Advent Challenge 2025 Exploration by Arcadia

 Exploration by Arcadia

Astronomers classify galaxies into three types: elliptic spiral, and irregular. Their representations here are hinted at by the enumeration of their clues, where only irregular galaxies' central cells are clued. Central cells of the outside galaxies can be organised to END UNLIT. All intra- or inter-galactic entries which touch the edge of the universe must start from there. Answers not touching the universe's boundary must be entered in a clockwise direction. Clues to numbered answers, one of which sets the required orientation of the entire grid, are given in alphabetical order and must be entered where they will fit. The unclued normal entries can be derived from the information given. One clued entry is a prefix; another is the plural of an abbreviation. Answers to two starred clues can be verified online.

Clues

Galaxies

“Take in boardgame addicts?” they complain; abruptly scarper off! (8;4)

Before row, reportedly one's stronger, if elderly, repeatedly failing to understand (8,4)

Across the Atlantic, realises feet are special measures (8,4)

Once more, arrange guide over bumpy road, avoiding hard, long walk to Area Store (8,4)

Godslayers ends with independence retained; hunt marine predators close up (8;4)

Standard place for meeting nouvelle riche, just after acquiring old money, uncovered in vast quantity (8+5)

Retired doctor, guardian of small boy, arranging exchange in Manchester suburb (8; 4)

Avoiding heavy metal mostly, for fear that involving revamped Slade, surfacing, release covers in times of difficulty (8;4)

British need, they say, all what you'd expect to find here - brilliant performing arts (9,two words, +4)

9-letters

After opening boundaries, flying reptile no longer extinct

City small fry rejecting sample of Sweetings' rare shellfish

Succeeded in slowing down, impressed by caution

Belittling retired cardinals (mostly very old)? Good!

Birdlike intro – jazzy and heart-rendingly awful!

Bucket list expedition to Troyes starts with butt of wine - something sparkly!

US VP out of joint after concerning answer put forward again

Small nails made of pale brass

4-letters

Thread left in pigtail

Lamb the Devil fleeced

Licence for mining lead ore covering borders of Namibia

Boiled rice and fish roe*

Going west, what's carried by Ohio River current?

Short of power, rare castrato singer

Brand leader in sports kit's no good

Try to get king on former throne

Mississipian pottery centre first to open after September*

For imams, part of issue read regularly

Sumatra nature reserves shrew

Spews out failing hospital addresses on internet

PDF version

Entries
To enter this competition, input your solution into the website at https://cc.vellender.com before 8th January 2026. The first correct entry drawn from the hat will receive a bottle of champagne which is donated by Arcadia.

December 2025 Seasons Greetings XVII by Eclogue

 Seasons Greetings XVII by Eclogue

The wordplay for every clue generates an extraneous letter.  Those generated by down clues should be entered above their respective entries in the top row to provide a cryptic indication of the opening line to a seasonal song, the completion of which must be highlighted in the grid (14 contiguous cells).  The extra letters in across clues, in order, cryptically indicate most of the second line. 

Across

1 Strolling players leading West Side Story lady with knives (9)

8 Distressed tie lade spread out (6)

12 Local doctor finding spoil divided by criminals (6)

13 Actuality suggests disorganised clientele have yen initially for sterling? (9)

14 Knight with a fiend on Indian mountain (9, two words)

15 Head line precedes adult turning red (6)

16 Produce more advanced stupor on Ecstasy (6)

17 Chopper facility upset elder – him? No (9)

19 Warm up and get what in unkempt grate? (6)

22 Ancient takes retribution indeed on Earth Goddess and Saint (6)

24 Forgotten mission to bear silly season (9)

25 Liquid obtained by cleansing Unionist worried Scottish soul in the vanguard (6)

26 Primarily beetroot, tomatoes, onions, roughly shredded cabbage, heated (6)

27 Legal burgh disturbed in Thomas’ village (9)

28 Came into entire hide somehow (9)

29 Gas seen with the wicked (6)

30 Gets drunk, cock-eyed with drink  (6)

31 One who directs dyers dares mix (9)

Down

2 I’m one to pursue a parting in religious community (9)

3 Estate managed North Carolina hospital (5)

4 Attorney-General to restrain such reptiles (6)

5 Training for colt ripping his top (9)

6 Poor one given kite in Scotland, could be persuaded? (9)

7 Brightness of mist swirling over Liberia (5)

8 One rescuing food shop, one that’s changing direction (9)

9 Royal Navy Reserve supporting country’s train (5)

10 French satellite tracking capital police’s motif (9, two words)

11 Aims to take year for historic journeys (5)

18 Axis, say, about to allow purge (6)

19 Indian harvests wild section (5)

20 Mitigates European talks (5)

21 Mediterranean island sickness to beat (5)

23 Measures American soldier over a long time (5)

PDF version

Entries
To enter this competition, input your solution into the website at https://cc.vellender.com before 8th January 2026. The first correct entry drawn from the hat will receive a 2026 subscription to The Crossword Club (worth £36) to the winner of this competition (or a full refund, if already subscribed).

