Ximenes took over as crossword setter for the Observer in 1939. He was to set new standards of fairness and humour and is considered, rightly, to be the father of the modern crossword puzzle. On this site you can find out about Ximenes, his puzzles, his clues and winning clues in his competitions.
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| Ximenes
on the Art of the Crossword Order a copy of this masterpiece. |
| Facts | Who was Ximenes? Find out about his life and his work. |
| Puzzles | Crossword puzzles by Ximenes. Also some by Torquemada, Afrit and Apex. Constantly updated. |
| Winning Clues | The complete list of the winning clues in Ximenes' competitions. |
| His Clues | Some of my favourite clues with their solutions. |
| His Dictionary | The mystery of Ximenes' copy of Chambers. |
| How Long does it take me? | Ximenes writes at the time of his 500th puzzle. |
| Links | Internet links to other Xword related sites. Reciprocal links always considered. |
| Crossword Books | The books that I use to solve puzzles of this standard. |
| More Like This | Welcome to the world of Apex and his challenging puzzles. |
| Crossword Centre | The only website that caters for the more discerning cruciverbalists |
| Special Clue Types | Some friendly advice on clues, including Playfair Code Squares and Printer's Devilry |
This site was set up by me, Derek Harrison, as a way of promoting the challenging puzzles of Ximenes and to gather more information about the man and his work.