CRYPTIC CROSSWORDS

There are two kinds of people, those who love to solve crosswords and those who do not. There are two kinds of crossword lovers, those who love the cryptics and those who do not. Cryptic crossword enthusiasts are further divided into two groups, those who prefer the 'American' style of puzzle and those who consider the 'British' style to be the only true cryptic crossword. 'A Great British Obsession' - which appeared in The Guardian - puts it quite nicely..!

For aid in the solution of cryptic crosswords click here. In 1989 Frank Lewis - legendary WW2 cryptanalyst and longtime crossword editor of The Nation - wrote a book that addressed the solution of "The cryptic or 'British' crossword...". This slim volume was published privately under the title 'Problem Solving - Part One' and is unfortunately out of print but suggested sources include Classical Crypto Books and Aegean Park Press.

Here are some links to sources of British cryptic crosswords:

The Guardian - [registration required]

The Herald

The Telegraph - [registration required]

The Times - [registration required]

Geraint Tucker's Crossword site - more original cryptic crosswords [registration required]

...and some crossword-related software sites:

Crossword Man [Bryson Limited] - TEA® and SYMPATHY®: wordfinding and crossword construction software.

Literate Software - Crosswords and conversion programs.

Crossword Maestro - The world's first expert system for solving cryptic and non-cryptic crosswords!
...together with Anagram Genius: www.anagramgenius.com - The definitive site for fun anagrams!

last updated on 13 December 2015


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