Enigmatic Variations 1723 (Hints)
Order, Order by Kcit
Hints and tips by Gabriel / Jpeg
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Kcit, AKA Phi (also on offer in this week’s EV) or Pedro, has set us a mostly-orderly puzzle. … Continue reading
Author: Gabriel
EV 1721 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1721 (Hints)
At the Bottom of the Grid by Ifor
Hints and tips by Gabriel
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I submitted the preamble to OpenAI which to be fair found it completely incomprehensible and proposed several rewrites and offered to: “suggest alternative single-line preambles with different tones (concise, cryptic-setter-house style, or very-solver-friendly)” – is this an improvement: “In greyed columns missing bars, solvers must follow the name spelled by extra letters from down clues to form expected bottom entries, then rearrange and divide each to reveal what was actually seen, all resulting entries being real words or names”? … Continue reading
EV 1719 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1719 (Hints)
Inspired by Skylark
Hints and tips by Gabriel / Jpeg
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Skylark apparently has set an inspired puzzle for us. Is AI inspired by the preamble?… Continue reading
EV 1717 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1717 (Hints)
In Absentia by Gaston
Hints and tips by Gabriel
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Gaston often seems to have French themes, so you perhaps would have expected Wicksparrow’s recent offering to have been a Gaston oeuvre – though who knows?… Continue reading
EV 1715 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1715 (Hints)
The Wrong Sort by Wicksparrow
Hints and tips by Gabriel / Jpeg
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A puzzle titled “The Wrong Sort” makes us instantly think of anagrams or, perhaps, of Winnie the Pooh and “The Wrong Sort of Bees.”… Continue reading
EV 1713 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1713 (Hints)
Lost in Translation by Nudd
Hints and tips by Gabriel
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Gemini really wasn’t much help when I submitted the preamble. It just kind of regurgitated – garbage in and garbage out.… Continue reading
EV 1711 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1711 (Hints)
Lullaby by Charybdis
Hints and tips by Gabriel / Jpeg
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I hope you are wide awake for this puzzle, because Charybdis challenges us by wanting us to sleep dreamily.… Continue reading
EV 1709 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1709 (Hints)
Roundabout by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Gabriel
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Chalicea sets tidy and enjoyable puzzles whose denouement often involves the eponymous Chalicean Stripe (if not trademarked yet, deserves to be).… Continue reading
EV 1707 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1707 (Hints)
Crassword by Stick Insect
Hints and tips by Gabriel / Jpeg
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Stick Insect has been known to set the occasional numerical puzzle as well as regular cryptics.… Continue reading
EV 1705 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1705 (Hints)
Oath by Shark
Hints and tips by Gabriel
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Uncertainty is always challenging: many of the clues have a misprint (19/34) which means we have to constantly assess and monitor clue type while solving. … Continue reading