Sunday 08 Mar 2026, IIT (M) WGC, IIT (M) Crossie Open, KrisKross

Announcing the Crossie Open 2026 - Cryptic Crossword competition conducted by the Word Games Club of IIT Madras. It is on March 8th, 2026 at the IIT Madras campus, and I will be hosting it this year.

Registrations are now open - please use this link (google form) to register.

https://forms.gle/eZivoahrNcwt3pTdA

No 14723, Saturday 21 Feb 2026, Arden

 ACROSS
1 Fans to fund him, perhaps to act in movies (6,7) DUSTIN HOFFMAN*

10 To begin with, lot of customers are located in the neighbourhood (5) LOCAL [Acrostic]
11 Safety barriers on deck - from bottom to top crew not happy (9) TAFFRAILS (-s)TAFF RAIL(+S)

12 Cut two phases - terrible working here (9) SWEAT SHOP*
13 Whiff of a party in our midst (5) ODOUR {O{DO}UR}
14 Carol allowed a vest (7) SINGLET {SING}{LET}
16 Advance working permits (7) IMPREST*
18 Run for example to get a job and come back (7) RIPOSTE {R}{I{POST}E}
20 Part of main deck originally used - not while in the middle of a storm (7) GUNWALE {Used}{Not}{While} in {GALE}

22 It's a tedious thing to send back the Irish police (5) GARDA {A}{DRAG}<
24 Power - a lot represented in a game (5,4) WATER POLO*

26 Joint holders - title to cover unfinished game with tennis sides (9) LIGAMENTS {LI{GAMe}EN}{TenniS}

27 Rewrite epilogue - no crude oil to encourage (3,2) GEE UP {EPiloGUE}*
28 Major hold over corruption is saturnism (4,9) LEAD POISONING {LEADING} over {POISON}

DOWN
2 In other words a clue acquires new name - it's filthy (7) UNCLEAN {A CLUE}* over {N}+{N}
3 Everyone's taken in by latest fashion - can't believe them (4,5) TALL TALES {ALL} in {LATEST}*
4 Cannot change part of score (5) NOTCH [T]
5 Issue is not on season (9) OFFSPRING {OFF}{SPRING}
6 Give up force, otherwise leave (5) FORGO {F}{OR}{GO}
7 Fat nude lady and I sit for a photograph (7) ADIPOSE {lADy}{I}{POSE}
8 Students find it difficult to understand leftist ideology (5,8) CLASS STRUGGLE {CLASS}{STRUGGLE}
9 Camaraderie and sixth sense - tried out before cops arrest robber finally (6,2,5) ESPRIT DE CORPS {ESP}{TRIED}*{CO{robbeR}PS}
15 Arranged another date, now OK for some martial arts (3,4,2) TAE KWON DO*

17 Writer to persist with Arthur's father (9) PENDRAGON {PEN}{DRAG ON}
19 Dugout for a religious crook (7) PIROGUE {PI}{ROGUE}

21 Rising ego in a sweep - pertains to the highest point (7) APOGEAN {EGO<} in {A}{PAN}
23 Trained to help me inside (5) AIMED {AI{ME}D}
25 Jobs for Kelvin in a foreign news agency (5) TASKS {TAS{K}S}

Reference List

Run=R, For Example=That is=ie, New=N, Name=N, Force=F, Sixth Sense=ESP, Religious=Pi (short for pious), Kelvin=K.