Crossword News November 2025

 

Crossword News November 2025

The October Prize Puzzle was Like Two-Tone by Yimin. Corrected misprints spell STARRY NIGHT OVER THE RHONE (by Van Gogh), a work which includes the Big Dipper which also features in Alaska’s state flag, which was to be submitted with the clashes replaced with stars and (optionally) the background in blue.  The last letter of clues whose corrected misprints give the first letter of each word in Van Gogh’s work are D (8a), A (37a), L (3d), F (11d) and G (29d).  Four of those can be re-arranged to spell FLAG. The title refers to the nature of the solution and the theme (A LA SKA) referring to Two-Tone records who specialised in ska music.

Here are some of the comments from solvers.

The Setter’s modesty (ambition exceeds talent) is surely misplaced in this puzzle which in my opinion is excellent in both conception and realisation. One of the very best in the short period I’ve been following this series.

An enjoyable crossword and a good cryptic clue for Alaska in the title. I particularly liked the extra letters in the clash at 18a/10d spelling out the name of the star Polaris. The clue at 23 down of defining Koala as a bear raised an eyebrow. Although inaccurate, it unfortunately has support from Chambers. When I see them, they do tell me that they are a marsupial and nothing like a bear. The SOED says "The form koala bear is widely used but zoologically incorrect.".

A tricky solve - it took us a while to 'get into it'. We're still not sure of the significance of the title other than the fact that the Alaskan flag has yellow stars on a blue background. Who knew that Seward and Denali are in Alaska? We were delighted to find Polaris which helped in confirming other clashes. We're not sure that we've parsed 39a, but hope the answer is 'ENAMEL'. Thanks to Yimin for a challenging puzzle.

 

There were 52 entries, of which, 3 were marked incorrect. The lucky winner is David Whyte who will be receiving a prize of Chambers Crossword Dictionary, which was donated by Chambers.

There is a full solution at https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2025/11/solution-to-like-two-tone-by-yimin.html

You still have lots of time to solve the November Prize Puzzle, Nonsense by Craft. This may be proving to be a difficult solve as we only have 6 entries so far, although all correct.

The December Prize Puzzle will be the 17^th Seasons Greetings by Eclogue. Thanks to Keith Williams, the prize for this puzzle will be a 2026 subscription to The Crossword Club (worth £36) or a full refund if the winner is already subscribed.

We will also be publishing another Advent Challenge from Arcadia. Exploration is a difficult puzzle and will not count for annual statistics. Arcadia will be offering a prize of a bottle of champagne.
***

In the 2025 Times Crossword Championship, it was Mark Goodliffe who was the winner, recording his 14^th win.

Three of the finalists were past champions: this year’s runner-up Roger Crabtree won in 2018, third-placed Marcus won in 2023 and fourth-placed David Howell clinched the title back in 1997, in the pre-Goodliffe era. Chloe Hutton, who was runner-up to Goodliffe last year, came fifth.

Mark explains how he solved the final puzzle in this fascinating video. https://youtu.be/vkQPJd3NwLY?si=cfypLeW16O-8gwWM

Professor Siddhartha Chatterjee, a computer scientist at the University of Texas, brought his creation, Darmok, over on his laptop for the event after a summer of intensive training. Darmok solved two of the three semi-final puzzles in an impressive seven minutes but came unstuck on the third. Faced with the final puzzle, the program put up a performance that would have earned a human contestant fourth place but gave up after 18 minutes with one clue left.

***
The Observer interviewed two of their leading setters, Jonathan Crowther (Azed) and Colin Thomas (Gemelo). You can watch the interviews on YouTube. https://youtu.be/JpcMqY71UVE?si=W3iLqT0_9QSuHmJi
***
I have received my copy of the new crossword magazine, Unch. You get a nicely designed 20-page booklet with 9 blocked grid cryptics and one barred thematic puzzle by Cranberry. I liked the size of the grids and the font. It was easy to read and tackle the crosswords. There was also an interesting interview with Susie Mesure, the great-granddaughter of Afrit. I think it is a great idea and will encourage new setters most of the setters to get going. The first edition is sold out but you can sign up for information about the second edition at https://unchcrosswords.com/
 ***
Mephisto setter, Paul McKenna, is also a renowned classical scholar. He has written a translation and notes on some lovely Latin elegiacs written by the great E.J. Kenney to celebrate the centenary of the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies in 1979. You can read it here.

https://antigonejournal.com/2025/10/centenary-elegiacs-society-hellenic-studies/
***

The 3D crossword calendar makes a superb Christmas present for any crossword fan. The grids in the 2026 edition were designed by Rikki, Calluna, Soup, Absolution, Gin, Mang, Sirius, Chalicea, Shark and Komorník. Clues to challenge and charm are provided by Carpathian, Raich, Enigmatist, Soup, Boatman, Paul, Vlad, Amoeba, Sirius, Curmudgeon, Shark and Komorník. One solution per month is also given an often surreal visual treatment in a cryptic drawing by Frank Paul. Each puzzle is paired with a beautiful background photo which hints at the puzzle’s theme. The printed calendar costs £14.50 and the digital one £12.50

https://3dcalendarpuzzles.co.uk/shop/
***
The result of the October Azed competition has been published with the clues for DINGLEDANGLE.

