Listener Crossword 4913 "British Summer Time" by Artix YouTube video by Dmitriy Adamskiy

No Unch yet for me, but here's a new Listener video which I accidentally released a week earlier. Featuring one of the two of my all-time favourite clues.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlM_...

I'm contemplating whether I should start an informal crossword club in Sandwich. Before I post anything on the local FB groups and post on the very physical notice boards -- anyone with experience running crossword meetups, how would you go about this in a way that keeps it lively and interesting?

Hooray!

Listener Crossword 4911 "Ish" by Twin YouTube video by Dmitriy Adamskiy

New Listener video is out! The one where I forget what I said a half a minute ago, but also the one featuring one of my favourite setters, the omnipresent Colin Thomas.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hcq...

Magpie 279.4 "Boxing Day" by Stymphalides YouTube video by Dmitriy Adamskiy

Bonus video on the excellent E-grade puzzle in the Magpie that was as close as it gets to the Puzzle Made Specifically for Me. (and a follow-up to their previous Magpie)
Another half a dozen of these and we could publish "Best Cryptic Walks by Styphalides (with maps)"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqaz...

2/2 The deeper issues is the meh surfaces. I think there is a reason to this. The non-meh surfaces are non-meh because the words change their meanings and parts of speech between the surface and the cryptic reading. But this creates a huge set of synonyms to use, so not sure what to do.

1/2 I guess what it means is that you're not the target audience! Me neither -- so instead I try to gauge whether it will help any of my friends to learn (and I think it will!):
Parseword #62
⚡️ 6s
💎 Perfect
🗿 Challenge Mode

PS I wouldn't be surprised if someone somehwere is setting The Listener based on Wingspan :))
PPS Parseword is great

I'd vote for The Times Quick Cryptic rather than Everyman for the next step as the grammar is slightly more strict, which I think makes it easier. That is, if the paywall does not scare you. If it does, still worth checking it on Times for The Times community blog where the solutions are parsed.

The world is a better place when we can listen to Peter and Jan talking -- and we are treated to 14 days of this! Don't miss.

Get your copy, should be a great one!
Meanwhule I have almost finished #2

Guess I'm a misanthrope: various boy and girl names annoy me more than rivers!

UPD: WHERE IS EVERYBODY -- been a while since I recorded it.

Listener Crossword 4910 "Knock, Knock" by Karla YouTube video by Dmitriy Adamskiy

New Listener video is out, this time asking a question: WHERE IS EVERYONE?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=__qJ...

Listener Crossword Best Puzzles of 2025 YouTube video by Dmitriy Adamskiy

Best Listener puzzles of 2025! The official top-5 and my personal favourites:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9hS...

My Most Memorable Chess Book with GM Peter Svidler YouTube video by Chessable

Wow!
Really surprised by this from @polborta.bsky.social as this happened to be the _only_ chess book that I read, but I also was totally obsessed as a (slightly older) child and memorised it all.
Candidates starting soon with Peter and Jan providing commentary!
www.youtube.com/shorts/1kgU-...

Is that Charybdis?.

[2/2] Difficulty depends on what you allow yourself to use. For me, for The Listener it's a no holds barred approach whereas I try to solve dailies without aids. But when I started I couldn't solve Times on Friday without aids and so was curious why anyone would prefer this to The Listener..

[1/2] I have this confession to make that I never really enjoyed Azed: it's like Listener but without the payoff and like Times on Friday but -- for me -- without the elegancy of, say, John Guiver clues. In short, I like Gemelo because I know it's Twin:)

The problem with streaming Listeners is that it's not nice to stream a prize puzzle while it's still active (there's a chap on FB that posts answers, but I don't think it's right) and so one has to do it 3 weeks later for the second time.. Or just stream some oldies.

Listener Videos are back with a brilliant puzzle by @cranberryfez.bsky.social
Early AGC candidate this one.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVUZ...

Usually I try not to solve anything with snitch massively above 100, but now I'll give it a go!

Arrgh, I was hoping that Parseword clues would be more Ximenean/strict than minute cryptic ones, but we see 'first embarrassing' for E today, which is a bit disappointing. I guess I'm in a small minority here though.

@josh.powerlanguage.co.uk

No video -- numerical week! But, Colin Thomas set todays Ponder, main 15x15 cryptic and The Listener!

Colin (Twin) is one of my favourite setters and POTY winner for both Magpie and The Listener.

See you all in Eastbourne tomorrow for The Listener Dinner?

Parseword - A tricky wordplay game Transform phrases through wordplay to solve cryptic crossword puzzles.

The author or Wordle has just released a new game which I think should be doing a great job introducing people to cryptics:
www.parseword.com

This is great! Definitely prefer this to minutecryptic, as this is much more instructive for the newcomers and hopefully forces the clues to be accurate -- while the MC ones are afwully loose sometimes. @crackingthecryptic.bsky.social -- this could be a good addition to the channel?

Thanks, enjoyed it a lot!

Yeah, seriously good. Given how recent the developments are I expect the corresponding Listener to be still in the pipeline :))

No Listener video today, but I recorded one about Stymphalides E-grader and will try to make one about the wonderful Listener by @cranberryfez.bsky.social

What a beauty!! Must be an early AGC contender.