crackingthecryptic

The Extremes of Connections

Mark takes on four more days of Connections, by the New York Times, from 27th - 30th April.

Some days Connections seems easy ... other days not.

You can watch the exciting video here: <...

Excellent Connections!

Mark has a go at another four days of the New York Times's Connections puzzle, talking us through his thoughts as he tries to extend his streal of over 20 correct goes ...

See the video here...

Mark versus the American Crossword Puzzle

See how Mark does aganst the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament final puzzle ("A Clues" - the hardest). He's (meant to be) given 20 minutes to solve the puzzle - but it isn't easy.

Stick a...

Align ... at Last

Just two more days of the Boston Globe's Align game. We wish the game and its creator Brendan Emmett Quigley very well, and thank him for drawing our attention to it.

Here's the video of thes...

Connections in a Rush

Mark tackles five more days of the New York Times Connections game, as he tries to build a streak back towards his record. April 1st seems a distant memory ...

Watch the video here: 2025-04-23 08:30:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Align Again

Mark tries Align for five more days. This is the new clueless crossword reorganisation game from the Boston Globe, by Brendan Emmett Quigley.

Let us know if you want more of these, or you are...

Simon Attempts Today's Monster Crossword: 18 April 2025

Today's Times crossword was vicious and wonderful - the work of one of Simon and Mark's old friends, John Henderson. Hopefully you've seen Mark's masterclass video earlier but, in case you're inte...

Connections: Sometimes Luck, Sometimes Judgement

Mark takes on another 5 days of the New York Times's Connections game, trying to connect four groups of four each day without four erroneous guesses.

See how he does from April 13th - 17th he...

Align - an Introduction

Hello Patreons! Today, Mark is trying out a new game, called Align.

We really want to hear from you about whether you would like to see more of Mark trying to get better at this letter-swapp...

Connections - not going off without a hitch

Mark has had a go at five more days of Connections, from the New York Times - but there's a hitch or two along the way.

You can see the video here: 2025-04-13 10:00:22 +0000 UTC View Post

Time to Tackle that Crazy Cryptic

Once again Mark is taking on the Times Monthly Club Special, without using a dictionary, for as far as he can manage!

See how he does, pitted against Roger Phillips, the senior Listener Cross...

Connections Only Work Sometimes

Mark struggles away, trying to get the New York Times Connections game solved for another four days. After the disaster on April 1st, will he have another Waterloo approaching?

See the video ...

April Fool Connections!

Mark takes on the New York Times Connections boards, for four days from 31st March to 3rd April, trying to extend his streak.

See how he does here - April 1st provides quite a surprising puzz...

April Patreon Reward: April Foolery

Hello Patreons!

Today is April the First, and consequently there's a lot of fake news about! (Or is that just a tradition in British newspapers?). Anyhoo we bring you a special sudoku hunt wh...

Connections on Tour!

Mark takes on 6 more days of the New York Times’s Connections game, but this time from Tokyo, Japan, trying to keep his streak alive!

Here’s where you can watch the video: 2025-04-01 07:00:13 +0000 UTC View Post

A Full Week of Connections

Mark has been struggling with Connections, but the streak has been building. Here's the game from the 18th to the 24th of March!

Here's where you can see the video of seven attempts: 2025-03-25 10:30:05 +0000 UTC View Post

Scrabble Sudoku

As mentioned in tonight's video, this Scrabble-themed puzzle has been recommended to us. It's by LMDemasi and imagines a fictitious game between Marty Sears and ThePedallingPianist! The rules are l...

Some Speedier Connections?

The last Connections video was a bit of a struggle, with over 40 minutes spent on four Connections games. Today we have five days' worth but only a 23-minute video.

You can watch Mark's thoug...

New Compiler - Same Vicious Tendencies!

Today Mark welcomes another Mark, Mark Kelmanson (sometimes known as Monk) as the compiler of the Times Monthly Club Special. This puzzle is from February 2025, and, as usual, Mark tries to tackle ...

Long Time No Connection

The NYT's Connections puzzle is a new challenge each day. It is often very hard to determine whether the puzzle you are doing is theoretically easier or harder than the average. Mark struggles with...

That rare Connections Feat

Mark takes on five more days of the New York Times Connections game - check in and see what he got up to here:

https://youtu....

Connections: Often Troublesome

The last COnnections video was a bit of a disaster, with two fails to add to the one carried forward from the previous video! Now Mark takes on the Connections game from the New York Times for five...

March Patreon Reward - Nurikabe Puzzle Pack

Hello Patreons, and thank you for supporting us!

We are delighted to bring you another sudoku hunt constructed by Blobz, who earlier brought us The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit.

Thi...

Are You My Mamma? Solution videos, pt 3

Hello Patreons!

Here is the final set of the solution videos for our February Monthly reward "Are You My Mamma?" - this post covers puzzles 9 to 11, plus also the first two introductory puzzl...

The Wrong Type of Connections Streak

Is there a right type of Connections streak, but also a wrong type? Mark takes on the New YorK times's game for five days in a row, but things don't entriely go to plan.

Watch the video here:...

Are You My Mamma? Solution Videos, pt 2

Hello Patreons!

Here is the second tranche of the solution videos for our February Monthly reward "Are You My Mamma?" - this post covers puzzles 5 to 8. Thanks so much to Panthera, Alithanna ...

Disconnect Your Connection

Here's where to see Mark taking on five more boards from the New York Times's Connections game, starting on February 17th, and continuing until the 21st.

See the video here: 2025-02-22 11:00:11 +0000 UTC View Post

A Connection Confection

Mark takes on five days of the NYT's Connections game.

It's been going smoothly lately - what sort of problems will there be over this period?

Find out here: 2025-02-17 10:30:01 +0000 UTC View Post

Smoother Connections

Mark takes on the New York Times Connections board for 5 days from 7th - 11th February. He finds it smoother going than usual, in some ways, but there's always a trap a-waiting ...

See the vi...

The Words are just Unknowable ...

Mark takes on another desperately difficult cryptic, by Roger Phillips - it's the Times Club Monthly Special for January 2025.

Mark is the only lunatic around who tries to finish this puzzle ...