Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Thanks to Kite for this week's Prize challenge.

I'm often nervous about relatively unfamiliar setters. This was no exception. Perhaps tired on Friday evening, but I struggled big time, feared DNF, finally completed in about double the median Prize solving time.

A fairly clear theme which has been seen before, but not easy for non-UK solvers.

Nevertheless very enjoyable. Lots of clues looked forbidding but gradually drew smiles when pennies dropped.

FOI 10, LOI 26. My head hurts too much to select a COD, but 1, 8, 5, 6, 13, 21 and 26 come to mind as candidates. Maybe 13 and 26 share hono(u)rs.

I enjoy Kite's puzzles, so was pleased to see this in the Prize slot. As a non-UK solver, didn't find the theme too much of an issue, nor was the puzzle overly difficult as a whole.

Some ingenious clues, e.g., 28a. LOI was 26a, and suspect this will be the case for many other solvers too.

Disclosure/admission: had to go the Google route for some thematics.

Thanks Kite.

Generally, I like his puzzles. RHS got filled easily enough incl. themesters. LHS had gaping holes, amost all of them, themesters - had to look them up..... That robbed the joy to some extent.

10a FOI, 14a LOI.

28a is fair, gettable from wordplay. But one normally does not look for that part.

COD 26a, got it midway. Other likes: 6d, 8d, 15d and 22d.

After RHS. took a break to do Rosa Klebb in FT (excellent as always) before returning to complete Kite's.

Fairly straightforward I thought, helped by theme, though appreciate it represents added difficulty for non-UK solvers.
Impressive grid fill to have this much theme without introducing obscurities in crossing words.
Don’t know much about Kite, though I do recall two previous prize puzzles, one was a complete chess board and another a dart board.
Good fun, thanks to Kite.

Just (as many predicted) 26a and 27a left. Can anyone let me know if 26 is thematic? It's evading me for the minute. And if I have the crossers right which I think I do, I can't conjure up a word that fits 27a.

Neither are thematic. For 26, think of the coalition PM. Parsing is a bit contorted. For 27, think of best as a verb.

Hi Rocky, 26 is not a themer. In 27 ‘best’ is a verb.

OK I have 27a. Unusual use of best but I like it.