Enigmatic Variations 1734 (Hints)
Dynamo by Ifor
Hints and tips by Phibs
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This week, I asked Gemini, “I am about to tackle a themed crossword puzzle from a setter called Ifor. Do I have good reason for trepidation?”
Author: Phibs
EV 1732 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1732 (Hints)
Protection by Check
Hints and tips by Phibs
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
In July 2022, I stepped in for five weeks to give the Numpties an extremely well-deserved break. Little did I know that in February 2026 I would be doing my 100th EV blog…
EV 1730 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1730 (Hints)
Popular by Skylark
Hints and tips by Phibs
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
There was nothing in the title or preamble for the AI contingent to get their virtual teeth into, so I asked Claude, “Shelley wrote a poem ‘To a Skylark’; could you write a five-line verse along the same lines to a lady crossword setter called ‘Skylark’?”
EV 1728 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1728 (Hints)
Short Kind of Party Dress by The Ace of Hearts
Hints and tips by Phibs
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Today, in the words of Bonnie Tyler, “It’s the Heart Ace.” I decided to give Claude something specific to get his virtual teeth into, so I asked, “A themed crossword puzzle involves a single keyword which could be cryptically described as ‘short kind of party dress’. What might this word be?”
EV 1726 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1726 (Hints)
Gripping Yarns by Luxor
Hints and tips by Phibs
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
I asked Claude, “A themed crossword puzzle has the title ‘Gripping Yarns’. On the basis that this title is unlikely to refer to riveting tales, what might the theme of the puzzle be?”
EV 1724 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1724 (Hints)
First or Second by Vismut
Hints and tips by Phibs
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Following his notable success with Operation Market Garden, I asked Claude, “In a themed crossword, we have to identify some words from an epitaph, unscramble a description of five events, find all but one of the contestants who came first or second in these events, and then establish the final resting place of the remaining contestant. Do you have any ideas?”
EV 1722 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1722 (Hints)
Observer by Hedge-sparrow
Hints and tips by Phibs
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Today marks a welcome return to the EV stage for a setter whose previous puzzle in the series was Different Relation, back in November 2023.
EV 1720 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1720 (Hints)
Failure by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Phibs
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Hard on the heels of Curmudgeon’s Shambles, we have a Failure from her alter ego, Chalicea. I asked ChatGPT, “The theme of a crossword setter’s recent puzzle called ‘Shambles’ was the Charge of the Light Brigade. Their latest puzzle is called ‘Failure’, and apparently concerns the failure of a plan. What might that plan be?”
EV 1718 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1718 (Hints)
Wanted by Kruger
Hints and tips by Phibs
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
Since I couldn’t see anything in the preamble that would give ChatGPT a fighting chance of identifying the theme, I asked instead, “Why might a crossword setter choose the pseudonym Kruger?” I was pleased to learn that this was “a fun and subtle question — and in crosswords, setters often choose pseudonyms that have wordplay, personal resonance, or a hint of mischief built in.”
EV 1716 (Hints)
Enigmatic Variations 1716 (Hints)
Puzzle by Arcadia
Hints and tips by Phibs
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
I gave Claude as much information as I could glean from the preamble: “In a themed crossword puzzle, we are told that we must highlight cells in a block in the completed grid which cryptically represent a puzzle referred to by an entry in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. What might this puzzle be?” Good luck with that, matey…