![]() The British love a puzzle and grow very attached to crossword compilers, always looking forward to next week’s puzzle, and Torquemada had many loyal supporters. He introduced the cryptic crossword to this country in 1924 through the pages of The Observer newspaper. Please note: these puzzles are extremely difficult and not for the faint-hearted (don't worry - there are solutions to all 100 crosswords in the back of the book).Įdward Powys Mathers (1892-1939) - known to his friends as Bill - believed that puzzles should be mind-bendingly difficult but equally rewarding when the solution was found. Here then is the next challenge for Torquemada's fans - dare you take it on? The successful revival of Cain's Jawbone has inspired a new generation of puzzle solvers. This selection of Torquemada's best crosswords was originally published in 1942 and contains three short accounts of Torquemada's life and achievements, including one by his widow, R.C. For many years cryptic crosswords were simply known as puzzles in the 'Torquemada style'. There's even a version where the clues are knock-knock jokes. His true identity was only revealed when he died in 1939.Īs well as earning the reputation for setting the world's toughest crosswords, Torquemada - or 'Torq' as he was often referred to - was also delightfully creative: with many puzzles written in perfectly constructed verse, or delivered as mini-narratives to their solvers. He created his first cryptic crossword puzzle in 1924 and went on to set them for the Saturday Westminster and the Observer for the next 15 years. Under his pseudonym "Torquemada", his puzzles would taunt readers for days. ![]() From the creator and publisher behind the viral sensation Cain's Jawbone: A Very Novel Mystery, is a collection of 112 difficult cryptic crossword puzzles.īefore Edward Powys Mathers wrote the world's most fiendishly difficult literary puzzle, he was a cryptic crossword creator.
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