15: Difficulty Ranking in Newspapers
“I wish he would explain his explanation.”
Lord Byron, Don Juan
At the end of my workshops, I give suggestions as to which nationally available blocked puzzles students might try after the course, taking account of solving difficulty and pleasure. It’s a list that hasn’t changed much for several years. Of course, assessment of difficulty levels varies between assessors but this is mine.
The starred bands below are what I perceive to be the approximate order of their difficulty. Crosswords within each group are also in increasing levels of difficulty, though this is even more subjective.
Many of these puzzles are available online, some of them free or requiring a small payment.
* DAILY MIRROR, DAILY STAR, THE SUN AND THEIR WEEKEND SISTERS
Ximenean principles are sometimes stretched in this group; they have considerably more anagrams and hidden clues than others. Their answer words are straightforward; literary, art and musical references are few. Grids may have fewer than average blocked squares, increasing cross-checking possibilities and some answers may be fully “checked”, such that solvers can find an answer appearing without having solved the clue. Some of these crosswords have two sets of clues (cryptic and non-cryptic) for the same grid, a feature that’s really valued by complete beginners.
** DAILY MAIL, MAIL ON SUNDAY, DAILY EXPRESS, SUNDAY EXPRESS
These all follow Ximenean principles to a large extent and have a large loyal and satisfied solvership.
*** TIMES QUICK CRYPTIC, DAILY TELEGRAPH
For those solving Quick crosswords currently, these two are excellent in helping a transition to cryptics.
**** OBSERVER EVERYMAN, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, FINANCIAL TIMES, THE OLDIE GENIUS, THE WEEK, THE SUNDAY TIMES, INDEPENDENT AND THE I NEWSPAPER, INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY, PRIVATE EYE
This large group is the one in which difficulty level varies the most. Most of them will include clues with topical references. One or two lesser-known words may well be included and there can be some stretching of definitional meanings. Note that the Independent newspapers, Financial Times and Sunday Times have more than one setter which inevitably leads to more variability, but also more loyalty to individual setters. Apart from the Observer and the Sunday Telegraph, all these publications name their setters, using pseudonyms or real names.
***** TIMES, GUARDIAN, DAILY TELEGRAPH TOUGHIE
These three also have a panel of setters, named in the Toughie and Guardian but not in The Times. Day-by-day difficulty levels can vary considerably, sometimes being close to the three star group, other days a long way from that. A Guardian poll showed that solvers are happy with this, most voting for an occasional very tough challenge and that is probably true for Times solvers. The more complex constructions referred to in Chapter 9 may make the occasional appearance in both of these two puzzles.
The Guardian crossword has a number of setters whose clues are further away from Ximenes than any other daily newspaper. That’s not to pass judgment on quality or enjoyment – it is to say that potential solvers following this book will find they need to think laterally and more deeply than for the other crosswords. However, familiarity with each setter’s tricks does of course help considerably. The Guardian’s Araucaria, who died in November 2013, was in a special category of his own as being both proudly non-Ximenean and much loved, especially for his original themes and long anagrams. He is also the only setter so far to have received the MBE and to have made an appearance on Desert Island Discs. His puzzles are still available in book form and online.
What people want in addition are recommendations for those that might give extra pleasure and are at the easiest end of the solving range in their newspapers.
Not including my own puzzles and recognising that this is highly subjective, I recommend this elite group, based not only on workshop participant feedback but also on the ultimate test of which setters cause me to buy the newspaper in question:
SETTERS
Appearing regularly having a single setter:
Observer Everyman, Sunday Telegraph, The Oldie Genius, Private Eye
Cyclops (not for sensitive souls!)
Appearing under pseudonyms:
Guardian Arachne, Brendan, Pasquale, Picaroon; Telegraph Toughie: Messinae; Independent: eXternal, Dac
Times Quick Cryptic – all setters recommended
Not only do these conform fully to the teaching outlined in this book, they usually offer smooth surface meanings and ingenious wordplay. For those wanting themes (and I’m aware that some solvers do not), the Oldie is always themed with a preamble. The Brendan puzzles are often themed, albeit that the theme may not be apparent until the end. Incidentally, for anyone wondering what a themed puzzle is, there are two in this book (Puzzles 7 and 10).
In a category of its own, with regularly brilliant puzzles, is The Times including its weekend Jumbo crossword, though I hesitate to make a specific regular daily recommendation as difficulty levels vary and its many setters are unnamed.
For readers wanting lots more information on crossword setting, editing and many other aspects, especially on advanced cryptics such as Azed in the Observer and Mephisto in the Sunday Times, the book to go for is Chambers Crossword Manual by Don Manley.
For readers who want more practice on the down-to-earth cryptics in this book, I strongly recommend any of the Times Quick Cryptic Crossword books (NB not the Times Quick Crossword books). Each contains 100 of the puzzles originally published in Times2. They have reduced grids (13 by 13) and, as already stated, reduced difficulty from that of the perhaps daunting main Times crossword, thus suiting those with limited time and encouraging people to take their first steps in cryptics.
THE MOST PROLIFIC CROSSWORD SETTER?
Now retired, Roger Squires set nearly 75,000 puzzles and over 2 million clues for the Telegraph, Guardian and others.
Marc Breman, setting anonymously for the likes of Daily Mirror and Express, is another prolific setter. His profile was boosted by dubbing one puzzle as the world’s hardest that would take two years to complete. Unfortunately, this claim was disproved when at least one solver cracked it in under two hours!
TOP TIP – INDIRECT ABBREVIATIONS
Most of the abbreviations opposite are “direct” eg bishop = B. However, you are likely to find some of an “indirect” nature eg “medic = doctor DR, MB or MO and “business or firm” = company = CO.
TOP TIP – DOUBLED ABBREVIATIONS
Occasionally you may need to “think plural abbreviation” if you’re stuck with, say, “goods”, “dates” and even “smalls”. These could stand for GG, DD and SS.