crackingthecryptic

Streaking Along with Connections

Mark takes on four more days of the New York Times's Connections game, attempting to piece together four groups of four related answers for four days ...

See how he does in this video: https://youtu.be/Q-yi5_DLghk 

Connections - the Struggle Continues

Not always sure what the connections are that he's connecting, Mark struggles onwards...

You can see the video here: https://youtu.be/ipJ56vQwcHo

February Patreon reward - "Are You My Mamma?"

Hello Patreons!

Thank you so much for supporting the channel! As February's reward, we are bringing you "Are You My Mamma?", a collection of sudoku puzzles based on Number Sums, a technique explained in the pack. Each puzzle, when correctly solved, creates a picture, but be warned: some clues in the puzzles are not telling the truth!

PLEASE NOTE: In this pack -

A true clue has all its cells shaded; a clue with all its cells shaded is true. A digit in the bottom right-hand co...

Stumbling around the Connections

Mark tackles 4 more days of the New York Times Connections boards, from 25th – 28th January. Remember to leave a comment on the video if you appreciate this content appearing!

Here’s the video: https://youtu.be/G2a1wqCofAI  

Clueless Connections

Welcome to another video of Mark struggling with the New York Times's connections game for four days. Will he get through the harder ones and keep a nascent streak alive? Find out here ...

The video URL is https://youtu.be/-J8QnzIjJSs 

Connections by Default

Mark takes on another five days of Connections by The New York Times, and finds that occasionally you have to identify one linked set (or even more) by virtue of nothing else being available ...

You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/LGBHLp9rsqc

The Connections Roller-Coaster

SIX more days of Mark taking on the New York Times's Connections boards - a bit of an emotional roller-coaster this time ...

You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/sWniHd4ugBg 

A Cryptic Superstar, Gone too Soon

Mark takes on the Times's Monthly Club Special, a cryptic that reaches into the most arcane vocabulary possible. Today's puzzle, if our information is correct is the third by James Brydon, but also his last - as he has now been offered a new role with the Telegraph group. James is a superb compiler, so take the opportunity of sampling his skills here.

Here is the video: https://youtu.be/T1TwkteLa88 

A Continuation of Connections

There's five days of Connections from Mark here, as he tries to continue his incipient streak, which began in the last two weeks of the old year, into the new ...

You can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/SwrtEuojTds

Connections in a New Year

Mark tackles the first four New York Times Connections boards of a new year - see how he does in this video:

https://youtu.be/wE3mfZ6WVdU 

January Patreon Reward - The Hobbit

Hello Patreons, and Happy New Year!

We are delighted to bring you the follow-up to Blobz's amazing Lord of the Rings sudoku hunt (from June 2024). This is The Hobbit, and Blobz himself describes it as his magnum opus.

We are so grateful to Blobz himself, and his testers (credited within the document), and also Ted Nasmith for giving Blobz permission to use the wonderful artwork that appears.

Do enjoy yourself with all 19 puzzles - a word of warning though: they must be solve...

Year End Connections

Watch Mark tackle five more days of Connections from December 27th all the way up to December 31st - the next video will take place entirely in 2025. Happy New Year, everyone!

Here's where you can watch this video: https://youtu.be/O-eK8864CkQ

Connections through Christmas

Mark tackles the New York Times's Connections game from 21st December all the way through Christmas until the 26th.

See the video here: https://youtu.be/PmpfMhdGyHg 

Connections that Elude One

Keeping that Connections streak alive should not of course be the entire focus of this game - which is fun in its own right - but somehow it feels like it is ...

Watch the video of the last four days (Dec 17th - 20th) here: https://youtu.be/tOtcGa3SRKo

Evil Cryptic Deception

It's Roger Phillips' turn this week to set the evil Times Monthly Club Special, a cryptic crossword designed to send you scurrying to your dictionaries and other reference sources - but Mark tries to take it on, with just his brain to aid him ...

See how he does this month. Here's the video link:

 https://youtu.be/qRrb4UVAcyg

Picture these Connections!

Mark takes on the New York Times's Connections game for five days from 12th - 16th December, beginning with a rebus day!

You can watch the video here and see how he does:

Video link:

 https://youtu.be/Rv5Gjgrt0Og 

Making Good Connections

Mark tries another four days of the Connections game from the New York Times, hoping for some rather smoother sailing than in the last two videos ...

