The puzzle appeared on 11 November 2023. The unclued lights reveal ‘The CENOTAPH and POPPY evoke REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY, once ARMISTICE DAY, the ARMISTICE being SIGNED at the ELEVENTH HOUR, ELEVENTH DAY and ELEVENTH MONTH’. First prize Victoria Estcourt, Tisbury, Wilts Runners-up John Harley, Norton, Stockton on Tees; M.D. Conway, Grimsby
Unclued lights are anagrams of US state capitals: 13A Boise; 18A Dover; 23A Raleigh; 24A Denver; 28A Madison; 38A Salem; 3D Austin; 22D Des Moines; 27D Lansing. 12A/2D is an anagram of Oklahoma City and 40A/29D of Baton Rouge. First prize Heather McLaren, Seaford, East Sussex Runners-up Iain Chadwick, Edinburgh; Raymond Wright, Wem, Shropshire
The unclued lights are all SCOTticisms, most listed on page 14 of the Word Lover’s Ramble at the end of Chambers 13th edition. First prize Ann Holme, Salisbury, Wiltshire Runners-up Sandra Speak, Dursley, Gloucestershire; Paul Beesley, Barnet, Hertfordshire
The eight unclued answers are names which appear in Anthony Trollope’s Chronicles of Barsetshire. First prize Pam Bealby, Stockton-on-Tees Runners-up Bill Ellison, Caversham, Reading; Peter Moody, Fareham, Hants
RICHMAL (13) CROMPTON (22) wrote about the always-11-years-old WILLIAM (27) BROWN (33). His group, THE OUTLAWS (38) consisted of HENRY (1A), GINGER (11), DOUGLAS (12) and JUMBLE the dog (21) First prize Janis Bain, Bunessan, Isle of Mull Runners-up Norman Melvin, Twickenham; Richard Stone, Barton under Needwood, Staffs
The unclued lights and the four lacking their definitions (7, 20, 35 and 36) are MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. First prize Wendy Meredith, Exeter, Devon Runners-up C.S.G Elengorn, Enfield, Middlesex; Rhidian Llewellyn, London SW14
The unclued Across lights are fictional captains and (Down) their ships. 10/24 (20,000 Leagues under the Seas), 11/30 (C.S. Forester series), 13/33 (Moby-Dick), 21/20 (BBC children’s TV) and 22/17 (Treasure Island). First prize Linda Manson, Stoke Holy Cross, Norfolk Runners-up K.G. Osgood, London Colney, Herts; Caroline Sutton, Rhiwbina, Cardiff
The puzzle appeared on 23 September 2023. The unclued lights reveal TWENTY TWENTY-THREE’S AUTUMN EQUINOX OCCURS TODAY AT SIX-FIFTY AM, GMT. First prize Sally Reeve, Bath Runners-up John Pugh, Ely, Cardiff; J. Gill, Warlingham, Surrey
The unclued lights are PUB NAMES which include the pair 38/31 First prize Mary Newbery, Devizes, WiltshireRunners-up David Burnside, Rosewell, Midlothian; John Brown, Rolleston-on-Dove, Staffordshire
Flaubert said ‘You can calculate the worth of a man by the number of his enemies,’ while Voltaire, asked to renounce the devil on his deathbed, said ‘This is not the time for making new enemies.’ First prize P. and J. Chamberlain, Rushden, Northants Runners-up Tony Hankey, London W4; Willie Hamilton, Exeter
8A/31D, 23A/19D and 36D/7D are eponymous 29D/12A characters. 7D originally suggested D’Urberville, which needed to be changed to DURBEYFIELD, making new real words at 21A, 24A, 30A and 35A. First prize Magdalena Downton, Maidstone, Kent Runners-up Nicola Fletcher, Horsmonden, Kent; David Andrews, Ash Vale, Surrey
The unclued lights (13, 12, 16, 40, 42, 18, 15, 16, 26) reveal Eric Morecambe’s comment about his rendition of Grieg’s Piano Concerto to Andre Previn in their 1971 Christmas special. First prize Stuart Paston, Norwich Runners-up Donald Bain, Edinburgh; John Kitchen, Breachwood Green, Herts
Adjacent pairs in the ordered chain of unclued entries [38] CHAIR, [14] MAN, [25] POWER, [15] STATION, [10] MASTER, [40] KEY, [8] RING, [29] FINGER, [36] POST, [44] CARD and [17] BOARD form single words in their own right. First prize Andy Wallace, Ash Green, Coventry Runners-up Jonathan Jones, Oxford; Elizabeth Duff, London NW5
The twelve unclued lights are names of COMPOSERS whose names begin with or end N to Z. (Martinu ends in U and Quantz covers the Q and Z.) First prize John Nutkins, Brentford Runners-up Diana King, Leeds; Leigh Hughes, Bootle, Merseyside
The thirteen unclued lights are the name of COMPOSERS whose initial letters are A to M. First prize Stephen Rice, London SW1 Runners-up C.R. Haigh, Hassocks, West Sussex; Lynne Gilchrist, Willoughby, NSW, Australia
Unclued lights are some laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physics. There were two CURIEs (35). The clued name was Max BORN (8). The title is an anagram of NOBEL PRIZE. First prize Sid Field, Stockton on Tees Runners-up David Carpenter, Sutton Coldfield G. Asher, Bucknell, Monmouthshire
The key word is GIBBON (highlighted). 1A, 1D and 28D are types of gibbon; 16D is by 18A 29A Gibbon; 32D Gibbon wrote The History of the 13A 38A of the Roman Empire. First prize Anne Clements, Bromley, Kent Runners-up Janet Baines, Winchester, Hants; L. Malone, Dumfries
The unclued lights are STREETS or a phrase including STREET (34A). ST had to be highlighted four times in the grid. First prize Tom Rollinson, Borehamwood, Herts Runners-up Anna Jones, Manton, Wilts; James Bench-Capon, Cambridge
The eight unclued lights are the names of flightless birds, past and present. First prize John Honey, Brockworth, Gloucester Runners-up Fran Morrison, Putney, London SW15; David Dickson, Tarrant Monkton, Dorset
Unclued lights were world CHESS champions. Current champion DING was to be highlighted. First prize Gail Petrie, Brean, Somerset Runners-up Hugh Aplin, London SW19; Philip Grindrod, London W4
