The Guardian is set to publish its 30,000th cryptic crossword on Thursday, marking a significant milestone for the puzzle column that began in January 1929. Initially a weekly feature, it expanded to twice a week and eventually daily, alongside quick crosswords and other variants.
To celebrate, the newspaper is looking back at puzzles from 10,000 and 15,000 editions ago. While crossword 20,000 is unplayable online due to its outdated format, puzzle 20,001 by the renowned setter Crispa offers a taste of 1994, featuring higher word counts and characteristic Guardian humour.
A special puzzle is planned for Thursday, and the paper has also highlighted the April Genius puzzle, which included an unusual meta-puzzle involving a grid that contained hidden instructions. Solvers who followed the clues were rewarded with an additional in-puzzle challenge.
Meanwhile, the winner of the cluing competition for the word QUIP was a clever entry: “Having no ecstasy, supply crack”. Runners-up included “Short retort from hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobe” and “Sharp shot from French team abandoning wingers”. Readers are invited to submit clues for THIRTY THOUSAND and share favourite puzzles ahead of Thursday's landmark edition.
