Times Crossword Championship 2024

Yesterday was the annual Times Crossword Championship in London. I was there as usual and endeavoured to take a few photos (and solve the puzzles).

Alas my camera is getting a bit unreliable and sometimes the focussing fails to I have quite a few blurred shots, but I hope what is left gives you a flavour. [Update: See the link at the end to The Times official photo gallery of the event].Here are a few of my photos.

My train from Bury St Edmunds was at 7:25. I changed at Ipswich onto the 8:10 to London Liverpool Street from there.

I had printed out the day's crosswords and did the concise, Quick Cryptic and Saturday Cryptic on the trains, but saved the Jumbo Cryptic for the way home.

It was rather murky and a bit drizzly when I arrived, but I didn't need my umbrella for the walk from Liverpool Street station to London Bridge Street.

I had time for some breakfast before getting to The News Building just after 10:30. They had just started letting people in.

You have to go through security before then being taken by lift to the 17th floor.

Here we had some breakfast nibbles and coffee (or tea) before the main event got underway.

This year everyone had name tags. It was good to put faces to the names of some people I hadn't met before. Here is Pootle.

Mc_rapper.

JerryW talking to starstruck_au, who, with his wife Sonia, were over from Australia for a few weeks and came along to have a go and meet everybody.

astonvilla1.

I later got talking to Robert Teuton (centre here) who, with John Grimshaw, became one of the Mephisto setters after Don Manley bowed out of the role.

We were called into the hall for the preliminary round.

Here I am ready to go...

...and in action...

Although it is visible on the desk, my phone was switched off! Anybody who's phone rang would be immediately disqualified.

I finished the 3 puzzles all correctly (hooray!) in just over 41 minutes. Surely that would be fast enough to qualify for the semi-final? We would have to wait for the results to be announced.

Meanwhile a chance for some lunch...

...and to admire the views. The earlier dinginess had gone and it was a nice bright autumn day now.

Mick, Puzzles editor and Alan, acting crossword editor, took a question and answer session.

The room had been rearranged to leave 58 seats for the semi-finalists and we sat where we liked for the Q&A session.

The results were announced. You can see them here. Yes I had made it to the semi-final 😀, finishing 49th. So time for another 3 puzzles.

I got photographed in action again...

This time I managed to finish all three semi-final crosswords all correct in about 51 minutes, despite a bit of a brain-freeze in the middle.

We had a short respite before the Grand Final of the 5 fastest all correct solvers from the semi-final

The results were published. See them here. I had come 36th which is probably about as good as I could expect.

Time for the Grand Final. I took a copy of the crossword to take home and solve today, managing to avoid seeing what Allan beside me was writing as he tackled it at the same time as the contestants.

The line-up included two first-time entrants, Chloe Hutton and Liam Hughes, both in their 20s. That was great to see.

And here are the results:

"Congratulations to Mark Goodliffe, winner of the 2024 Times Crossword Championship.

Mark finished the final puzzle in 4 minutes and 38 seconds.
Chloe Hutton was runner-up with a time of 6:18, and also wins the inaugural Richard Rogan Prize for best new entrant.
Liam Hughes came third with a time of 6:26.
Paul Gilbert was fourth, 7:36.
Colin Thomas came fifth, finishing in second place in 5:07 but with one mistake."

Mark receiving the trophy.

Chloe, as well as winning 2nd prize also was the inaugural winner of the Richard Rogan trophy for best first-time competitor. Richards sisters joined Mick on the stage to present the trophy to here.

Here's 3rd place Liam, who will receive £250.

Mark and Chloe with their trophies.

There was another short pause before the drinks reception in Richard Rogan’s memory. Below us the river was busy with sightseers.

The tables were taken away... 

...and Mick Hodgkin and David Parfitt (Mick's predecessor as puzzle editor) took to the stage. The each gave a speech and there was a recorded message from Richard Browne, Richard's predecessor as crossword editor and a video of photos of Richard.

Richards sister Diana also made a short speech.

I though it rather touching, particularly when David's voice started to tremble with emotion, and a fitting tribute.

Then we had a couple of drinks in his memory.

Here are Penfold, Pootle and Keriothe.

Then it was off to The George for a few more drinks. By the way, The Times offices are right next to The Shard.

The George was very busy...

...but John Henderson had booked a table inside The Coach House.

Here we found Kitty with Andy McCarroll (the setter Eccles for the Independent) among others from the fifteensquared community.

Here is David1 chatting with Pete Biddlecombe.

Topical Tim with Penfold.

Linxit with astonvilla1.

The evening wore on with much enjoyable conversation.

All too soon I found it was after 8:15pm and I still had some beer in my glass, which I had to down quickly to leave for my 9pm train home from Liverpool Street.

A great day out and great results for a number of TimesforTheTimes community members. Thanks to Mick, the events team at The Times and the setters and invigilators for a smashing event. Will I be back next year? I think so!

The Times has posted a video of the final, the prizegiving and the tribute to Richard Rogan that followed it here.

You can find a few more of my photos of the day here on Flickr. See The Times article on the event here and their official Photo Gallery of the day here. You can also, if you have a Times subscription, try the final puzzle for yourself here.