Listener 4425

[beresford]

Apologies if I've missed the thread ...
but I'm hoping there's a misprint in 5 down.
Surely it should be ZJTT?

[starwalker]

As far as I can see, there is no other thread.
I also think that there is a misprint, unless I have somehow managed to make the same mistake twice, when solving from two different directions.
I believe the word is "grrrrrrrrr".

[starwalker]

That was not meant to be a hint to the puzzle. Sorry.

[x_word_fan]

Aah - not just me then?

[beresford]

Tx both. I can stop checking now .....
and see what tomorrow's paper says?!

[TheBear69]

I am 99% certain 5D should be ZJTT. Too bad.

Otherwise this is a superb mathematical puzzle. Thanks gwizardy!

[Ruthrobin]

Yes, we were stuck in that corner - thanks for pointing it out. We have no way of accessing the paper so will be grateful if someone confirms the error. Thanks to gwizardry for the puzzle.

[x_word_fan]

It is the same clue (ZJTD) in the printed version!

[starwalker]

No message on the Listener site either. Can the editors be totally unaware ?

[starwalker]

A correction has now appeared on the Listener site.
ZJTT it is.

[captaincoma]

Please, what is an unchecked cell?

[Contrarian]

What a wonderful exercise in logic. Thanks gwizardry.

[Oyler]

What a delightful puzzle, thanks gwizardry. Shame about the typo.
Fans of this genre should check out www.crossnumbersquarterly.com if they have not already done so. The launch issue is free and contains 10 puzzles by Oyler, Zag, Nod, Elap, Arden.... There is also a book of 62 puzzles by Oyler and Zag which makes a great Christmas present.

[crosswhit99]

An unchecked cell is one that forms part of either an across or a down entry, a checked cell forms part of both, so for example, the first cells of 3 across and 5 across are checked but the first cell of 1 across is unchecked (otherwise there would also be a 1 down).

[icynorth]

I concur this was a fine puzzle. Such a shame about the misprint, which delayed me an hour before I checked the website. Thanks wizardry. I'm in awe of you people who set these.

[AHearer]

I'm not a great fan of the numericals (largely because they take me too long!) but I did enjoy this one. As usual, I had to back-track once or twice because I had made too hasty an assumption -- the sort of thing that is quickly sorted out in verbal crosswords but tends to take longer to unravel in numericals. Perhaps I'm becoming a convert, though, as I love the odd corners of number theory that the setters exploit. It was a shame about the misprint, but to me at least 5 down came up so late in the logical sequence that I couldn't believe I could have got that far only to be proved wrong, and I looked at this site, The Site That Must Not Be Named, and the official Listener site for confirmation. So thanks, gwizardry.

One thing I would love to see, perhaps in a setter's blog, is how the setter ensures that there really is a unique solution. Given the intricacy of the procedures I can see that the probability of an alternative is minuscule, but is that what setters rely on? An exhaustive check would be a challenge for Deep Thought.

[Ruthrobin]

Yes, we would appreciate a setter's blog on Listen With Others. If you were to send one to robin2ruth(at)yahoo.co.uk, I can make sure it appears, gwizardry.

[borealis]

In echo of starwalker, Grrr. Five printouts, five crumpled papers. So confident that I had made a wrong assumption, I even tried redesigning the grid. Sigh.
Lovely numerical, in the end. No calulator or spreadsheet needed, just pencil, paper and logic. Thanks, setter, but may fires of coal be ever heaped on the typesetter...

[Cruncher]

Fortunately came to this after the misprint had been flagged up on the Crossword Centre though struggled more with my own idiocy, at various stages convincing myself that 9 squared was 49.... Now fairly certain that that is incorrect

[Scorpius]

It turned out to be far more straightforward than I had feared. I didn't even have to make copious notes, so thanks to gwizardry from a numerophobe.

I see that there have been some recent additions to the forum on Listener 4422. I'll repeat here what I've just added there since I doubt that anyone is checking that thread now.
I wonder what darkenergy had in mind when he said that a bit of persistence and logic would lead to the solution that is "completely valid, fair and unequivocal."
At the time I assumed he meant a solution other than the one that people were complaining about, but perhaps not. I certainly wouldn't describe the published solution as "completely fair and unequivocal."