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

Solution to Birthday Party by Arcadia

 Birthday Party by Arcadia - Solution

Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales) was founded on 4 August 1925 by representatives from Caernarfonshire attending the national Eisteddfod in Pwlleli. 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.

 

 

September 2025 Sucker? by Bufo

 Sucker? by Bufo

The wordplay in each across clue leads to the answer with one letter omitted. When read in clue order these omitted letters provide an instruction that solvers will need to follow in order to be reassured that they have got the correct solution.

ACROSS

1 Such creatures fly backwards to perch (4)

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

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

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

13 Sentries keep this within reach (4)

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

16 Girl thus gets first-class return (5)

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

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

23 Oxhead confronts the Queen twice as champion (8)

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

26 Lassie is ultimately cuddled by nursemaid (5)

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

29 Channel skate finally abandons leaving an eel (4)

30 Ducks experiencing hard famine (6)

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

32 Expanse of open country with small houses (7)

33 Each yobbo initially becomes tranquil (4)

DOWN

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

2 Nickums start to irritate politicians (4)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PDF version

Entries
To enter this competition, input your solution into the website at https://cc.vellender.com before 8th October 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 August 2025

 Crossword News August 2025

The July Prize Puzzle was Dame by Skylark. The theme is the acclaimed writer, Dame Antonia Susan Duffy, who wrote as A.S Byatt. Extra letters spelled: AMEND FOUR ERRORS IN PEN NAME, THEN HIGHLIGHT IT. Three of her novels were in the perimeter, Possession, The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye and Elementals. Correct clashes gave A S BYATT diagonally.

Here are some of the comments from solvers.

Sat down with this on the understanding that I only had a few minutes, and would finish it at a later session...and rattled through it promptly. Helped that Possession is near the top of my mental list of books I really should get round to reading. She's so familiar as ASB that it was a small delay to realise it is actually a pseudonym - technically speaking, I suppose Fay Weldon would count the same.

Classic Skylark fare - a tribute to a creative soul. Possession has been on my reading list for a very long time, I really need to get around to it (after all the solving, of course!) Those word changes were very satisfying, as ever. Thanks, Skylark.

I liked that HIGHLIGHT appeared near the end of the instructions given by the removed letters, because I think it's often easy to spot when it's the first word. I generally think it's better to have to change letters in the grid to reveal something, rather than just highlight something that's already there. I didn't find it too hard to work out which letters to change once I knew what I was looking for and I liked that as many as four out of the seven letters of the name resulted from changes. I did think having to then highlight the name seemed a little excessive, since I can't believe that a solver could fill the grid correctly including the names of the thematic works and changing letters to make the name appear without having seen the name. However, I also think it's generally preferable that all of the clues contribute to a hidden instruction, and obviously the highlighting requirement helps to achieve this, but I will feel sorry for anyone who submits a correctly filled grid but forgets to do the highlighting.

There were 60 entries, of which 10 were marked incorrect. The lucky winner was Danuta Rosendorff, who will be receiving a prize of Chambers Crossword Dictionary, which is donated by the publishes.

There is a solution to Dame at https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2025/08/solution-to-dame-by-skylark.html

You still have time to compete the August puzzle, Birthday Party by Arcadia.
https://crosswordcentre.blogspot.com/2025/07/birthday-party-by-arcadia-august-2025.html

For September we will be republishing a crossword that we had in 2014. Suckers by Bufo appeared at the time that, we later learned, our marker, Trevor Crowther, was seriously ill in hospital. He later died and we lost all the entries and comments. When I was in Southport, I suggested to Peter Rhodes that we should publish it again and he thought it was a good idea.

We are still short of crosswords for the autumn months.
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Tom Johnson has been setting crosswords in The Spectator as Doc since 1981. He has now written a book about his extraordinary crossword career.

ALL SQUARED, a book about the crossword career of Tom Johnson, is now available from him, costing £12.99 + £5 P&P. Tom has compiled for the Spectator since 1981, he compiled puzzles for the first 640 issues of the Puzzler and has so far set all 330+ Generalist puzzles in Prospect, he was invited to take over compiling the Jumbo Bank Holiday crosswords from Araucaria in the Guardian and was one of the first four setters of the Polymath crosswords in the Financial  Times.  He is editor of the Spectator and New Statesman crossword series.

Tom covers his crossword story for ten different newspapers and periodicals and combines this story with a historical record of these crossword series -- Birmingham Mail Reader’s Crossword, Radio Times, Guardian and 1 Across, Spectator, The Puzzler, Prospect’s Generalist puzzle, Financial Times, The Cricketer, Scottish Island Explorer magazine and Daily Telegraph. Ninety of Tom’s puzzles are reprinted -- from each of the ten periodicals. Tom believes that no other crossword book has covered British crossword history in this way or to this extent.

The book has been published privately by Tom and is available only from him direct. Please email him at puzzler@btinternet.com for details of how to obtain a copy. Orders will be dispatched as quickly as possible.
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The first Gemelo crossword appeared in The Observer on Sunday 13 July. I found it to be a nice solve and as difficult as the Azed. I really liked the on-line entry method which was easy and saved the cost of postage stamp. The second Gemelo was a tour de force; the letter E was not used in any of the clues but in the grid the only vowel used was E!

The Observer also published an excellent article about Azed, including an interview.

https://observer.co.uk/puzzles/azed/article/in-setting-any-crossword-clue-always-always-think-of-the-solver

You can follow the article to meet the rest of the Observer crossword team, Gemelo (Colin Thomas, Caitlin O’Kane the crossword editor, John Grimshaw the Azed editor and Alan Connor who sets the Everyman. You can also meet Stuart Pawley who sets the Killer Sudoku.

Colin Thomas also appeared on the TV programme, Countdown. In a tough contest where both competitors scored over 100, Colin was beaten on the conundrum after punting, in an earlier round, for PINTFUL, a word that was not in their dictionary.
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Dimitry Adamskiy, whose name is often listed first in the Magpie 100% solvers' list, has been posting a short review of each Listener (once the solutions become live) on his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@mityaadamskiy
These short videos are a fascinating way of seeing how a top solver approaches the solving process.
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The delay in publishing the Azed Slip for July is probably because Azed is on his annual holiday in France.
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Best wishes
Derek Harrison