The Times Crossword Championship 2012- Part 3

Typically, a crossword is set to be completed over breakfast or on the way to work in a bus or train.
So, most crossword solvers would be very happy to finish a Times crossword in 1 hour. That would be an admirable feat in and of itself - day in , day out to solve some of the best deceptive surface readings ever.

A Times crossword is also fairly set - having a mixture of straightforward clues like anagrams and hidden words as well as employing witty definitions. Half the battle is won if you can identify what the definition is! In every clue, the definition is either at the start or the end of the sentence.If you can narrow it down to one side, the brain has something manageable to do -  scan for synonyms.

One of the ways to speed up the solving process is to develop a broad vocabulary so that synonyms are reachable. When you are starting solving crosswords, ( and for a number of years after that ) you absolutely need a thesaurus and a crossword dictionary. Don't be ashamed to refer to it constantly.

In the competition, of course, there is no recourse to any sort of reference material. The calibre of the competitors is apparent. They all have a huge vocabulary. However, I am told that these days, crosswords of all sorts have 'dumbed down' to accommodate the masses who do not have Latin and Greek at their fingertips! So just imagine - the scale of difficulty that was accepted before is unacceptable now.

This was neatly illustrated when Mark Goodliffe ( winner of 5 championships in a row from 2008  to 2012 ) was asked to solve 3 Times puzzles from different eras. He could not quite finish the earliest one!

This is a champion who is now in a league of his own. The comparison to Usain Bolt is apt. Here is a direct quote from the Times article the day after Mark won his sixth title.

"Not content with dashing off the answers to three cryptic puzzles in only 20 minutes, he reached down,picked up the Saturday Review, and turned to the Jumbo cryptic crossword.
Just after the runner-up, Jason James, completed his puzzles in a time of 30 minutes, Mr. Goodliffe had rattled off all 60 answers to the additional double-sized grid. It was as if Usain Bolt had reached the finishing line so far ahead of his rivals that he decided to turn back and do the last two thirds of the race again"

Mark "12 secs a clue" Goodliffe

There you go. Do we stop running just because there is a Usain Bolt? No, we don't. The Times Crossword is an everyday challenge that you and I can do and improve on.

When I first started doing it in the NST a few years back it was because I had reached the point where I was solving the Star crossword pretty fast. It was not that challenging anymore. However, theStar Crossword is a good place to begin for new solvers. Stay at it for a couple of years before you even look at the NST crossword!

In the early days , it was very hard going. The 2 hours i would just set aside for 1 puzzle would be fruitless. On average - just 5 clues solved out of 30 or so. But doing it every day over a couple of years has made it reachable by way of completing it. Granted, some days the challenge is phenomenally hard but on most days it is doable.

So, in a way, the time it took to solve one of the crosswords had come down drastically over the 2 years. Literally from an infinite period of time I was able to bring  solving time to a matter of hours.
If the sporting metaphor is to be used, I would compare it to a paralysed person who completes the marathon where a few years before he could not imagine himself running.

While we admire ferocious speed, the thing to take back from this competition is the unique journey undertaken by 180 contestants or so to finally take part in the Times Crossword Championship and in looking back - see how far they have come.


Jay

The Times Crosword Championship 2012- Part 2

If I understood John clearly, each puzzle was set by an individual setter. That was interesting. Normally, the Times crossword is the work of several setters.
Would each crossword reveal something unique ? 
Here are the anagram clues in First Preliminary - Puzzle No 1.

X8. "Distinguished artists" is a term translated here (7)

Y8. Pilot coming out of marina, at sea (6)

Z8. Like incorrect shop signs, perhaps, I stood changing (13)

A9. Violently shattering, put back in order (10 )


 Double Definition Clues

B9. Deduce it's a no-win situation (4)

C9. Reckless game bird (7)

D9. Saw what something obvious doesn't need (6)

Charade Clues

E9. Boast by legal group that can exert powerful leverage (7)

F9. Halt source of whisky on base (10)

G9. Trendy point of view, for example (8)


The second preliminary proceeded after an hour. We left for lunch and hoped to make it back for the finals 2 hours later.


to be continued....


Jay

The Times Crossword Championship 2012- Part1

Here at last!

