crackingthecryptic

CRAZY Crossword Video

Here's Mark's attempt at the December Times Monthly Club Special cryptic crossword. How will he get on this month with this insane cryptic challenge?

You can watch the video here:

2022-01-23 21:23:45 +0000 UTC View Post

Fillomino Aquarium by Phistomefel

This is one of the best puzzles I've ever seen.  It's the new puzzle from Phistomefel and it's just a ridiculous creation.  I spent 90 minutes last night absolutely enthralled by it and y...

January 2022 Reward - A Sudoku Hunt This Is

Happy New Year Patreons!

What better way to kick off the New Year than with a brilliant Sudoku Hunt by Peter C Hayward. As trailed in our book, CTC's Greatest Hits, and on the channel, Peter ...

Puzzle Pyramid - the Solution Videos

Hello Patreons!

Very well done to everyone who finished, or indeed made any progress in, the Puzzle Pyramid. This Christmas bonus comes with A FULL SUITE of solution videos - thank you so muc...

The CTC Mexican Standoff - the Solution Videos

Hi Patreons!

Here are the solution videos for December 2021's monthly reward sudoku hunt, the Mexican Standoff. The videos show how to solve each puzzle, Barred Windoku by PaperScissors, Look...

Mark versus The Times Monthly Special - a clear winner

Watch Mark take on the Times's Monthly Club Special cryptic crossword - the hardest regular crossword anywhere. Warning: Do not try this at home without a dictionary to hand!

This month there...

Our Christmas Gift: The Pyramid Puzzle Hunt

Hi Patreons!

Thanks so much for supporting our channel.  We are delighted to bring you a fantastic Christmas present - a puzzle/sudoku hunt by some wonderful constructors: PjotrV, Panthe...

GCHQ Christmas Card 2021

Hi Patreons,

Every year GCHQ release a challenge for the public. This year it's aimed at 11-18-year-olds in the UK. You can look up the original challenge here: 2021-12-15 13:59:29 +0000 UTC View Post

Negativity by jovi_al

As mentioned in tonight's video, we're releasing this bonus video on the above puzzle.  It's a staggeringly clever construction and "trick" but neither of us would have solved it!!

How d...

December Reward: Mexican Standoff

Hello Patrons!

Thank you so much for supporting our channel, and so enabling us to bring you extra content as often as we can. The monthly reward for our $2 Patrons and above is Mexican Stand...

November Reward Solution Videos

Hello Patreons!

Thank you so much for supporting us, and thanks to those who complimented the extraordinary November reward, the PBN Institute puzzle pack by Panthera and TheAsylm. 178 of you...

Genuinely Approachable Pencil Puzzles

As mentioned in last night's video, Simon has been trying some of the Genuinely Approachable Pencil Puzzles from the Discord server - and they're brilliant.  [The daily puzzle can be found in ...

Mark tries Lighthouse - the "Example Puzzle"

Mark has been told by Simon to have a go at Phistomefel's 6x6 example puzzle for  Lighthouse.  If this goes OK, Simon will attempt to solve the 9x9  version by Livestream tomorrow (2...

Warning: Insane Vocabulary Ahead!

Mark takes on The Times Monthly Club Special, by Roger Phillips - the  hardest cryptic regularly published anywhere!  You are warned that you  will have heard of very few of these an...

Padlocked - the remaining Solution Videos

We published nine solution videos for Padlocked a couple of weeks ago - but some people wanted to see more!  Thanks so much to the creators of the incredible Lockout Lines hunt who have rallie...

Two Truths And A Lie by zetamath

Hi all, 

As mentioned on the channel in the last few days, Simon attempted this extraordinary puzzle by zetamath recently.  We intended this to be a patreon-only video but there has...

November Reward: the PBN Institute

Hi Patreons!                         {PDFs edited 02/11/2021}

We are de...

An unbelievable crossword finish

Mark takes nearly forty minutes to explain the finish to this wonderful Listener Crossword, Variety Show by Enigmatist, and that's with the clues already solved!

The puzzle was published by t...

November Reward - Pre-Release Bonus Puzzles

Hi Patreons!

We are excited to announce that the November reward for paying Patreons will be "The Paint-by-Numbers Institute proudly presents our Picture Puzzle Pack!"

The PBN Institute...

Padlocked: 9 Solution videos!

Hi Patreons!

We have not just one video solution for you this month, but nine! We asked the constructors if they were interested in/able to make videos for their puzzles, and eight of them ha...

Euclidean Sudoku by Botaku

As mentioned in tonight's video, Simon has done battle with this brilliant puzzle by Botaku.  You can watch the video at the link below but do try the puzzle first:

Play the puzzle here:...

Euclidean Sudoku by Botaku

As mentioned in tonight's video, Botaku has set an intriguing puzzle with some complex-looking rules!  Play the puzzle here: 

2021-10-16 19:06:10 +0000 UTC View Post

Mark's Monthly Slugfest

Hi Patreons,

Yet again, our crossword champion goes toe-to-toe with the most brutal regular cryptic crossword there is. See who comes off best this time, as Mark battles Richard Rogan, the Ti...

Philip Newman's Sudoku Pack: Counting To 9

As mentioned in tonight's video, the anniversary of Philip's first appearance on Cracking The Cryptic has just passed.  To celebrate, Philip released a pack of 10 sudokus which we thought you'...

October Reward: Padlocked - A Lockout Lines Hunt

We're so excited to share this one with you.  The attached document is a Lockout Lines sudoku hunt from some of the great and good of the sudoku world, including the two inventors of the Locko...

6x6x6 Sudoku - Solved Here

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for supporting us on Patreon! We are thrilled to provide you with a solution video to Sam Cappleman-Lynes's 6x6x6 Sudoku.

This was a brilliant puzzle, in which it wa...

Looney Tunes Sudoku Hunt - the Solution Video

Hi Patreons,

Thank you so much for supporting our channel!  Thanks to the hundreds of people who entered the Looney Tunes sudoku hunt, and the hundreds more who solved it without enterin...

The Sudokult Gospel

Some of the world's best constructors have teamed up to create this extraordinary classic sudoku pack.  Featuring over 50 puzzles, shye, jovi_al, Philip Newman and Sam Cappleman-Lynes have put...

Sam Cappleman-Lynes 6x6x6

Here is a bit of a treat for you: Sam Cappleman-Lynes, one of the world's most brilliant puzzlers, has created a new set of 6 linked 6x6 sudokus.  Play them right now at either of the links be...

That Beast of a Cryptic

It's time for Mark to challenge himself with The Times Monthly Club Special cryptic crossword, the one with the insanely recondite vocabulary, and the most cruel clues regularly published anywhere....