1 T Anderson: Potting whiz won snooker frame, going like the clappers (Ding, led, angle; ref Ding Junhui; bell clapper)

2 D F Manley: Hollow Donald’s leader with viewpoint oscillating (dingle +d angle, ref. D.Trump)

3 Mrs A M Walden: England batted with delight, all except the last pair swinging freely (anagram less h, t)

The slip for October has not been issued. I will post it when it published.
***
The word of the year, according to Collins, is vibe coding – using AI to write code, as I understand .
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpd2y053nleo
***
The Listener Crossword Dinner will be held in The View Hotel, Eastbourne, on the 15^th March 2026. I have already booked for the event and look forward to seeing everyone.
***
I was lucky enough to win a second Listener prize this year. It was for Hawk’s lovely moth puzzle, Naked Attraction. Dmitriy Adamskiy continues to tell us how he solves the Listener on YouTube. His critique of Naked Attraction is here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znPZ8FQbF_M

Best wishes
Derek Harrison

 

 

Solution to Like Two-Tone by Yimin

Solution to Like Two-Tone by Yimin

Corrected misprints spell STARRY NIGHT OVER THE RHONE (by Van Gogh), a work which includes the Big Dipper which also features in Alaska’s state flag, which was to be submitted with the clashes replaced with stars and (optionally) the background in blue.    

The last letter of clues whose corrected misprints give the first letter of each word in Van Gogh’s work are D (8a), A (37a), L (3d), F (11d) and G (29d).  Four of those can be re-arranged to spell FLAG.

The title refers to the nature of the solution and the theme (A LA SKA)., referring to Two-Tone Records specialising in ska music.

Across

 

1                                     MISTAKABLE             “MISS” TAKABLE

8      paSt                       APAID                            A PAID

13    parTs                     INCAVI                          INC VIA->AVI

15    jAmmy                  GOOEY                         Y(oun)G< round OO (re…nc)E

18                                   LARISSA                      L and AA round RISS

19    Unclued                SEWARD’S FOLLY

20                                   DEWANI                       GNAWED< with I for G

21    paRt                       PIECE                            PIE + CE

22                                   BLACKFACE               FACE after BLACK

25    Rock                      ARKOSE                       ARK + OS E

27                                   ÉCLAIR                        [(DELIA-D) R C]*

30                                   EMBLEMATA             [(P … e)E B MALAMUTE]*-U

35    bYe                        ADDIO                           (l)A(n)D(s) D (i.a) I (o.a) O(f.n)   Diervilla Ionicera is Honeysuckle – a source of nectar                   

37    mooN                     AVATAR                        [RAT]< after A VA

38    Unclued                DENALI

39                                   ENAMEL                      LEMAN< after (fr)E(ud)

40    brIo                        ELAN                             hidden

                    Gregor Mendel studied to be a priest in Brno, before his

                    famous experiments there on genetic inheritance

41                                   ABLET                          A B LET

                    Absent used in the sense of missing or lacking

42    Game                     ECARTE                       [E TRACE]<

                    Electronic footprint is another term for digital footprint

43                                   RAGGA                         RAG + G(angst)A

44    Having                  DISADORNED             [NO IS DARED]* D

Down

 

1      Teaser                   MIND-BENDER          “MINED” BENDER

2                                     INDOL                           IN DO L

3      wOrm                    TASAR                          TAR covering A S

4                                     KIWI FRUIT                K(alahari) IWI FRUIT

5      loVes                     AGAPAE                       [A in APE] propping up A(b.n)G

6                                     BORIC                           [COB containing IR]<

7      rEach                     LODE                             L O + DE

                    Surface refers to Delaware river; wordplay to the state

9      Red                        PLONK                          [LO above (be)N(ch)] in PK

10                                   APOLLO                       [ALL O] round PO

                    Engage ok as containment ind? To hold, bind, secure (Chambers)

11    aiTs                       ISLES                             [(coun)SEL SI(gn-off)]<

12                                   DAYWEARIED            (IE AWRY)* in DEAD<

14                                   COWAL                         WA in COL

                    River Tay runs through Perth (for the surface): Perth, Aus for defn

16    sHot                       ESCALATED               [SCALE in ED] round (A on T)

17                                   YFERE                          (jo)YF(ul) + ER + E

                    Shades of Elizabeth and Essex

23    native bEar           KOALA                         [(j)A(c)K(a)L(s)]* round OA

24                                   E-BOATS                      E OB< ATS

26                                   OATER                          FLOATER-FL

28                                   CHELA                          ALE< after CH

                    Knock back = turn down as well as drink (Chambers)

29    gRass                     ALANG                         ALA over N G(allery)

31    ricH                       MINES                           bottoms (M N I E S)*

Miyagi prefecture in Tohoku is a prominent source of rice

32    bOne                     MALAR                        MAL RA<

                    Renoir suffered from RA in hands and shoulder, he ended up

                    having to strap a brush to his fingers in order to paint

33    fiNe                        TASTE                           double definition

34    pEg                        KNAG                            [KAN G] with N up in position

36                                   DELI          (ven)I(son) (ne)ED(ed) (ca)L(ls)*

 

November 2025 Nonsense by Craft

Nonsense by Craft

For nine symmetrically-placed entries, definitions in clues lead to an answer which must be treated before entry. Wordplay in those clues leads directly to the entry.  Somewhat surprisingly, entries are real words.

