3D Puzzles

The Monday Maestro in 3D?!

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One of the setters universally appreciated around these parts is Rufus, our Monday Maestro and if you would like to see him in a slightly different format and help some very good causes, here’s your chance.

Last year Sirius (aka the wonderful Eric Westbrook) launched his first set of three dimensional crosswords, in calendar form, containing cryptic puzzles by setters of note. The project was a success helping to raise a large sum of money for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)and the BBC Children in Need Appeal (CiNA).

This year the exercise has been repeated only this time there are two calendars. One, containing plain puzzles, is published by the RNIB. The other, with cryptic puzzles, is in aid of the BBC CiNA and has a clue reading facility for those with a visual impairment; the clues are read by some of your favourite Radio 4 voices, including Sarah Montague and John Humphrys, and are available as downloads or on a CD.

Although the CiNA crosswords come in calendar form, rather than spoil the lovely form of the calendar, you can download each month’s puzzle and submit your entry (if you wish) via post or email. This also gives us the 3D Crossword World Championship and at the end of the year the four all-correct entries were invited to write a clue as a tie-breaker with Peter Cargill declared as the winner and 2009 World Champion.

I have to confess that at first, I found the idea of these puzzles a bit daunting, but after having a go at last month’s I thoroughly enjoyed it and now want to try more. There are the usual across and down clues, plus “away clues” which are the 3D element. These are no different in terms of the clues. Sometimes the answer is longer than the grid, and the calendar shows you exactly where and how to enter the answer by means of shaded squares.

The calendar features a lot of your favourite Telegraph setters, so you will feel at home.

Visit the website and download the February Rufus puzzle and see what you think. If you enjoy it, tackle the January puzzle and submit it before next week and you could be declared World Champion next year!

Visit the website link here:

http://www.calendarpuzzles.co.uk/calendar_puzzle_2010.html

The Rufus puzzle is here:

http://www.calendarpuzzles.co.uk/documents/2010/puzzles/2FEBRUFUSBADERCAL2010.pdf

The RNIB puzzle is available from here:

http://onlineshop.rnib.org.uk/display_item.asp?n=11&c=0&sc=0&id=4090&it=1&l=3