Crossword News March 2021

 

Crossword News March 2021

The February Prize Puzzle was Changing Places by Rebus. The perimeter was filled with names words associated with NELSON and the completed central square spelled TRAFALGAR. Thus, changing places, Trafalgar square was in a square of Nelsons. What was required, hinted at by the R in the centre, was right eye, right arm, the parts that Nelson lost.

Here are some of the comments from solvers.

Creatively conceptualised puzzle with entertaining clues.  The main challenge was in unscrambling and slotting in the perimeter answers, where I had some starting problems.  Was looking for stuff (monuments, places, streets etc) connected with Trafalgar Square (of which there's quite a selection to be had) but nothing seemed to fit.  Of course, the Nelson connection became apparent soon enough - my presumption may have had something to do with the puzzle title, and I've still not satisfied myself about how that relates to the rest of the puzzle and theme.  Thanks Rebus and organisers for a stimulating challenge.

A neat idea with the centre R’s double significance a clever touch.  An enjoyable solve but with an incompleteness for me in not being able to definitively solve the first perimeter clue.  It looks like it should be “reef” but I can’t see the thematic significance, so I look forward to seeing the solution and no doubt finding out what I’ve missed.

Not confident about the 4 words!

With the 9-cell thematic area spelling TRAFALGAR and the perimeter answers all being examples of NELSONs, I inferred "the key perimeter answer" to be HORATIO. A little research tells me that Lord Nelson suffered loss of/damage to his RIGHT ARM and RIGHT EYE. I hope that is what Rebus had in mind.

There were 46 entries, 9 of which were marked incorrect (4 because of the 4 words). The lucky winner, picked from the electronic hat, was Bill Stewart from Leicester and he will soon be receiving a prize of Chambers Crossword Dictionary which was donated by Chambers.

A full solution is available at https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2021/03/solution-to-february-prize-puzzle-from.html

A technical problem meant that I was unable to publish the results of the January challenge, Chalicea’s Wallace and Gromit puzzle. Here are some of the comments from solvers.

Off to a good start! Please find attached my entry for “Best Mates” by Chalicea. A lovely theme and well presented. Fortunately, The Wrong Trousers leapt into my head and I didn’t need to fiddle around with the extra letters as the theme revealed itself.

Another lovely puzzle from Chalicea, she's one of my favourite setters. I like how she uses such an array of cultural themes from highbrow to popular and fun, such as this one.  28d was clever!

Thanks to Chalicea. A typical puzzle from this setter, perhaps on the easy side, but with enough clues to make you think. After solving a few of the down clues, the potential GROMIT was rather obvious. There were not too many films to choose from, further restricted by the amount of space available round the perimeter, so filling that was on the easy side as well. Nonetheless, a pleasant start to the year.

There were 66 entries, of which 7 were marked incorrect. The lucky winner, picked from the electronic hat, was Roslyn Shapland from Ilkeston and she will soon be receiving a prize of Chambers Crossword Dictionary which was donated by Chambers.

You still have time to solve this month’s Prize Puzzle, Cracking! by Soup. https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2021/02/crossword-centre-prize-puzzle-march-2021.html

The April puzzle will be our thirteenth Round Robin, with a grid designed by John Nicholson and clues written by 45 volunteer clue-writers.

We have puzzles in the pipe-line for the next few months but would welcome submissions for later in the year.
***
There is a fascinating article by Norman Miller on the BBC dealing with all aspects of cryptic crosswords, Cryptic Crosswords- a Puzzling British Obsession.
***
There will be a Listener Crossword Dinner, of sorts, on 20 March via Zoom. John Henderson and Jane Teather will be organising a quiz and there will be brief announcement of the awards.
***
As it would have been the 85th birthday of Georges Perec this month, Charlie Methven, the setter Chameleon, published a crossword in his honour. In the style of Perec’s novel La Disparition, the crossword avoids the letter E in both clues and answers.

You can try the puzzle here http://crossword.info/chameleoncrosswords/ChameleonPerec

As well as writing novels, Perec was a regular crossword compiler and a collection of his puzzles is available on Amazon - Les Mots Croisés
He was bored by the definition-only clues common in French crosswords and used wordplay in his clues. One clue that he admired was

Do (11)

I have put one of Perec’s crosswords on the blog, if you would like to try. I have added a link to the solution, if you get stuck. https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/p/georges-perec.html
***
On the Clue-writing competition the March challenge is to write a clue to CORNFLAKES.

The winner of the January competition, a clue to DISTAFF, was Richard Saunders.

Aid to spinning fast if beginning to dance waltzes
***
There are now 217 members on the Google mailing list.

If you want to receive newsletters and clue-writing information in your in-box you should sign up to the new Crossword Centre group on Google. You can join this group at https://groups.google.com/g/crosswordcentre

Crossword News will, as usual, be available on the Crossword Centre http://www.crossword.org.uk/newsletter.html and on the blog https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/

 

Best wishes
Derek

Solution to clue – DEMISOMMEIL
(Half of DODO (sleep)