See how he does here: https://youtu.be/dLj3dTWtRjE

An Absolutely GENIUS cryptic

Mark tackles the much-recommended November Guardian Genius cryptic crossword puzzle - and you won't believe the results.

There are some links in the video description to both where you can access the puzzle and the sketch mentioned in its preamble (but it would be a spoiler to watch that first!).

See the video here:
https://youtu.be/lpDnOk4H43g

Connections on a Knife Edge

Watch Mark try and start a new sequence of successful Connections solves as he tries four more days - but put some time aside for this video!

You can watch it here https://youtu.be/uK9AoXnNZ_Q 

Connections becoming a tough watch

Mark takes on another four days of the New York Times's Connections game, but things begin to get a bit sticky ...

See the video here: https://youtu.be/hp06A9eGjjA 

December Patreon Reward - Swipe Right

Hello Patreons!

Thank you so much for supporting the channel. As the monthly reward for November, we are delighted to bring you Swipe Right by CtC, where you get to help out the "CtC Dating Agency" (fictional). You may have to scroll to the bottom of this post to find the pdf.

We hope you like helping out some lonely hearts! If you can get through this pack (easier than last month's), the last puzzle's solution message will tell you what solution code to submit on the following f...

Cleaning up the Connections

Mark takes on four more days of the New York Times's Connections game - can he figure out all the connections each day?

You can watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/0xeIykSP07U 

Duality II Solution Videos - part 3

Here are the last five walkthrough solution videos, explaining the solutions to the Duality II pack by Skunkworks, and also another explaining the completion of the meta-puzzle. Thank you so much to everyone at Skunkworks for creating the puzzles, the pack and these videos! We are immensely grateful.

11 Jeremydover presents Ciportne Lines by Jeremydover: https://youtu.be/fNN2c1eaDik 

12 Andrewsarchus present...

Connections Including a Fail

Mark forgot to include a video from the 17th last time - it is included now. And then he tackles four days of Connections in a row from 22nd - 25th November. Don't worry - he will explain it all ...

You can see the video here: https://youtu.be/21mWw3cJg2k 

Duality II Solution Videos - part 2

Here are the first five walkthrough solution videos, explaining the solutions to the Duality II pack by Skunkworks. Thank you so much to everyone at Skunkworks for creating the puzzles, the pack and these videos! We are immensely grateful.

6 Lake presents Five Huts by Lake: https://youtu.be/N203snuscYU  

7 Lake presents I’d Like Sum Pair by I Love Sleeping: 2024-11-24 16:12:55 +0000 UTC View Post

November reward Solution Videos - pt 1

Here are the first five walkthrough solution videos, explaining the solutions to the Duality II pack by Skunkworks. Thank you so much to everyone at Skunkworks for creating the puzzles, the pack and these videos! We are immensely grateful.

1 Timotab presents Floor Plan by Raumplaner: https://youtu.be/nZjTE9IJUFA                 

...

Don't Let Connections Break You

Mark tackles the NYT's Connections puzzle for four days in a row, from 18th - 21st November.

After last week's fail, surely it can't happen again?

You can see the video here: https://youtu.be/C0SFgRAfBeI 

Thank You Very Much by James Sinclair

As mentioned in tonight's video, Simon was scheduled to attempt this puzzle today before we were inundated with requests to look at James' Fog Of Where?. Unsurprisingly this is also a wonderful sudoku - James is on fire!!

Play the puzzle at the link below:

https://sudokupad.app/james-sinclair/thank-you-very-much

Rules: Fill the grid with nine non-overlapping 3x3 square regions...

A Decent Run of Connections

Mark has having a go at Connections, after losing his streak in the last video andstarting a new one. How will the American - British cultural differences play out this time?

See the video here: https://youtu.be/JUuUj7FxK9U

Our new Crossword Champion tangles with the Impossible

Each month Mark takes on the Times Monthly Club Special, WITHOUT A DICTIONARY. This vicious cryptic is not designed to be tackled that way!

This puzzle is James Brydon's second contribution to the series, and is tougher than his first! Enjoy watching Mark, who just won back the Times Crossword Championship last month, struggle like a newborn: https://youtu.be/ClKsdXzE0zE