What have I won???

[Misstoddler]

I had a lovely surprise this morning when a Philips Universal Atlas of the World arrived. Came straight from the publisher just saying "competition". I don't know which crossword I've won! I don't get the papers every week as I don't always have time to read them, but the xwords I most often enter are FT (standard and Polymath), Sunday Times, and Mail on Sunday.

I don't think the atlas is offered by the FT. Does anyone know which crossword offers this prize????

[atoach]

The Generalist in Prospect is offering one of these this month.

[Misstoddler]

You're right! I only entered it once. I stumbled across it on the Internet! Many thanks for letting me know!!

[shaneystar2]

Well done.!

I do the Generalist and it's a swine ! In fact there are a couple of threads further down all about this months crossword.
It's lovely to win something.

[shaneystar2]

Could I just ask you if you submit the Generalist from a copy from the web.
The reason I ask is..although I don't subscribe to the magazine I wondered if,as a non subscriber my entry would be accepted. Another user asked me this and although I have mailed Prospect magazine about it they have never got back to me.

[Misstoddler]

Yes, you can just print it off from the Net. That's what I did. I'd never heard of the magazine just stumbled across the xword.

Isn't it weird - you regularly enter the same xwords week in and week out, then enter a one-off and win! Shaneystar is right tho, I think it's one of the most diff xwords I've come across and took a long time to complete!

FWIW, I've always thought ref competitions, it's worth focusing on those which are likely to have a lower number of entries. Just a case of the numbers game I guess.

Good luck!

[shaneystar2]

Many thanks for the info ..much appreciated and best of luck to you too..happy puzzling.

[macpark]

Misstoddler, Can you tell me which days the prize crosswords are in the FT? I do the Telegraph and the giant sudoku in the Sat Independent although I know that there are sites on the web where you get the answer at the click of a button so I do it for the satisfaction and not to enter as I feel like others that the less entries a comp has the more likely you are to win it. I am always looking for more, especially the crosswords.

The Generalist is certainly one of the hardest. There is (was?) one in Glasow's broadsheet, The Herald, on a Monday called The Wee Stinker. I haven't lived there for a long time. It was instead of the easy xword. It was so hard I could rarely even understand the clue and never completed it. My mother won it once and the prize??? - a t-shirt with the grid on the front and the clues on the back. How useful was that?!?

Many thanks to all who make this site so friendly to use.

[Misstoddler]

Hi Macpark!

Really funny about the t-shirt - still it's the joy of seeing your name in print really!

The Weekend FT has two prize xwords. A standard cryptic one and also Polymath, a general knowledge one tho most of the clues are way outside my own gen knowledge so it's a welcome challenge. I've won the cryptic FT twice (gorgeous fountain pen/biro sets). I think I once read their average entry level was 3000 entries.... The best xwords IMHO are compiled by "Cinephile" who is, I believe, a retired Vicar from Oxford!

The Monday FT also used to have a cryptic prize xword. Prob still does but I haven't bought it for a long time.

The hardest one I know of is Mephisto (Sunday Times supplement). I think I once cracked six clues - my record. Haven't tried it for ages so will treat myself to this tomorrow.....

[geo0939]

Hi, congratulations on your win. If you are still unsure about it, go to the Prospect Magazine crossword page for last months winner. BTW if your initials are MF and you live in Surrey you're the winner.

Cheers geo

[Misstoddler]

Thanks Geo. I am indeed and I've just printed off a copy to add to my file!