A further four symmetrically-placed entries have normal clues, but must be treated twice before entry. Solvers might expect this to produce nonsense, but answer lengths are unaffected.

A single letter has been removed from all other down clues and must be replaced before solving. In clue order, these give a cryptic description of the theme.

pdf copy

Across

1  Most flash underwear on command (8)

6  Eyes about to open, finally, welcoming in the morning (5)

10  Open out at regular intervals, but narrowly, along line (6)

11  People in power accepting fake coin for treatment (7)

12  Compound interest’s primary goal when talking about stocks (6)

14  One receiving cash and joint from radio host (5)

16  In retirement, Craft sells possessions in ancient woods? (8)

18  Good boy is civil in language and address (4)

20  Flash of enlightenment provided by analysing ratios (6)

21  Once again, lay sliced fruit between toasted rye (7)

23  Ass burdened by lightest metal in faint morning sunrise (6)

24  Fundamentally, ditzy overdressed lady labelled thus? (4)

26  Presents home of wizard in cave (5)

27  Start conflagration (4)

29  One originally just found in North America, near centre of reservation, at one end of Colorado? (6)

30  After firing seconds, squire set off more peacefully (7)

33  In support, steer revolutionary missile (6)

35  Bright sun to rise, making horizons invisible (4)

38  In Eurasia, produce Top Gear with international following (8)

40  Marble area before entrance (5)

41  One that ruminates on Twitter, following its owner (6)

42  Insect in barrel containing measure of cloth (7)

43  Bird pair with one offspring (6)

44  Arrogant Communists? (5)

45  Sopranist forgetting intro from Prodigy’s “twisted firestarter” (8)

Down

1  Townsman having strong desire in bedroom (6)

2  One piece of bread and a pie? (6)

3  “Length essential to long seat” is not complex (5)

4  Lamb had sickness when rearing, having end of nose amputated (4)

5  Depravity engulfing old singer (5)

6  Warren and Dad drunkenly pulled again (7)

7  Butler with tea seen in service entrance? (7)

8  Bade goodbye; at last, go! (4)

9  Touch antique currency with new moving top (3)

12  Relating to thematic lad spending penny in pig sty (5)

13  Ads disappointing true expert in chemistry (7)

15  Second class mathematician’s method of working with pace (6)

17  Albino affected by divorcing husband (3)

19  Foxy lady, perhaps, booty wrapped in trashy apparel – it’s laced (7)

22  Calm dad becoming tense in key moment at court (6)

25  Tree top destroyed in devastation, too (7)

26  Arab cons radio host - with resistance, without resistance? (7)

28  Charles packing mankini on vacation in cove (5)

29  Negative number, base 14 (3)

31  Those devoted to cub in Thailand provided bone, yes? (6)

32  Showers soak man without hat, in the end (6)

34  Sweet stuff Earl is partial to (5)

36  Chin tax lacking good taste? (5)

37  Restaurateur’s extreme rage about jelly (4)

39  Frau might sell these tiny rats (4)

40  How to behave? (3)

Entries
To enter this competition, input your solution into the website at https://cc.vellender.com before 8th December 2025. The first correct entry drawn from the hat will receive a book from the Chambers range, which has been donated by Chambers. 

Crossword News October 2025

 Crossword News October 2025

The September Prize Puzzle was Sucker? by Bufo. It was a puzzle with a cruel twist and many solvers were indeed suckers. There are two possible answers to 16 across and 20 across. Choosing the more common of these answers (SONIA and CONFINED) gives the message ‘Use the ninth letters’. The ninth letters of the clues spell out “Think again sucker for this is a red herring”. Solvers must take the other two answers (SOFIA and COFFINED) and get the message “Use the fifth letters”. The fifth letters of the clues spell out “Congratulations on your correct solution”.

Here are some of the comments from solvers.

Ha ha! You very nearly had me. Even though I spotted that 20ac could be both coffined and confined, I had already filled in the grid on line before wondering whether I should indeed 'think again' before pressing submit about whether there might be another message other than from the ninth letters of the clues. Congratulations to you on a very enjoyable puzzle, all the more satisfying once the penny had dropped.

When I first read the preamble I suspected that the letters omitted by the wordplay would be unchecked, and that some of them would be ambiguous, but I still ended up being a sucker who read the ninth letters of the clues before realising that I was supposed to read the fifth letters. I think a puzzle with a red herring is better the more likely it is that the solver will find the incorrect solution first and here I can't believe too many solvers would think of COFFINED before CONFINED, and I also think SONIA is more obvious than SOFIA but maybe this is because I would normally spell the latter with a PH. I am impressed that you were able to hide two specific letters in the fifth and ninth places in each clue. I thought some of the clues were oddly written when I was solving them, but I didn't think enough about it to decide that there could be a message hidden near the start of the clues so I wasn't very likely to try searching for the hidden messages before I had solved the clues.

I got lucky with my original guesses, giving "finth", and quickly realized there were two possibilities. A quick check of "fifth" and "ninth" letters, set me straight. However, as a Corkonian, I will never live down completely missing Sonia as an option. Thanks to Bufo for the enjoyable challenge.

