Original cryptic crosswords by Algy

Welcome to my website

In the early 1970s, when I was 18 or 19 years old, I was introduced to the delights of the cryptic crossword by a work colleague who showed me The Times crossword. I started buying The Guardian and we tackled both crosswords between us over lunch.

I continued solving on an irregular basis for many years, sticking mainly to The Guardian, but branching out to Mephisto in The Sunday Times from time to time. Eventually, in the early years of this century, I thought to myself “I could do one of those”. I tried, and found that I could. I published several puzzles in various specialist crossword magazines for a year or two and then stopped, for various reasons. I recently started again and decided to publish what I produce on this website, beginning with all the puzzles that I haven’t published elsewhere. They will slowly appear on this site in the days to come and will be followed by those I am creating now.

Select Block Crosswords from the menu above to get a list of block crosswords on this site and Barred Crosswords for a list of barred crosswords on this site. From each list you can select individual crosswords. The latest puzzle added to the site can always be accessed via the Latest Puzzle item on the menu above.

I am a very middling solver and I think I produce puzzles of a middling level of difficulty, even those barred ones with more challenging vocabulary. My first puzzles were just plain blocked crosswords, but I soon began to produce ones with themes, in both blocked and barred grids. As a solver, I find this sort the most enjoyable. I have found that they are the most enjoyable to create too. The themes though are the only things which raise these puzzles above a standard, plain puzzle. If you want anything more than that, then you won’t find it here. I hope that these puzzles are accessible to all solvers, though I do realise that the really strong solvers out there will probably need to get their regular fix elsewhere.

Select the Links item in the menu above to see a list of crossword-related sites. I am @algymeuk on Twitter and can be contacted there.

Algy