MPP 113 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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MPP 113

Monthly Prize Puzzle (Oct 2021)

A Puzzle by Radler

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Why not have a go at our latest Monthly Prize Puzzle?

The winner will receive their choice of any of the Telegraph Crossword Books.

Please note that, due to punitive postal charges, while the competition is open to all, the prize is only available to UK solvers.

A review will follow after the closing date (16th Oct 2021).

The competition is now closed

The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.

Please read the instructions carefully.

I’ve left this post open for comments, but if you don’t want your comment to be deleted then do not provide any help for other solvers or mention any detail about the puzzle, especially references to individual clues, until after the closing date.


17 comments on “MPP 113

  1. Enjoyed all throughout and many thanks to Radler for the entertainment. My grid is complete although I could not parse 7d to my satisfaction. I have detected the composer but not yet his works, which are far more important despite not being the answer. There is a lot of time to do the research work, even if that means to finally give up and start looking for yet another composer in the first place. There were so many clues that I liked such as 6a, 11a, 15a, 20a, 25a, 26a, 6d, 14d, 19d and 20d, but the best of all was 8a.

      1. Although I was able to parse 7d a few minutes following my previous comment, I could not get hold of the works of the composer and I decided to reserve the last day for the research part. Today, I climbed down the stairs and came up in the lift and there I was – all smiles – with the two works right in front of me. That provided me with valid reasons for terminating the research inasmuch as I believed there could not be two more such conspicuous works of yet another composer, even though the number of the composers themselves, celebrated or otherwise, could be many more. So, I immediately and also confidently sent in the name of the concerned composer as my answer.

  2. I’m still working on this.
    Have got most of the grid filled and a couple of options of composer but still totally lost trying to find any works.

      1. I finally have a full grid after a gigantic struggle, not helped by an unindicated Americanism in one clue and also an American spelling in another which was necessary for the wordplay.

        I can see two composers and possibly an obscure third one, but no works yet. I shall keep ploughing on …

        1. I found one work by one of the composers over a week ago, but that’s it, I surrender – defeated by Radler in sight of the winning post. Now I know how Devon Loch’s jockey must have felt.

    1. I got the grid filled and fairly quickly found a composer and one of his/her works. However I can’t find a second work and mindful of BD’s cautionary comment I suspect they may be red herrings and that there’s another composer hiding somewhere.

  3. Bell to end round 2 – grid filled after a second gruelling session. Round 3 in progress, but our setter is keeping me at bay with artful feints. More ‘work’ needed if I’m going to make a conclusive breakthrough… :unsure:

    1. 8 composers identified (some very obscure!) and 1 songwriter, but only 2 works – one of which is possibly ‘accidental’ in the grid?! And the 2 works are anyway from 2 different composers… Time to toss a coin perhaps, but the instructions are to only enter a composer if you have also found two of his works. What a dilemma! I would not like to make a guess, be extremely lucky and deny a genuine winner who has cracked the Radler code, so I guess I will have to pass this time :???:

  4. I’m left with 4 to go in the NE but I did find a composer along the way. Daren’t submit his name as I can’t find any of his works so I guess it’s back to the drawing board for me.

    1. Balderdash – I’ve now filled the grid but am still stuck with just one composer and no sign of anything he penned!

      1. Ho hum – I’ve now got three composers and still no works that I can attribute to any of them………….

  5. Well, its a long, long time since I’ve posted here but I’m chuffed to say that not only have I managed to complete the grid which is a first MPP for me but I’ve found the composer AND the two works. Just need to remember to submit the answers! (Actually, I found two composers which confused me for a long time)

  6. It’s taken me over a week to find two composers … but only one work definitely written by one of them.

    Maybe, I should start looking for two works written by the other one?

    Looking forward to the review.

    Thanks to Radler.

  7. Phew! That was tough! I found three composers in the grid, one more of a songwriter, but then chanced upon two works by one of them, having followed a few useless trails at first. Thanks Radler!

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