There were 51 entries, of which 28 were marked incorrect. The lucky winner, picked at random, was Harry Jenkins, who will be recivinga prize of Chambers Crossword Dictionary, which was donated by Chambers.

There is a full solution at https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2025/10/solution-to-sucker-by-bufo.html

You still have time to enter your solution to the October Prize Puzzle. Like Two-Tone by Yimin. https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2025/09/october-2025-like-two-tone-by-yimin.html

The November Prize Puzzle will be Nonsense by Craft. Craft's debut puzzle was published on the Crossword Centre in 2021.  Since then he has appeared in the Magpie, Listener, and EV.  His puzzles vary from the straightforward to the complicated, but always with the intention that the solver will prevail.
 ***
I have just received a copy of Tom Johnson’s book All Squared. A 240-page paperback, it is packed with details of Tom’s history of setting crosswords, starting with his first efforts as a schoolboy. He writes in detail about his Guardian Bank Holiday jumbos, his meeting with Araucaria and how he was invited to take over as editor of 1 Across. Each chapter is followed by sample crosswords and I will look forward to revisiting some of the jumbos.

In 1981 he was invited to join the setting team at The Spectator where he took the pseudonym Doc. He composed a puzzle every three weeks, taking turns with Mass and Jac. Among the Spectator crosswords is one of his Christmas extravaganzas, the Anagram Pie.

Tom had a varied career and a number of pseudonyms. He was published in the Puzzler, Prospect magazine, The Cricketer, the Financial Times, New Statesman and Telegraph, among others. It makes for fascinating reading and is a neat history of the past 50 years of crosswords in the UK. There are 90 crosswords with large grids, with solutions at the back of the book.

You can get details at this link. https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/p/all-squared.html

***
After a break in July, the Azed Slip for the August competition has been published. You can read it here http://www.crossword.org.uk/Azed2769.pdf

The winning clue for ECBLASTESIS was by Robert Teuton:

Broadcast regular “out-takes” from Beeb’s classiest proliferation of bloomers
(anag. incl. alternate letters; ref. Auntie’s Bloomers, BBC’s 1990s out-takes show).
***
This year marks the centennial anniversary of Hungary’s first crossword puzzle, which debuted on 22 January 1925 in the weekly magazine Ma Este. To celebrate this historic milestone, the National Association of Puzzle Solvers (ROE) is hosting a nationwide puzzle-solving competition, as announced by ROE President Éva Kasparek.
The inaugural Hungarian crossword puzzle, crafted by journalist Károly Kristóf, was a ‘crossword puzzle’ consisting of a 10×10 grid with 17 black squares and clues for 25 horizontal and 18 vertical solutions. Unlike modern crosswords, only the numbered rows formed meaningful words, while non-numbered rows did not. The prize for solving this innovative puzzle was equally novel—a trendy mahjong game. The puzzle’s popularity soared, leading to Hungary’s first puzzle-solving competition in 1925, which was won by teacher Irén Kerényi.

The 32nd World Puzzle Championship was held in Eger. Competitors at the event in Hungary had to solve a range of puzzles including kakuro, battleships and slitherlink. The new World Champion is Freddie Hand from the UK! Ken Endo and Walker Anderson are second and third respectively.

The World Sudoku Championship, held every year at the same time, was won by Tantan Dai of China, with David McNeill of Belfast, former winner of the Listener Solver Silver Salver, named as over-50s champion for a fifth time.

***
More news of Barry Joseph’s book about Stephen Sondheim, Now I know that publication of Matching Minds with Sondheim will be at the end of November and it is possible to make orders in advance. The book concentrates on Sondheim’s love of puzzling and his involvement and creation of puzzles, including crosswords, board, treasure hunts and rebuses. Barry has told me that the book has been issued in the USA and that with advance orders it is in the top ten of puzzle books on Amazon. You can follow him on Instagram as @Matching Minds with Sondheim.
***
The Times Crossword Championship is taking place on the 11^th October. If you are attending, either as a competitor or an observer, and would like to write a report, I would be happy to publish it in my next newsletter.

The York Sloggers and Betters will be held on the weekend of the 24/25 October. It looks as if it is going to be a huge event with a record number of attenders. https://www.fifteensquared.net/2025/09/30/for-your-eyes-only/

There is a map of the venues here https://www.jetdoc.co.uk/york-sloggers-and-betters-2024

The Listener Dinner 2026 will take place on Saturday March 14 in Eastbourne, at the View Hotel.
***
Best wishes
Derek

 

 

Solution to Sucker by Bufo

 Sucker? by Bufo - Solution

There are two possible answers to 16 across and 20 across. Choosing the more common of these answers (SONIA and CONFINED) gives the message ‘Use the ninth letters’. The ninth letters of the clues spell out “Think again sucker for this is a red herring”. Solvers must take the other two answers (SOFIA and COFFINED) and get the message “Use the fifth letters”. The fifth letters of the clues spell out “Congratulations on your correct solution”.

