English Chess Forum

It also seems to be essentially a rehash of something in Good Housekeeping

This, in today’s Telegraph cryptic crossword:

“Raul Sanguineti beaten all ends up for nothing.” (3)

A fairly easy clue but I was surprised to see an obscure Argentinian chess GM referenced. I wonder who the setter was.

Cryptic crossword (at a glance the clues are far easier than the examples here), in the free sample of Chess magazine for December at:

https://chess.co.uk/collections/chess-m ... ember-2020

The solution is given on the following page in the download. You may want to leave scrolling until you've had a go at it.

Crossword set by Avid Old Swan. David ??????

"Avid Old Swan" is an anagram of "David Lawson", a name with strong chess connections (and itself, apparently, a pseudonym). But the bearer of it I'm referring to passed on decades ago.

John Saunders wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 28, 2020 4:39 pm

This, in today’s Telegraph cryptic crossword:

“Raul Sanguineti beaten all ends up for nothing.” (3)

A fairly easy clue but I was surprised to see an obscure Argentinian chess GM referenced. I wonder who the setter was.

As no one has volunteered an answer yet I'll say NIL. I guess it must be a down clue - take the last three letters of the first three words and read them upwards.

I have enquired on the 'Crossword Help Forum' as to the setter. Setters' real names are rarely disclosed, but many contributors to that forum seem to be in the know.

In The Times yesterday I thought another chess clue had appeared but it wasn't one really:

Queen's request for permission to embrace king (4, 1).

Answer MARY I. Definition is queen, king is R (rex) with may I (the request) around the R.

I mention it mainly because I have never seen a Roman numeral count as a word in a crossword. I suppose technically it is the letter I, so perhaps fair enough. I regard The Times crossword as the gold standard anyway.

Yesterday’s Times Jumbo had “Drink with knight in damaged chair, perhaps (11)” which needs N for knight to be solved.

The latest CHESS, December 2020 has a cryptic 15 x 15 crossword complied by 'Avid Old Sawn'.
The answers are published inside but I'll not peek.

Some examples: (the easy ones to lure you in.)

12A: Ray is enthusiastic - or so I hear. (5)

26a: Fell Lone Pine to create pawnless file (4,4)

Also a good pawn graphic which I will nick, paint green and use it on the Greenpawn blog.

"The latest CHESS, December 2020 has a cryptic 15 x 15 crossword complied by 'Avid Old Sawn'."

You seem to be anagramming the compiler a bit!

Paul Habershon wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 29, 2020 12:08 pm

John Saunders wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 28, 2020 4:39 pm

This, in today’s Telegraph cryptic crossword:

“Raul Sanguineti beaten all ends up for nothing.” (3)

A fairly easy clue but I was surprised to see an obscure Argentinian chess GM referenced. I wonder who the setter was.

As no one has volunteered an answer yet I'll say NIL.

This is a good example of 'reverse engineering' in solving a clue. The solution here is easily seen from just the final word, and the number of letters. It's then a case of working out how this fits with the rest of the clue.

Hi Kevin,

'You seem to be anagramming the compiler a bit!'

That is how CHESS magazine named the compiler which I thought was rather good.
This one had a few anagrams in it and of course a lot are chess related.

Having decided I'll nick the gif I might as well nick the whole crossword idea for my silly Christmas Quiz.

Instead of: 12A: Ray is enthusiastic - or so I hear. (5)

How about:

The Penguin is One Dark Enemy (7,5)

Nah, I'll just use Reti, Giri, Fine and Euwe like I always do.

"That is how CHESS magazine named the compiler which I thought was rather good."

I meant "sawn" for "swan"!

The "Chess" crossword was entertaining enough. Anyone looking for a nice anagram for Hikaru Nakamura might struggle...

It's probably an easier name to anagram than Jack Rudd, or John Emms, or any number of short English names like that.

Jarred duck loses engineers about West Country chess star (4,4)

Doubtless there are improvements...

Card UK DJ dealt to play like a chess master ..... (4,4)

HMS men somehow after Jo to play like a grandmaster ...... (4,4)

I'll get my coat.