Listener 3965 Solitaire

[dr john]

Completed the grids+ found the thematic word, but I've played the solitaire through half a dozen times and can only see five instances where either a horizontal or a vertical jump is possible (V,H,H,H,V), not the six mentioned in the preamble. Anybody else found the same?

[midazolam]

i am sure i found 6 but i have chucked my pieces of paper away now

you dont really need to do the solitaire game anyway the word and the letter can only be one thing

[cruciverbali]

Definitely 6 instances of a horizontal/vertical choice. Fun to play it out, but as midazolam says, not essential.

[MLN:RUGBY]

I too have completed the grid & worked out the thematic word, but am also struggling with the final peg!
Any help appreciated!

[eddery]

Hi Night Tripper - as with the others, I definitely played out six dual splits.
Very nicely constructed puzzle this week, but despite its original threat of complexity, I was surprised to finish it faster than almost all Listeners I've completed in the past year.
Does anyone else find that the challenges are softening a bit, or after 4 years am I just getting used to some of the nuances? I have an occasional crack at old Listener puzzles from a book, and tend to find those more of a test than current ones ... but is that maybe just psychological in that I probably don't approach them under the same pressure / challenge to crack them within a short and finite timescale.
I'd be interested to hear the views of anyone who has been doing the puzzle for more than the last 5 years or so as to how the degree of difficulty has moved over time.
(Though the advent of certain internet tools such as anagram solvers must have also helped tremendously of late)

[cruciverbali]

Hi eddery

Interesting to see your thoughts about the relative difficulty of The Listener Crossword recently. I too thought I noticed a change a year or two back (have been a regular solver for well over 10 years) and there was some discussion on this Board about 4 months ago:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puz zles/Question455221.html

I still feel that there are weeks when EV is tougher than The Listener, and this week is an example. Since the thread linked above, EV has brought the deadline for submission forward by one day, which adds to the challenge. I think the two series are generally on a par, though I admit that 'easy' Listeners are rarer than 'easy' EVs !

Cruciverbalist

PS Mark, what is your difficulty over the final peg please ?

[cruciverbali]

Hi eddery

Interesting to see your thoughts about the relative difficulty of The Listener Crossword recently. I too thought I noticed a change a year or two back (have been a regular solver for well over 10 years) and there was some discussion on this Board about 4 months ago:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puz zles/Question455221.html

I still feel that there are weeks when EV is tougher than The Listener, and this week is an example. Since the thread linked above, EV has brought the deadline for submission forward by one day, which adds to the challenge. I think the two series are generally on a par, though I admit that 'easy' Listeners are rarer than 'easy' EVs !

Cruciverbalist

PS Mark, what is your difficulty over the final peg please ?

[MLN:RUGBY]

Hi Cruciverbalist.

My problem was that I didn't know how to play Solitaire!
I have read up, played the game & worked it out now.
Thanks for your offer of help.

P.S.
Just received another postcard from Sunday Times letting me know I'm a winner of Mephisto 2472, so look out for my name in print again on 3rd Feb. :-)

[cruciverbali]

Solitaire's obviously not the only game in Rugby town ! (Sorry)

Congratulations on your Mephisto win by the way - I shall be watching out for your name in The Times this year !

C