Having done the Mensa IBD meeting at Dubrovnik ( 6 wonderful days ) I was looking forward to spending a week in London with my daughter Priya. I had no specific plans to meet up with the crossword group I had met the previous year.
The previous year I had missed going to a pub quiz conducted by one John Henderson - highly recommended by Priya. This time around I was hopeful not to miss it. The same night, however, we had got tickets for  the  stage version of "Chariots of Fire" and that was a must-see. As there was time afterwords, we made our way to the White Hart at Whitechapel. The pub quiz had a few rounds left and I had a glimpse into how John skillfully constructed each round of questions with a common thread linking the answers.When it was over , I was introduced to John Henderson aka The Enigmatist - a master crossword setter and solver.

With the Enigmatist

 John is married to Jane Teather who is a regular crossword blogger at Fifteensquared
We had a nice chat regarding - what else ? - crosswords and cluing. It was then he casually mentioned that THE Times Crossword Championship was being held that Saturday! He was part of the organizing team and was not taking part AND he was responsible for 1 of the competition crosswords!
Ever since  I was hooked on the Times crossword ( featured in our NST ) I had read quite a bit about this legendary competition. John was the winner in 1996.I mentioned to Priya that we had to attend the competition.Turned out it was within walking distance from where she lived!
John kindly got our names and said that we would be invited as special guests and all we had to do was to inform security of our names!
Now crossword solving is not a spectator sport - and I'm sure that he was very happy at having us there and experiencing a rare treat. The fastest solvers as well as solvers who wanted to see how they fare in a competition - would be there. He mentioned that it was too late to accept new entries!
Being aware of the format - 2 heats and 1 final - each of them with 3 crosswords to solve in 1 hour - I knew that I did not have the speed to complete even 1 crossword in that time.

hmm, crosswords...

Saturday saw Priya and me in the Times office at Thomas More Square. There was quite a crowd waiting for the First Heat from 11am to 12pm.The atmosphere was relaxed but not boisterous. We saw John all suited up - The Invigilator , now.

1st heat of the Championship about to get underway

Soon, an announcement was made and 90 contestants got into the competition hall. There was an introduction by Richard Browne, the Times crossword editor. Then David Levy, the organizer , rattled out some of the rules - clear writing, no usage of any other blank paper and absolutely no phones ringing. With that, the competition began.

Sole Spectator

Twenty five minutes into the heats , we had the 1st submission. 3 crosswords with 90 clues  done in less than half an hour. Talk about fast! The hour drew near and the 1st heat was over. As the contestants went out for tea and snacks, Priya and I met up with a couple of old friends I had met the year before.They remembered me as Derek Harrison's friend. First was Oli Grant.

Oli and Jay

Chris Brougham was there , too. He mentioned that he was there mainly for the occasion and was not too worried about the clock. He made a comparison with a top level chef challenge where judgement was made on how fast one ate up the prepared food!

Chris and Priya

Soon, the results were announced - the first 12 would go into the finals.Oli made it!

Closest I'll come to...

to be continued......


Jay

Don't play-play with crossword setters

This piece of news is more than a year-old but it's great how crossword setters outwitted the boss and sent the message to all readers.

Rufus is Eighty!

Read the article here

A meeting with "Listener" crossword solvers

Derek Harrison with Jay

On Saturday July 16^th, I had an opportunity to meet up with a formidable group of cruciverbalists (The Listener Group) at the White Horse Inn in Parsons Green , London. The group was holding one of their regular informal meetings. I had indicated my interest to be present at that meeting to Derek Harrison who runs the Crossword Centre Website and to whose newsgroup I subscribe.

I reached the inn at 1.30pm and since I did not have Derek’s phone number, I had to do a bit of sleuthing to locate the group among the motley clusters that filled the inn. Now, you can’t sniff out a crossword solver from a crowd - but when they pack together, an aura builds up and it was not long before I homed in on to this extraordinary group. 

However, I still could not identify Derek – and then it hit me! I googled his site on the phone and there it was – a small picture of Derek. Once I had visual confirmation, I walked towards the group and introduced myself to Derek who was also on the lookout for me.

He introduced me to several members of the group. I was surprised when he asked me whether I blogged the New Straits Times crossword! Wow! How did he know about Malaysia’s NST? I explained that the syndicated version of the London Times crossword ran a few weeks behind in the NST and that the Cryptonites blog was mainly for beginners to help them clear cryptic hurdles.