ACROSS

C T 1 Such creatures fly backwards to perch (4)

T(U)IS SIT rev

O H 5 Topnotch house in the East End, one you and I are heading for (7)

AWE(S)OME ‘OME after A WE

N I 11 E.g., king is in supermarket getting new gemstone (9)

ALMANDIN(E) MAN in ALDI + N

G N 12 Struggling poly is against introduction of bursaries. That’s not the whole story (6)

BYPLO(T) B(ursaries) + anag POLY

R K 13 Sentries keep this within reach (4)

(H)ENT hidden

A A 15 Campari’s an ingredient of such recipe cherished by Bantu speakers (8)

N(E)GRONIS R in NGONIS

T G 16 Girl thus gets first-class return (5)

SO(F)IA SO + AI rev

U A 18 One substance obtained from trees the Spanish eat mainly for starters (5)

ELEM(I) EL + E(at) M(ainly)

L I 20 Cobalt initially found in East Germany enclosed in a limited space (8)

CO(F)FINED CO + F +IN + E + D

A N 23 Oxhead confronts the Queen twice as champion (8)

ASSER(T)ER ASS + ER + ER

T S 24 From this source in foreign quarter acquires cocaine (5)

(H)ENCE EN + E round C

I U 26 Lassie is ultimately cuddled by nursemaid (5)

AI(L)SA S in AIA

O C 27 Support schoolmaster after his head becomes more insolent (8)

BRASSI(E)R BRA + SIR after S

N K 29 Channel skate finally abandons leaving an eel (4)

LAN(T) LAN(E)

S E 30 Ducks experiencing hard famine (6)

DEAR(T)H DEAR + H

O R 31 Parrot – bird (male one) with fancy tail (9)

COCKATI(E)L COCK + anag TAIL

N F 32 Expanse of open country with small houses (7)

HEA(R)THS HEATH + S

Y O 33 Each yobbo initially becomes tranquil (4)

EA(S)Y (4) EA + Y(OBBO)

DOWN

O R 1 It’s hot, very thin pancake filled with large piece of fish (7)

TABASCO TACO round BAS(S)

U T 2 Nickums start to irritate politicians (4)

IMPS I + MP’S

R H 3 It’s a rough form of civil funeral primarily intended to bring about redemption (8)

SALVIFIC SA + anag CIVIL F

C I 4 At once climbs after a plant with edible fruits (5)

ANONA ANON rev after A

O S 6 Sharon, possibly, chases victory like England in 1966? (8)

WINGLESS GLESS (ref Sharon Gless, actress) after WIN; ref the Wingless Wonders

R I 7 Tolerate Ingrid finally going to practise, as of old (5)

ENURE EN(D)URE

R S 8 A. J. Strauss, for example, gets duck with style on making a comeback (6)

OPENER O + PEN + RE rev (ref Andrew Strauss, England opening batsman)

E A 9 Maiden flabbergasted minister in an interval of silence (9, 2 words)

MINIM REST M + anag MINISTER

C R 10 What caterers provide such as lamb and beef (prime cut) (4)

EATS (M)EATS

T E 14 Yvette (the MP) getting worried offers to pool resources (9)

COOPERATE COOPER + ATE

S D 17 Far island in The Shetlands. Yearn to work on needlework here (8)

UNSTITCH UNST (island in The Shetlands) + ITCH

O H 19 Discover hugging ‘River Island’ coat giving a lot of protection (8)

LORICATE LOCATE round R I

L E 21 Some lingerie that’s scanty worn by lady up front in a saucy manner (7)

BRASHLY BRA + L in SHY

U R 22 Down under, it swims round in Australia eating a lot of fish (6)

INANGA IN A round ANG(LE)

T R 25 Maintain Romeo must be kept away from man taking woman out (5)

ESCOT ESCO(R)T

I I 26 Section right at the back, according to a poet (5)

AREAR AREA + R

O N 27 It’s nonsense putting items in photograph album upside-down (4)

BLAH hidden rev

N G 28 Beginning to appreciate rising melody in operatic piece (4)

ARIA A = AIR rev

October 2025 Like Two-Tone by Yimin

 Like Two-Tone by Yimin

There are eight clashes in the grid, one being larger than the others.  Each must be replaced by an appropriate symbol in submissions.  Numbers in brackets denote the length of answers. 
Twenty-three clues have a misprint in the definition.  Correct letters in clue order spell the title of a work having something in common with the solution.  The last letters of four of the clues whose corrected misprints give the first letter of the words in the title of the work can be re-arranged to spell what the grid represents. 

Punctuation may mislead.  Chambers is recommended 

Across
1    Hard to get right – teacher said easy to grasp! (10)
8    Satisfied in the part, acting settled (5)
13    Parks cut incorporated cycling road (6)
15    Jimmy Young, on vacation, returns accepting offers over term of residence (5)
18    Moon’s angular momentum and volcanic rock restrict stage of glaciation (7)
19    Thematic, unclued (12, 2 words)
20    Finance minister’s office is worried about government being overthrown for independence (6)
21    Book of rules meets church’s pact (5)
22    Brave to follow bad-tempered sheep breed (9)
25    Lock chest with outsize key (6)
27    Ignoring daughter, Delia runs about baking cake (6)
30    Ornaments tail of Pedigree Black Malamute – crazy! not for everyone (9)
35    Bee lands now and then, heads for Diervilla Ionicera often (5)
37    Film set on moor - revolutionary renegade chasing about Virginia (6)
38    Thematic, unclued (6)
39    Paint preposterous old lover? After Freud, essentially (6)
40    Mendel a novitiate embracing Brno (4)
41    Absent bass, agree to fish (5)
42    Electronic footprint returns name (6)
43    Scold with extremes of gangsta rap (5)
44    No internal security - dared to shift diamonds, saving no ornaments (10)

