Well here we are at the start of a new month and I (gen2) am standing in for seekeerz for the duration of November. (Please don't stress out the abacus - it is about falling apart after a traumatic journey to the UK from Australia)
Since I am not time-shifted, I cannot readily post at the unearthly times of 2 or 3 am that you have previously been accostomed to, so you will have to make do with a 6:30 (ish) start each Saturday this month. Is that early enough for the early posters? I hope so.
I anticipate some early riser will soon post the answers to the four greyed clues in Kate Mepham's GK crossword in the Daily Telegraph. ind that will kick off the rush for you lot to start guessing what she has chosen to pair with them in Monday's Herculis Crossword (In the Daily Telegraph again of course). The Herculis crossword is in a 15 x 15 grid so links up to that size are possible but are usually much shorter. Use yout skill and psychic powers to pre-empt Kate and declare the links.
Points will be awarded according to the regalar rules and will accumulate throughout the month until be have a winner for November.
Anyone can play. The link words you suggest could go either in front of or behind todays words to make a (usualy) well known compound word or phrase.
So it now falls on some poor early riser to commit themselves to declaring the 4 answers in today's crossword.
Failing that, I'll have to go out, find a newsagent that is open early, buy a paper and solve them myself. Now you don't want to make me do that do you?