| EJ's Crosswords - LlNKS |
| Crosswords: clues I like |
LINKS TO OTHER CROSSWORD
SITES The Chambers Online Crossword (Publisher of dictionaries / reference works) Monthly crossword - java and printable. A quite challenging cryptic puzzle, though help is available via 'reveal' buttons and Chambers' own online 'Crossword Solver'. There's also a link to a (quiz-style) monthly General Knowledge crossword. Crossword Centre (Derek Harrison) Good resources for the crossword enthusiast. Most of all, though, this site (and its associated Message Board) is for those who seriously enjoy their cryptic puzzles, especially when there's an extra layer or two of difficulty added! Challenging and 'coffee-time' crosswords appear regularly with a prize offered sometimes. And ... you'll find some interesting mug shots of setters and other characters from the world of crosswords! Crossword Crazy Daily online puzzles (crosswords, Codeword and Sudoku) and a host of features for crossword solvers and setters alike. Cryptic tutorial, categorised word lists, a 'cryptic crossword dictionary' and miscellaneous sources of reference. Crossword Solvers / Links (Phill Jury, Melbourne) A good site for solvers seeking help, with links to reference sources as well as Phill's own excellent lists of Mythological references and Rivers of the World. He offers a free email clue-solving service (non-cryptic). Crossword Star Digital Dictionary and Geographical Reference guide - commercial software allowing sophisticated searching of a very large database based on the content of actual crosswords. Crossword Talkboard (need to register - free) Looks a good place for crossword enthusiasts to hang out, discuss clues and get help with solving. There are several threads giving you a chance to try out your clue-writing skills. ENIGMATIST (you'll need to register/subscribe) Challenging cryptics from top setters like Araucaria and Bunthorne plus up and coming new setters (I particularly like Smithers' contributions). Also quizzes. Free Crosswords Online Cryptic crosswords from a professional setter plus a showcase of new compilers' work. There's also a substantial section offering useful advice / information to would-be professional compilers. Guardian Crossword Talk A couple of years ago I wrote quite a long piece here, bemoaning the fact that this Guardian site, potentially one of the best places for discussion of Guardian and other cryptic crossword matters, had been ruined by tiresome personal feuding and lack of objectivity in reviewing clues. Not a lot has changed since then, sadly. A small number of posters (perhaps a tiny number, if suspicions voiced about multi-ID users are founded) continue to spoil things for those genuinely trying to use the talk board for its proper purpose. The atmosphere did seem better, though, when I visited the site daily in the first couple of weeks or so of April '06. The 'Clue-writing' and 'Short-clue' competition threads still flourish and I recommend them to anyone who fancies composing their own cryptic clues. Guardian Unlimited Crosswords Subscription service but this link gets you to a free example Cryptic and straight crosswords from the UK daily newspaper in interactive and printable versions. Nice software with a wealth of features available to the solver. Possibly the most entertaining of any of the UK national cryptics (though there are some dull ones) but often the most difficult of the standard cryptics. The site has other stuff of interest to crossword fans, including a monthly £100 prize crossword. Ray Hamel’s ‘Crossword Puzzles’ A tremendous number of links to crossword puzzles, crossword books, crossword articles and crossword creation and solving software sites. Listener Crossword The Listener crossword is one of the most difficult crosswords there is. Solving the cryptic clues is just one element of a complex process, usually involving the consulting of reference books, etc. The failure rate among its would-be solvers appears to be quite high ("failure" often being no more than a tiny oversight or a technical misinterpretation of the puzzle's cryptically worded preamble). Despite this, it has a large, dedicated following. The web site, created in 2006, gives the background, the history, details of setters - and heaps of statistics. There's also a sample crossword to download, if you think you're up to it! Peter Biddlecombe's Solving Tips Good practical advice, succinctly put, to solvers of cryptic crosswords. Poins' Crosswords Weekly cryptic crossword puzzles, free, and a link to 'straight' crosswords. There are also useful links to other crossword sites. Theresa’s Cryptic Crosswords - sadly, the site seems to be defunct (March '06) Thinks.com ‘Crosswords, Crosswords, Crosswords’ Fewer links than Hamel’s but helpful descriptions/comments are given for each link. The Frequently Asked Questions section will start you on some interesting journeys. The Thinks.com site is also dedicated to other types of puzzles and ‘brain games’. The X-Philes (just a taster - see NB. below) Weekly articles by Sandy Balfour, in the same vein as his book Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8). Gentle, wry observations on a great diversity of things but always with a crosswording angle at their heart. He's been kind enough to give several of my clues (as Cyclops and Brummie) a mention - on the whole, I think, favourably - so he's worth reading for that if nothing else! NB. The X-philes column has ceased but the weekly articles will be published as a book collection in Oct '06 |
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