Down

1    Leaser reportedly tunnelled under temporary shelter (10)

2    Compound’s concerned with complete inductance (5)

3    Sailor’s clothing a special warm material (5)

4    Kalahari’s chief tribe produce food from vines (9, 2 words)

5    Loses acceleration during take off, underpinning case for aborting (6)

6    Bring up lump of ore containing iridium to make type of acid (5)

7    Roach from lake over by Delaware (4)

9    Look on middle of bench in park as cheap bed? (5)

10    Butterfly’s utmost efforts on engaging Italian flower (6)

11    Aims to reverse part of counsel sign-off (5)

12    Poet’s tired of nine-to-five, numb getting up to host working that is awry (10)

14    Barrier on Tay blocking pass creates swamp in Perth (5)

16    Swot up system of relative values in edition about atomic weight over time (9)

17    With joyful heart Queen joins Earl, dated together (5)

23    Jackals regularly feral on account of captured native boar (5)

24    Fast attack craft base out of bounds, upset Army women in WWII (6)

26    Western Liechtenstein abandoning policy that’s not committed to one side or the other (5)

28    Religious leader’s disciple is knocking back beer after church! (5)

29    Glass wing serving as canopy for National Gallery’s opening (5)

31    Cultivated grounds of farm in Miyagi provide copious rice sources (5)

32    Renoir’s sickness – rheumatoid arthritis – is mounting bane (5)

33    Fire perception; try eating a small amount (5)

34    Kansas government promoting new pig (4)

36    Dressed guts of venison needed, calls high-quality food shop (4)

PDF Version

Entries
To enter this competition, input your solution into the website at https://cc.vellender.com before 8th November 2025. The first correct entry drawn from the hat will receive a book from the Chambers range, which has been donated by Chambers. 

Crossword News September 2025

 Crossword News September 2025

The August Prize Puzzle was Birthday Party by Arcadia. Welsh references in clues hinted at the unclued 1 across, LAND OF MY FATHERS, while extra letters in down clues gave most of the Welsh translation in the bottom row. Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales) was founded on 4 August 1925 by representatives from Caernarfonshire attending the national Eisteddfod in Pwllheli. Despite ups and downs, it has not only survived but been a key factor in the preservation and resurgence of the Welsh language. Hen Wlad Fyn Hadau is the proper Welsh title of Land of My Fathers.

Here are some of the comments from solvers.

Nice puzzle, although I felt it was at the easier end of the spectrum! The abundance of Welsh references in the clues flagged the thematic treatment and led to a neat and quick finish. 5d's reference to Sam Tan made me laugh. Diolch yn fawr iawn!

How delightful to see some Welsh in a crossword! I am thrilled to see Plaid's centenary - a highly significant event in Wales - celebrated in a British crossword. I enjoyed the various Welsh references in several clues. May a few non-Welsh solvers delight in the soft mutation of GWLAD to WLAD and the even more amazing nasal mutation of TADAU to NHADAU! Many thanks to Arcadia ...

I can see there are several references to Wales in the across (and down) clues, but I've spent some time trying to find how the wordplay in one across clue refers to 14d and haven't found anything. Maybe I'm grasping at straws thinking that the '50-50' in 39a is supposed to refer to the 100th anniversary. In any case, I don't think there's anything else that will fit the checked letters in 14d, it must be something to do with Wales, and the 100th anniversary of a political party fits with the title.

There were 59 entrants, 47 correct, 12 incorrect. The lucky winner, picked at random, is Harry Jenkins, who will receive a prize of Chambers Crossword Dictionary, which is donated by Chambers.

There is a solution at https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2025/09/solution-to-birthday-party-by-arcadia.html

You still have three weeks to solve our September puzzle, Sucker? By veteran Listener setter, Bufo. Please remember to add comments as our setters really appreciate them. https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2025/08/september-2025-sucker-by-bufo.html

Our October Prize Puzzle will be Like Two-Tone by Yimin. “Yimin is an occasional setter whose ambition often exceeds his talent but who persists because creating puzzles is great fun.  His move from solver to setter was helped by tremendous support from the Crossword Centre - an encouragement for others who wish to follow suit.”   Solvers may be advised to describe the completed grid in the comments section.

My recent plea for submissions has been rewarded. We still welcome puzzles but any new ones would be published in 2026.

***
In 1978 I was excited to hear from Brian Head that he was founding the CROSSWORD CLUB and magazine. I signed up for the first series and enjoyed solving puzzles and reading the articles. I remember that I won the very first clue writing competition. Brian has been maintaining this foremost crossword journal for almost 50 years now, along with delivering the Azed slip. It is a remarkable achievement. Now, in a letter to members he has announced that he is retiring from the role.