For those who are not aware of The Listener Crossword…it is simply the most intricate crossword in the world. In Penang, I know of only one person who does it regularly and that’s our own Cryptonite master, John Nutkins. Each crossword is based on a theme and really,folks, you ought to look at a solved one to see some sensational couplings of seemingly disparate elements!

Among those I met and had some time to talk to were Chris Brougham who sets a 22 X 22 monthly crossword for The Spectator under his nickname “Dumpynose” and Trevor Crowther, a master solver who has got every Listener crossword all-correct for 3 straight years.

Let me introduce you to the two I interviewed.

First, Roger Phillips, who is the Times editor for the Listener Crossword. He is New Zealand born and also sets some of the Listener Crosswords under “Kea”.

Roger Phillips- Listener Crossword co-editor

Jay: How come complex crosswords like the Listener exist and is the number of enthusiasts growing?

Roger: There is a long history with the Listener. Its uniqueness from the beginning in 1930 was that every crossword had a theme to it and a special grid to go along with it. It exists because some solvers want more of a challenge than just answering a set of clues. As for the number of solvers, John Green collects the statistics on answer submissions. So we have a fair idea of new people coming in. The online version has cast a wider net and there are quite a number of international solvers. And of course all the blogs about cryptic crosswords are helping to generate interest.

Jay: What are your thoughts on clues? Do you have a criterion for fairness? For example, is it fair not to have a definition in a clue?

Roger: Clues should be entertaining. As for fairness, with the example you gave, it could be fine within a thematic context, say, if part of the puzzle is to work out the connection among a set of answers.

Jay : As editor, can you give a specific example of how you would determine fairness when a setter has sent in his crossword to you?

Roger: One thing for the Listener is that it must be possible to complete and understand a puzzle's theme without using the Internet. Most things should be verifiable in a common home reference book, though occasionally a trip to a library might be needed. Special gimmicks, like having to jumble answers in the grid, should be used only when necessary, not just to make things harder.

Jay: As a setter how long do you take to set a crossword?

Roger: It depends on many factors, such as size, complexity and inspiration. For a daily crossword, about 4-5 days;

my quickest thematic crossword (an Inquisitor) took 7 hrs, but it can take as long as 7-8 months to develop the idea, the grid and the clues.

Jay: Have you any favourite Listener crossword as well as any favourite clues?

Roger: I have many favourites, too many to list. The greatest thing in a thematic crossword is to have an idea that is completely original and to develop it in the most clever and elegant way, to make the solver gasp when he or she sees it.

Then we have Oli Grant who so far has set 4 crosswords for the Listener under “Wasp”.He is a doctor at King’s Cross Hospital. He has been doing crosswords since his early teens.

In those days, one Telegraph newspaper meant  that Grandma had first access to the straight crossword puzzle. Consequently, Oli gravitated to the untouched cryptic.

He started setting in 2002 after reading Don Manley’s  “Chambers Crossword Manual” while on holiday with his wife in New Zealand.

Oli Grant with Jay

Jay: When did you have your first crossword published?

Oli: In 2004, I got my first crossword published in Derek Harrison’s website. Later under “Ra” I got 2 into Magpie and 2 more in the Sunday Telegraph. One of the latter celebrated the 40^th anniversary of Gary Sobers 6 sixes in an over in 1968.It happened to have fallen on a Sunday!

Jay: Which do you prefer, setting or solving?

Oli: I prefer solving. I do the Listener every week. Setting takes months sometimes. The idea comes and then the clues and grid need to be tuned over and over again.

Jay: What’s your advice for one who fears tackling the Listener?

Oli: The fear is misplaced. I got just a couple of answers when I first started. So perseverance matters. Just like a doctor who gets better when he diagnoses more patients, the crossword solver should not give up.

Jay: What other interests do you have?

Oli: Fatherhood and Films.

Derek Harrison and Chris Brougham

Derek Harrison is a retired teacher and he lives in the north of England. I asked him if such meetings were held elsewhere. He mentioned that Anax holds them in Birmingham. Derek has a newsletter you can subscribe to. He holds clue-writing competitions on a monthly basis and the participants cast their votes to choose a winner who will get a Chambers Dictionary.

Sometime later in the day, John Green handed out a crossword whose theme was Beer. It was great to solve it together with Derek.

It was a very special afternoon and I had to say my goodbyes early as I had another appointment.

Masters at work

Masters at play

Derek Harrison and Trevor Crowther

John Green

Jay

Crossword News

Azed's 2000th Crossword !Go here to read more about it.