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 24th
and 25th 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
