crackingthecryptic

Three More Connected Days

Here are another three days of Mark playing Connections, the game from the New York Times where you have to connect up four groups of four.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/3rzUDfzErq0 

Connecting up Five More Days

Mark is going to have a few more tries at the New York Times's Connections game, linking four groups of four each day.

Here's where you can watch the video: https://youtu.be/oOAxAfavMPY 

Five More Connected Days

Mark is back with some more games of Connections from the New York Times. This time he has taken on five days' worth of the game - one of the days takes him considerably longer than all the others put together!

Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/IuC-xctSILM 

That Special Cryptic

Mark takes on the Times Monthly Club Special, the fiendishly difficult cryptic published each month by the Times for members of its crossword club.

This edition is by Roger Phillips - even though that's the same compiler as last month's!

Here's where you can see the video: https://youtu.be/l3qEDlBiaME

Connections for Four Days

Mark takes on the NYT's Connections game, for another four days: four days of connecting four sets of four ...

The video is here: https://youtu.be/SZgjzjiJVKg 

Ten Days of Connections

It's been a long time since Mark posted a Connections video - and here you can see him attempting ten days in a row of the New York Times's Connections game, trying to forge connections between words and phrases, and sometimes finding that the US and UK are two nations divided by a common language!

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/7yqG6HunOfc 

Repeat Prescription by Jay Dyer

Some of our patrons have requested Simon have a go at this extraordinary sudoku by Jay Dyer... so he did!! This is an astonishing construction - how you even come up with this idea we have no idea!!!

Play the puzzle at the link below:

https://sudokupad.app/86p8y4m9kl

Rules:

Normal sudoku rules apply. The digits on a line form a consecutive set, but may be in any order. Digits may repeat...

August Patreon Reward: CtC Clone Pack (Updated)

Hello Patreons!

Thank you so much for supporting the channel! As August's reward, we are absolutely thrilled to bring you the CtC Clone Pack. This has been prepared by a team comprising (if you can believe it) Scojo, Jojo and Jobo!

Portmanteau'd as Scojojobo, they have collaborated to produce an astonishing pack of sudokus riffing on their names. We absolutely love it, and we think you will too.

To enter the competition, please send a solution on this form: 2024-08-01 15:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post

Patreon 2024 Rolls of Honour

Oh dear - we have been very poor at posting the rolls of honour of successful solvers for the 2024 sudoku hunts. After a decent start to the year with All the Fun of the Fair, we have not published the list of correct solvers since then, I don't think.

Part of the excuse is that it takes quite a time to turn the Forms list into a dramatic, Star Wars-style scroll of credits - mainly because we have so many solvers now that the list exceeds the length (by several times) of most of the aut...

Three Days of Connections!

Just three days of Connections this time, as Mark tackles the New York Times's puzzle of groupings again!

https://youtu.be/tW70ItdkdN8

Connections for Four Days

Mark tackles four days' worth of Connections, the game from the New York Times where you have to group four sets of four words or phrases each day.

The number of days is partially determined by Mark's travel plans!

Here's where you can see the video: https://youtu.be/0tTQ_foTPeU 

A Week's Worth of Connections

Mark tackles a week's worth of Connections, the game from the New York Times where you have to group four sets of four words or phrases each day.

These are coming to you from a couple of hotel rooms, so please forgive the lighting and sound issues!

Here's the video: https://youtu.be/h7vpSOVioLI 

Connections - for Six Days

Here are Mark's attempts at the New York Times's Connections game, from the 6th of July through to the 11th. As you will see, it has not always been plain sailing - and it's not a complete week either ...

Watch the video here:

 https://youtu.be/oYZGYjfXPOs

Listener Crossword: Rash, by Serpent

This crossword is called Rash, by the compiler Serpent, a friend of both Mark & Simon. It's an advanced themed cryptic crossword, and Mark tries to solve it as fast as he can. The puzzle is Listener Crossword no 4818, from May 2024, and is available if you are subscribed to the Times Crossword Club, here (in a print-out version only): https://tinyurl.com/4f2ksbb6 

You can watch the video here:

  2024-07-11 09:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post

The Merciless Cryptic

As usual every month, Mark takes on the Times Monthly Club Special, a vicious cryptic with all the mercy of a super-villain. He even tries to solve it without a dictionary, as far as possible. See how he gets on this month against Roger Phillips, the Listener Crossword editor, and compiler of June's puzzle no 275.

You can watch the video here:

 https://youtu.be/VtH5v21F5xk

Japanese Crossroads: by Phistomefel: The Example Puzzle

It's just been brought to our attention that there is a new Phistomefel puzzle on Logic Masters. It's called Japanese Crossroads and apparently it's quite hard (!) Phistomefel himself recommends attempting an example he's constructed before trying the real thing. How hard can an example really be, we thought.... well, in this bonus video, Simon find out!!

https://youtu.be/7dpL3-R-xwU

Play the puzzle at the link...

Connections is back!

Mark is back, taking on Connections again - a week's worth, from Saturday 29th June to Friday 5th July!

Here you can see him grapple with one of our favourite puzzles from the New York Times, and listen to his thinking processes.

Watch the video here:

 https://youtu.be/24_6gvV5vmI

600K Bang!