I little thought in 1978, when I made the first tentative steps to establish the Crossword Club, that it would still be going nearly 50 years later. I have to admit that during the last few years much of the effort in running the Club has been gradually passed across to Keith Williams who has been doing a grand job. Over the last few months, increasing decrepitude has meant that I have had to hand the running the whole operation over to him.

To put the whole thing on a more formal basis, this transfer has now been substantially completed, so please note the following:-

The Crossword Club title and modus operandi shall continue unchanged;
The postal address for all matters is now:1 Cedarwood, Kings Worthy, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 7RP
All email correspondence, whether entries, submissions, correspondence, or indeed any other matters should now only be sent to: clubcrosswords@gmail.com

All correspondence to this email address will be acknowledged; and new bank details have been established at Lloyds Bank and are already linked to the website ordering system. These details will be included with the renewal form at the end of 2025. Any repeat payments set up to the Club’s old HSBC account should therefore please be cancelled.

It has been an honour and a privilege to have been your Editor over these many years. Now, as a member, I look forward to what the next phase of our Club has in store, and am sure you will continue to support Keith’s programme in the same constructive and proactive manner as you have with me.

I am sure that everyone will join me in thanking Brian and wishing him a happy retirement.
***
The annual Times Crossword Championship is back for 2025. Established in 1970, this year's event will take place on Saturday, October 11 at The News Building, London. Competitors will have to solve three Times cryptic crosswords within an hour, with the top 50 per cent going through to the semi-final in the afternoon. The five solvers with the best times in the semi-final will go on to the grand final, where they will compete to solve a single Times crossword as quickly as possible.

Entry costs £45 and you can find all the details here
***
I have been waiting anxiously for the publication of Barry Joseph’s book about Stephen Sondheim, Now I know that publication of Matching Minds with Sondheim will be at the end of November and it is possible to make orders in advance. The book concentrates on Sondheim’s love of puzzling and his involvement and creation of puzzles, including crosswords, board, treasure hunts and rebuses. Barry has told me that I get a mention in the book so I will look forward to reading it.

If you enjoy podcasts, there is also a Matching Minds with Sondheim one. The author says: Matching Minds with Sondheim: The Podcast is an open invitation into the puzzle-loving, game-designing mind of Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim. Based on the acclaimed book by Barry Joseph, each episode uncovers the hidden world of Sondheim’s lifelong passion for treasure hunts, cryptic crosswords, parlour games, and more. Join Barry and his guests—puzzle-makers, game designers, and Sondheim aficionados—as they explore how Sondheim's playful designs delivered moments of clarity and connection for friends, colleagues, and anyone who's ever been captivated by his genius.

• I will keep you up to date with Barry’s speaking events, in case you are in New York.
  2025.9.24: The Locavore Variety Store Book signing and TBD activities 5-7pm (434 6th Ave, NY, NY) (free)
• 2025.9.25: Northwestern Alumni Association How to Play the Sondheim Way: Designing games and puzzles like Stephen Sondheim (remote) (free)
• 2025.9.25 New York University, hosted by the NYU Game Center in collaboration with the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program How to Play the Sondheim Way: A Parlor Game Workshop 7:00-8:30 (370J, Brooklyn, NY)
• 2025.10.9: The Drama Bookshop: Do We Really Need Another Book on Sondheim? (live podcast) (Tickets here) (NYC)

***
A reminder that the York S & B will be taking place on the 24^th and 25^th October. It looks as if over 60 people have signed up to attend and it will be a huge event. More details and how to sign up here.
***

News of a new crossword magazine. Probably 5 blocked grids and one barred thematic.

Unch is a brand-new cryptic crossword magazine to be launched in October 2025. They are planning to publish a new issue once a quarter. It's a real-life, good old-fashioned printed paper magazine that you can write on with a pen (or pencil, we don't judge)!

Unch is a nice coat-pocket size (A5) and will contain eight or so cryptic crosswords from setters such as Amoeba, Fez, Angel, Henri and many more. And although we haven't finalised pricing yet, we assure you it won't break the bank.
you can sign up for updates here https://unchcrosswords.com/
***
Crossword setter, Andrew Fisher, is Australian Scrabble champion. In a Facebook post he said:
I won a tournament and I am the Master again! 45 bingos in 19 games included rarities such as MYRIADTH and SICKERLY

There is a YouTube record of streamed games. My exciting bout with the world champion starts at just before 7h30 on day two:

https://www.youtube.com/@OzScrabbleStreams

A beautifully organised event which was a pleasure to attend!

Congratulations!
***
Last month I mentioned Tom Johnson’s book, ALL SQUARED A Life in Crosswords. I ordered a copy but Tom tells me that there is a delay while he sets up the payment method with the bank. You can still get details at this link. https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/p/all-squared.html
***
Disappointment for clue-writers when the Azed crossword on September 7 was a prize draw puzzle with no clue to write. I am worried about what is going on at the Observer since it was taken over by tortoise. In answer to the many emails I have received, there was no Azed Slip for July. I will post the August slip if it is published.

We recently celebrated Azed’s 53 years of setting his weekly puzzles. I have come across his very first crossword in the Observer in 1972. I haven’t tested it yet but you can try it here https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/p/azed-no-1.html

Best wishes
Derek