I must admit that I am floundering in the new format. If there is a thread which explains the way the new system works then for the life of me, I haven’t found it.
In the meantime, I have a new topic to raise. I used to be quite good at cryptic crosswords and found great satisfaction in solving the whole thing. Alas, this is no longer possible. I reject the idea that they have got harder. I go for the alternative explanation that my advanced old age is the culprit.
I have, fortunately found a worthy alternative which is called codeword. Here you are presented with the standard shape of a crossword but in each blank space you are presented with a number in the range of 1 to 26 where the number represents a letter in the alphabet. You are told typically what letter two of the numbers represents. The puzzle is to work out what the remaining numbers represent. Every letter must appear at least once. The meaning of the words is irrelevant.
To solve a codeword you will need logic and vocabulary. Experience obviously helps. Most of the newspapers publish a codeword puzzle. Most days I can get all the words right but the occasional failure adds to the buzz I get when I succeed.
I do a lot of codewords @Mr_Magoo . They do come in varying degrees of difficulty but by and large they are usually solvable quite quickly. I am actually doing one at the moment it’s a large one in a book of puzzles. Crack on and get solving it’s good for the old grey matter.