Some of you got through the July monthly reward very quickly! Here's another sudoku treat, if you want some more celebration of our reaching 600,000 subscribers on the YouTube channel. This puzzle is five linked sudokus, by Rockratzero, where each of the five 9x9 areas (see the colours at the top and bottom of the grids) is a sudoku, but you will need information from the linked puzzles to complete each one.

It's a bit like a massive samurai sudoku. Rockratzero has provided links either...

July Patreon Reward - "A 6x6 Sudoku, but ..."

Hello Patreons!

Thank you so much for supporting us. This month, we are delighted to bring you a debut sudoku pack by Paws, who has themed it on 6x6 sudoku.

There are some lovely intricacies to discover within (hence the "but..."), and yet overall this pack must be the most approachable reward for some considerable time, so if you have been a little afraid to dip your toe into the Patreon Reward waters, now is your chance!

To enter the competition, click on the link at the e...

CtC 600k free pack - Update

There is yet another new puzzle added - it's from Florian Wortmann! Re-download the pack on the link below to see it (and there is a solution-included version of the Tallcat puzzle too).

Stop press! Michael Lefkowitz (Juggler) has just sent us a hilarious puzzle to add to our free 600k pack, and we have done so! The document attached here contains the new puzzle (and an important correction to the printed rules in James Sinclair's puzzle - the linked sudokupad version was correct...

CtC 600k Celebration Pack!

It’s unbelievable but the Cracking the Cryptic YouTube channel now has 600,000 subscribers!

 To celebrate, we are delighted to bring you a pack of free sudoku puzzles from some of the best constructors in the world. Thank you so much for supporting the channel in whatever way you do, and please take this as our thank-you gift.

 Our own thanks go to the constructors of these wonderful puzzles, and also of course to the amazing community who follow us!

Edit: The ne...

Another week of Connections

Here's where you can watch Mark take on a week of the New York Times's Connections game, with four categories to find and specify each day.

Will the US/UK differences stump him, or can he survive? Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/uBCO1EaXqM4

 These puzzles are from 12th June - 18th June 2024.

A week of Connections

Here's where you can watch Mark take on a week of the New York Times's Connections game, with four categories to find and specify each day.

Will the US/UK differences flummox him, or can he battle through? Check out the video here: https://youtu.be/Qaqz_K7FL7E 

These puzzles are from 5th June - 11th June 2024.

The Ultimate Challenge - from Richard Rogan

Mark takes on a Times Monthly Club Special cryptic, just after hearing of the passing of its author, Times Crossword Editor, Richard Rogan. So there's a bit of reminiscence in this video, because Richard was a good friend.

The puzzle itself is an incredible challenge, with some extraordinary clues and some very recherche vocabulary - will Richard have the last laugh?

See the video here: https://youtu.be/r6RXjjLYToA 2024-06-09 09:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post

The Times Masterclass Series

Simon apologises that he can't undertake the Friday puzzle today due to a prior commitment but he's recorded his solve of Thursday's puzzle instead!

This is a classy crossword indeed with some devious (and wonderful clues).

You can try the puzzle here (paywalled):

https://www.thetimes.com/puzzleclub/crosswordclub/puzzles/crossword/47348

And watch Simon's ...

Mark makes MULTIPLE Connections!

Quite a few Patreons have suggested that it would be fun to watch Mark play Connections*, so he's been recording his efforts over the last three weeks (plus one bonus day!).

Given that the video is 70 minutes long, it seems that he averages about 3 minutes per puzzle. Let us know how you normally do in the comments! And if you think you want more of this (perhaps weekly?).

*Connections is a game supplied free by the New York Times, and available at 2024-06-05 09:00:17 +0000 UTC View Post

Lord of the Rings - Bonus Puzzle

We have already posted for our contributing Patreons the Lord of the Rings pack by Blobz which forms June's monthly reward. But Blobz has also sent us another puzzle which can be accessed by anyone, whether they are contributing or not. There are no prizes for this puzzle - just the thrill of solving it, and helping Bilbo & Frodo celebrate their birthdays!

The attached pdf features the puzzle and its rules, and also a link to play it in our software.

Best wishes,

Simon &...

June Patreon Reward - Lord of the Rings

Hello Patreons!

Thank you so much for supporting us on Patreon. As our monthly reward for June, we are absolutely thrilled to bring you a masterpiece by Blobz: Lord of the Rings, a story bound together by sudoku puzzles. We are also delighted that Ted Nasmith gave permission for his wonderful illustrations to be used in the pack.

How to enter the competition is explained on the last page of the pack. Basically you must enter a key at 2024-06-01 15:00:16 +0000 UTC View Post

A Crossword to Make you Panic

This is the Monthly Club Special, a twisted and vicious cryptic crossword for Times Crossword Club Members. Mark is the only person mad enough to tackle this without a dictionary and hope to finish it, but here he goes again, trying to complete it and get a tick.

In the last couple of months, he has been one letter away at the end - will he make it this time? Watch and find out.

The puzzle, no 273 is from April, and is by Roger Phillips, the senior Listener Crossword editor. You c...

Sky-Skyscrapers by Phistomefel: Simon's Attempt

Thank you to you all for supporting the channel here. As a small bonus, Simon has attempted a puzzle that he's been quite scared of for the last couple of months, Phistomefel's Sky-Skyscrapers. Prepare to have your brains bent out of shape by this one!!

Play the puzzle at the link below:

https://sudokupad.app/5lbxibl6d5

Rules:

Normal sudoku rules apply. Wherever outer clues are given, write a...