenious places to hide it. A splendid ruse to reveal the unchecked
perimeter letters. However, the art-works quickly revealed the perimeter
subject and the ODQ then revealed the quotation. I suspect the great majority
of solvers will have completed the perimeter via that route (as did I), rather
than using the extra letters from the clues.
I have to admit to not finding the three
wines (I assume that's what they were). This failure proved to be a significant
advantage, as I encountered no clashes in cells, while the three cheeses
readily became clear from crossing lights.
A good level of challenge was maintained
from start to finish. It was delightfully satisfying to complete the puzzle.
Slow to get into, but I saw BIRTH OF
VENUS and PRIMAVERA reasonably early, so BOTTICELLI followed. And having
possession of a paperback collection of Punch cartoons used in their caption
competition I knew the quote, so the perimeter promptly filled and it was a
question of simply 'mopping up'. I had TOKAY and made it GOUDA, but I worked
backward from RICOTTA (clue answer must be a wine...) and still haven't worked
out what lurks behind PANEER!
Possibly the most bizarre quotation
that's appeared in a puzzle -- presumably it made more sense in context. Worked
well as a thematic device, producing an entertaining solve. The device of extra
letters providing the perimeter letters was a novel one for me, adding to the
interest.
There were 58 entries, of which 5 were
marked incorrect. The winner, picked at random, was Paul Newell, who will be receiving
a prize of Chambers Crossword Dictionary, which is donated by Chambers.
There is a full solution and notes at https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2026/06/solution-to-adorns-anew-by-yimin.html
The list of correct solvers in May is available on the entry page for the June
competition.
There is still time to enter your
solution to the May Prize Puzzle, Replace by Curmudgeon. https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2026/05/june-2026-replace-by-curmudgeon.html
The July Prize Puzzle will be
Pronouncement by Noctifer. Noctifer is an actuary from Dublin who fell in love
with the Listener in 2015 and recently turned his hand to setting that style of
puzzle. He would set more if inspiration would strike!
After my plea for submissions last month,
we received 3 in the same week which kept John Nicholson and me very busy
testing. So, I can promise some exciting solving this summer with puzzles from
Noctifer, Vagans and Henri. Also, in the middle of a heatwave we tested the
next Seasons Greetings for December and Arcadia has already sent his next
Advent Challenge. Thank you all for your support. We would now welcome submissions
for the autumn months.
***
Colin Inman, former editor of the FT crosswords died in May, aged 87. He was a journalist at the Financial Times and
wrote the FT Style Guide. He took on the role of crossword editor in 1979 when
the FT had only three compilers. He was instrumental in commissioning and encouraging
new talent. When he retired there were 30 setters and he had edited over 13,000
crosswords as well as instigating the Polymath general knowledge puzzle. Many
current setters are indebted to Colin for his encouragement in starting their
careers.
There is an obituary on Fifteensquared https://fifteensquared.net/2026/05/20/rip-colin-inman/
It is also worth reading the article written by Roger Blitz
on Colin’s retirement. https://www.ft.com/content/c321ea22-57ad-450e-b9dd-86576231c6e5?syn-25a6b1a6=1
***
I have been subscribing to The Times on-line with their Light Pack subscription
at £4.99 per month. I am very happy to only read 30 articles each month as I
have access to all the crosswords, sudokus and puzzles. It is obviously much
cheaper than buying The Times every Saturday to get the Listener Crossword.
However, I have been warned that the price will almost double.
“Dear Derek,
Thanks for subscribing to The Times and Sunday Times.
We need to let you know that effective from July 8, 2026, the price of your
Light Pack subscription will increase to £9.99 per month. The Light Pack is a
bespoke invitation-only subscription offered to readers like you, who value
flexibility for a lower cost than our standard digital subscription. We hope
you agree that even with this change, the Light Pack continues to offer
exceptional value to access our authoritative journalism.”
***
Last month I mentioned how the Guardian was celebrating their Cryptic Crossword
no. 30,000. A complex trail led to the May Genius puzzle by Enigmatist. A lot
of geniuses were found in the grid, with thinking outside the box! Here is how
Alan Connor describes the event.
https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/crossword-blog/2026/jun/02/crossword-editors-desk-celebrating-30000-cryptics-with-a-treasure-hunt
***
I see that the World Crossword Federation is holding an on-line championship in
July for US residents and one for Canadian residents, with cash prizes for the
winners. You can find out more and how to register at https://crypticsingh.com/new/home.aspx
Best wishes
Derek Harrison.
