Interviews

A compendium of interviews with crossword personalities - expert solvers and setters.

Interview: Anax/Loroso

Get to know the very innovative setter Dean Mayer, better known as Anax (The Independent) and Loroso (Financial Times), in this extremely candid interview.

Interview: Brian Greer

Brian Greer has been setter and crossword editor for some of the top publications in the UK and US. He talks about creating crosswords with unusual features (some in Greek, or with numerical solutions!), his penchant for themes, and reflects on his stint as crossword editor.

Interview: Cryptonyte

Well-known as @notytony on social media, this young crossword setter's gift of wordplay is renowned. Meet Tony Sebastian, champion Scrabble player, punster and cryptic crossword setter for The Hindu and Mint.

Interview: Neyartha

The specialist setter, the theme creator - Neyartha of The Hindu is the academic solver's delight. Silicon chip designer by day and cluesmith by night, Neyartha gives us a peek into his setting process and the influences that have shaped his art. 

Interview: Nitaa Jaggi

The most prolific and the most controversial setter of The Hindu, Nitaa Jaggi figures in the Limca book of records for compiling the maximum number of crosswords in India. In this interview, she responds to criticism, talks of interests other than crosswords and addresses the vital question – Nita or Nitaa?

Interview: Roger Squires

Among the most popular crossword setters in the world, Roger Squires aka Rufus/Dante has also been a sailor, an actor, a magician. In this interview, he gives us fascinating glimpses into the highs and lows of his extraordinarily eventful life, his approach to crossword setting and similarities he shares with the other doyen of crosswordland, Araucaria.

Interview: Sankalak

Sankalak's simple, elegant puzzles in The Hindu have entertained crossword solvers since decades. Get to know P C Jayaraman, the man behind the pseudonym.

Interview: Sarah Hayes

Fondly called The Amazing Spider-Woman by fans in Crosswordland, Sarah Hayes (Arachne/Anarche) is known for her teasing, tricksy clues that sparkle with good humour. She answers questions in this interview with her characteristic wit.

Interview: Spiffytrix

Spiffytrix's wit and ingenuity have been creating waves since he joined The Hindu as crossword setter in 2010. An interview with this flamboyant new setter of The Hindu.

Q&A with Six New Hindu Crossword Setters

Arden, Buzzer, Cryptonyte, Mover, Scintillator and Textrous answer the same set of questions about their crossword setting methods, tastes and philosophies.

Interview: Peter Biddlecombe

Meet Peter Biddlecombe, the originator of the Times for the Times blog and one of the fastest cryptic crossword solvers in the world – a several-times finalist and twice the winner of the Times Crossword Championship. Peter is currently the editor of UK's Sunday Times crossword.

Interview: Big Dave

The man behind the phenomenally successful Big Dave's Crossword Blog, Dave Morton talks to us about himself and his experiences with crosswords and blogging.

Interview: Chaturvasi

The CCE (Crossword Clue Explicator) of Orkut's Hindu Crossword community, Chaturvasi aka C G Rishikesh (Rishi) is a frequent contributor to various crossword blogs and communities. He is also The Hindu's popular setter Gridman, a fact that was a well-guarded secret when this interview was published.

Interview: Deepak Gopinath

No matter how hard the day's Hindu crossword, The Hindu Crossword Corner has the answers up at 8.30am with clockwork precision. Colonel Deepak Gopinath, the author of THCC and one of the most popular crossword solvers in the country, shares with us his crossword experiences and solving technique. 

Interview: Vinod Raman

Expert crossword solver and winner of several clue-writing contests, Vinod Raman was an amateur crossword-setter at the time the interview was published. Today, he is a professional setter for The Hindu and Mint.

Interview: Sridhar Shenoy

With his extensive vocabulary and analytical mind, he is the first to solve the most devious clues of a puzzle on The Hindu crossword forums. Get to know Sridhar Shenoy.

Interview: Ganesh T S

Ganesh TS is the co-owner of the two most dedicated cryptic crossword communities on Orkut. He has also been actively involved in spreading the joy of cryptic puzzles in the San Francisco Bay Area, conducting cryptic crossword workshops for the Silicon Valley Puzzle Day every year.

Interview: Geoff Moss

He keeps Fifteensquared functioning smoothly, scheduling the blogging calendar, managing site upgrades, checking spam. He is Gaufrid, expert solver and Fifteensquared administrator. What does it take to run the site? And what is Geoff like when he's not being "Gaufrid"? Read on to find out.