Mark takes on four more days of Connections from the New York Times - from 10th - 13th October. As his streak has grown, the nerves set in ...
You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/vwjEQdxDEhw
2025-10-14 08:30:04 +0000 UTC View PostMark tackles five more days of Connections, from the New York Times - from 5th - 9th October, and struggles with some more than others ...
You can see the video, and whether he can extend his streak, here: https://youtu.be/44MI3CprUoE
2025-10-10 08:00:11 +0000 UTC View PostMark takes on five more days of the Connections game from the New York Times, but gets interrupted during Day 3.
See how he does here, and do comment on the video! https://youtu.be/iqkjMOerrCM
2025-10-05 08:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patreons!
Thank you so much for supporting the channel. We are delighted to bring you October's monthly reward today, from the Skunkworks collective.
If you can believe it, it's a collection of 68 puzzles, all by different authors - but DON'T PANIC! Each puzzle is only 5x5, so should not take you as long as a 9x9 sudoku of any style! The whole point of the pack is to provide bite-size sudoku fun.
We are immensely grateful to Panthera for curating the pack, and to Riff...
2025-10-01 15:02:11 +0000 UTC View PostMark takes on four more days of the New York Times's Connections game, from 26th - 29th September. His streak is at 69 before this video - where will it be at the end?
You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/MY0DNGWf58s
2025-09-30 08:30:02 +0000 UTC View PostA few weeks ago, Simon tackled one of the hardest and most brilliant Listener crosswords ever, Listen! by 'Eck. We were tipped the wink that Spyder by Sabre was another exceptional crossword and so, over the course of the coming days, we will release videos documenting Simon's attempt!
The puzzle is available to play on The Times crossword club website (which is behind their paywall):
Mark takes on five more days of Connections by the New York Times - struggling mightily in its toils this time. These episodes are from the 21st to the 25th of September.
You can see the video here:
2025-09-26 11:00:40 +0000 UTC View PostA few weeks ago, Simon tackled one of the hardest and most brilliant Listener crosswords ever, Listen! by 'Eck. We were tipped the wink that Spyder by Sabre was another exceptional crossword and so, over the course of the coming days, we will release videos documenting Simon's attempt!
The puzzle is available to play on The Times crossword club website (which is behind their paywall):
A few weeks ago, Simon tackled one of the hardest and most brilliant Listener crosswords ever, Listen! by 'Eck. We were tipped the wink that Spyder by Sabre was another exceptional crossword and so, over the course of the coming days, we will release videos documenting Simon's attempt!
The puzzle is available to play on The Times crossword club website (which is behind their paywall):
Mark talks us through the first four solutions in Blobz's excellent Back to the Future sudoku hunt, September's monthly Patreon reward.
Puzzles 5 - 7 were: Twin Pines Mall; Back in Time; and Uncle Joey.
You can see the video here: https://youtu.be/63rquZNKhek
2025-09-24 12:48:07 +0000 UTC View PostHi Patreons!
Well done to all of those who solved Blobz's brilliant "Back to the Future" sudoku hunt, our September Patreon monthly reward. Attached to this post are TWO pdfs: one lists the people who sent in the correct answer code in the correct format by the deadline; the other is a list of all successful solvers for the four months from May to August, the second 'term' of the calendar year 2025.
We have not yet announced a winner for September, but we will do so soon on the ch...
2025-09-22 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostMark takes on six more games of the New York Times's Connections series, taking us from 14th - 20th September. Watch him struggle in this video!
Here's the video: https://youtu.be/rYsnRvp8MSM
2025-09-21 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostMark takes on The Times Monthly Club Special no 289, a devious cryptic from August, by Mark Kelmanson (Monk).
Warning: this puzzle will contain obscure vocabulary, and may blow your mind. Chambers Dictionary is highly recommended.
Here's where you can see the video:
2025-09-19 08:30:01 +0000 UTC View PostMark tackles the New York Times's Connections game for another 5 days, attempting to keep his longest-ever streak going as the video starts, and we will see where he ends up ...
Here's the video link:
2025-09-15 09:20:49 +0000 UTC View PostIf all went well in this video, Mark would reach and maybe even pass his own Connections streak record (of 50 in a row). But if he doesn't achieve it, be prepared for wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mark takes on the NYT's Connections from 5th - 9th September.
Here's where you can see the video: https://youtu.be/7YCML-4cr6I
2025-09-10 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostMark tries five more days of the NYT's Connections game, from 31st August to 4th September. His streak at the start of this video is 43 days! No wonder things are tense!
