Listener 4162 Carte Blanche with a Twist by Mash

[starwalker]

Judging from the dearth of postings, others are also finding this less than a walkover - pretty much as foretold.
I'm still working on paragraph one of the preamble and an odd assortment of answers. Friday Night Club maybe, but probably next Friday.

[dr b]

Despite too many interruptions this afternoon, I have made good progress on the 30x10, so I don't foresee that being the big stumbling block (this statement will no doubt come back to haunt me). Haven't even started to think about step 2, since a completed initial grid seems to be needed first. I may shoot for the "Friday, in the US, anyway" club but am not hopeful.

[emcee]

Despite no interruptions this afternoon (and evening) I have solved only 18 clues and have little idea what the preamble is on about. This puzzle is already haunting me.

[cluelessJoe]

Better make that Pacific Standard Time dr b

[IainGrace]

Has anyone else had a problem accessing the puzzle in the Crossword Club online? There appears to be a programming error. Too bad, as otherwise we could have finished it tonight.

[sunny-dave]

A question ... if the initial answer to a down clue is abcdefghi and the number is 912837465 does that mean that the answer in the initial grid reads iabhcgdfe or (alternatively) bcegihfda ... I can make a case for each way of encoding ?

[sunny-dave]

Sorry if that's a 'too detailed question' - but I think I'm merely clarifying the pre-ramble in a non-disclosing sort of way ...

[starwalker]

sunny-dave - go for option a.
I now have grid 1 and will leave it for another day.

[Coalminers]

IainGrace....I've had a problem all week getting into the Crossword club. If your problem is the same as mine, I eventually got in by going to http://www.thetimes.co.uk/livehelp , then choosing puzzles, and the Corssword Club. It worked for me. Good luck!

[sunny-dave]

Thanks starwalker - it was my first assumption before the weasel words of doubt started in my brian ...

[sunny-dave]

grrr - edit button needed - that's BRAIN - I don't have a tame brian to help me ...

[Ruthrobin]

Nowhere near as fearsome as we expected and how very very clever. Yes, there is a Friday club after all for us. This was a spectacular piece of setting!

[IainGrace]

Thanks, Coalminers. Yes, that works. (Actually we weren't serious about finishing it tonight..)

[midazolam]

Grid one complete, method to fill grid two complete, but I am toying with different possibilities all of them giving me a full 10x15 grid but no clash and no 11 letter word to highlight. Almost there but no Friday night finish and given commitments it is looking like a Tuesday finish now (hopefully).

[fyellin]

Sunny-dave, don't feel bad. I had the exact same reaction. "This is what the instructions mean. . . . I think."

=

[dr b]

Made it under the wire, even by East Coast time. As suspected the 30x10 grid was not too fearsome; having the grid in Excel made the final step a little simpler (just easier to see what was going on). An amazing feat of construction! How could Mash have imagined this?

[sunny-dave]

Well that's the initial grid filled - time for some fresh air & dog walking before stage 2 ..

[tilbee]

Just started and checking in. Reassured to hear that this is not quite as fearsome as anticipated. Have first 5 entries in the 30x10 grid so am hopeful.

[jim360]

Seven clues "cold-solved" so far, only 23 to go. maybe I can start to guess what the 30x10 grid is like.

For the symmetry properties of the grid, could we just consider 3 30*10 grids side-by-side?

[silversolver]

I have also got a completed 30x10 grid and an idea of what to do next, but think I will have a break first...

[tilbee]

Initial grid completed. Like others think is it time for a break before contemplating the next step.