Listener Crossword: Puzzles

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A few of the earliest Listener puzzles have been reproduced HERE. These are Crossword No 1, the first puzzle with an unusual grid shape, the most famous Latin puzzle, an early Christmas puzzle, and the first mathematical puzzle.

The table below gives access to the titles and setters for all puzzles up to the present, although statistical information will not be available until some time after a puzzle’s appearance. The puzzles are split according to the year of publication. In each year’s file the column headed ‘√’ provides the number of correct submissions, when known. (When prizes were eventually limited to the first five or three correct entries opened, this is shown by ‘5+’ or ‘3+’, unless there were insufficient correct entries.) The column headed ‘More’ contains ‘X’ or ‘P S’ that can be ‘clicked’ to access some other information about the puzzle, such as the size, the symmetry and the theme; prizewinners have been added for the time since they were drawn at random. If the cell contains ‘XX’ it signals that some extra facts are known about the puzzle, eg, an account of the errors made by solvers. The new ‘P S’ option allows separate access to information about the puzzle (P) and full clue-by-clue solution notes (S); this commenced mid-2007.

See the text that follows the table for alternative sources of the data. It also provides an explanation for some abbreviations used in the puzzle files.

1930 1931 1932 1933 1934
0–40 41–94 95–146 147–198 199–250
1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
251–302 303–355 356–407 408–459 460–511
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944
512–563 564–615 616–668 669–720 721–772
1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
773–824 825–876 877–926 927–979 980–1031
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954
1032–1078 1079–1130 1131–1182 1183–1235 1236–1287
1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
1288–1339 1340–1387 1388–1439 1440–1491 1492–1544
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
1545–1596 1597–1648 1649–1700 1701–1752 1753–1805
1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1806–1857 1858–1909 1910–1961 1962–2013 2014–2065
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
2066–2118 2119–2170 2171–2222 2223–2274 2275–2325
1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
2326–2367 2368–2406 2407–2445 2446–2484 2485–2528
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
2529–2578 2579–2627 2628–2678 2679–2724 2725–2776
1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
2777–2828 2829–2879 2880–2932 2933–2984 2985–3036
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
3037–3088 3089–3130 3131–3182 3183–3233 3234–3286
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
3287–3338 3339–3390 3391–3442 3443–3494 3495–3545
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
3546–3598 3599–3650 3651–3702 3703–3754 3755–3805
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
3806–3858 3859–3910 3911–3962 3963–4014 4015–4066
2010 2011 2012    
4067–4117 4118–4170 4171–4222    

The text in the puzzle files uses some shorthand references to standard devices:
A list of all puzzles from No 0 (or 1) to 4014 (end-2008) is also available, in two formats.
  • A tab-delimited file HERE (Puzzles.txt), suitable for input to a spreadsheet program. It may be best to save the file and open it outside the browser. To do so, Right Click on the link in this item, then “Save Target As…” wherever convenient.
  • A Microsoft Works® database HERE. This should be accessed outside the browser by saving as explained in the previous item.
Thanks are due to Ross Lawther for collecting and providing the full list of puzzles, and to the Listener statisticians for the full statistical record.
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