See how he does here: https://youtu.be/E2H_H_qnOMM
2025-09-05 11:15:01 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patreons, and thank you for supporting us!
We are delighted to bring you a new sudoku hunt constructed by Blobz, one of our pernennially favourite constructors. It's based on the original Back to the Future movie, starring Michael J Fox, released almost exactly 40 years ago.
We are so grateful to Blobz himself, and his testers (Full Deck & Missing A Few Cards, scottmadethis, sho, timotab and yttrio), for doing all the work to create this wonderful pack.
Enjoy yours...
2025-09-01 15:00:16 +0000 UTC View PostMark tackles five more days of the NYT's Connections game, taking us from 26th - 30th August. Will he keep this streak alive?
You can see the video here:
2025-08-31 08:30:04 +0000 UTC View PostOne of the hardest and most brilliant Listener crosswords ever was how this one was billed so we thought we should have a go at it. You'll get to see Simon's complete attempt (over many videos). We will release two videos each day over the coming days.
The puzzle is available to play on The Times crossword club website (which is behind their paywall):
2025-08-30 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostOne of the hardest and most brilliant Listener crosswords ever was how this one was billed so we thought we should have a go at it. You'll get to see Simon's complete attempt (over many videos). We will release two videos each day over the coming days.
The puzzle is available to play on The Times crossword club website (which is behind their paywall):
2025-08-29 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostOne of the hardest and most brilliant Listener crosswords ever was how this one was billed so we thought we should have a go at it. You'll get to see Simon's complete attempt (over many videos). We will release two videos each day over the coming days.
The puzzle is available to play on The Times crossword club website (which is behind their paywall):
2025-08-28 15:00:05 +0000 UTC View PostOne of the hardest and most brilliant Listener crosswords ever was how this one was billed so we thought we should have a go at it. You'll get to see Simon's complete attempt (over many videos). We will release two videos each day over the coming days.
The puzzle is available to play on The Times crossword club website (which is behind their paywall):
2025-08-27 15:00:06 +0000 UTC View PostMark is in a hotel room for most of these 4 tries at the Connections game by the New York Times - the dates are ACTUALLY from August 22nd to 25th (no matter what the video claims). See how he does in the video here:
2025-08-25 23:29:45 +0000 UTC View PostMark takes on another whole week of the New York Times's Connections game. Sadly August 10th has been lost forever - he must have misclicked (probably double-clicked) when trying to record it! This video takes us from 15th - 21st August - enjoy!
Here is the video: https://youtu.be/Z9a7zTuQznY
2025-08-22 08:00:09 +0000 UTC View PostI'm afraid there are only 5 recordings here for a period covering 9th August - 14th August! Although Mark DID solve and record Connections for August 10th, that video is unavailable to him at present, and will therefore be included in a future Connections video - sorry about this ...
You can see the five days' worth of Connections here: https://youtu.be/NVh971a8_cQ
2025-08-15 11:30:03 +0000 UTC View PostMark takes on 6 more days of Connections, from the New York Times, but he is on holiday for this set - see how he does in an unusual location, and whether he blames that on any difficulties he encounters ...
You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/zv5XnpQI4kQ
2025-08-09 19:05:57 +0000 UTC View PostMark tackles 4 more days of the NYT's Connections game - trying to figure out the clever links ...
You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/XhqF97qtjZs
2025-08-03 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patreons!
Thank you so much for supporting us! We are absolutely delighted to bring you our newest hunt, The Labours of Rostam. These are based on the seven labours of Rostam, a mythical Persian hero, whose deeds were recorded in a poem written over 23 years starting in 977 AD.
Normal sudoku rules apply in all seven puzzles, and you can solve them in any order, but the final three definitely have the more elaborate rulesets!
You can click on a Sudokupad link on each p...
2025-08-01 15:00:21 +0000 UTC View PostMark takes on another 5 days of Connections in the New York Times, from 25th to 29th July. 'Conniptions' means 'fuss, bother or panic', and applies to most of Mark's Connections episodes!
Do leave a comment on the video if you enjoy it (or not). You can see the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X32EzJBa0Ds
2025-07-30 08:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostToday Simon is solving a cryptic crossword by John Henderson from the Times as the masterclass - we heard it was going to be difficult! Mark has recorded his own 'speed-solve' (minimal explanations) so you can see how he goes about it - do watch Simon's video first if you want to understand the clues one by one.
Here's Mark's solve: https://youtu.be/zsBgOez8JJU
2025-07-25 12:50:01 +0000 UTC View Post