Comments on Crossword Unclued: Does Length Of Clue Affect Its Complexity?

In the above "In any case, compilers always keep a...

2008-11-17T21:18:00.000+05:30

In the above "In any case, compilers always keep a 13x crossword (which NIE's is) less easy than a 15x" should have been "...less hard..."

Of course, they do.

If you take The Times/T...

2008-10-31T16:51:00.000+05:30

Of course, they do.

If you take The Times/The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent and The Daily Telegraph, there are some compilers who supply puzzles to two or three of these publications. One of them may also be supplyiing crosswords to a church magazine. These compilers set crosswords keeping in mind the specifications laid down by their editors.
The difficulty levels too might vary.
In any case, compilers always keep a 13x crossword (which NIE's is) less easy than a 15x. The two 15x's that NIE carries in a fortnight are also on the easy side.

Oh I didn't know that Rufus of The Guardian was th...

2008-10-31T09:38:00.000+05:30

Oh I didn't know that Rufus of The Guardian was the same as the NIE compiler! Aren't the clues there more layered than in the NIE? The Guardian Rufus puzzles are tougher for me than the NIE. Do you know if compilers clue differently for different publications?

I may add that Roger Squires' puzzles appear in Th...

2008-10-30T17:09:00.000+05:30

I may add that Roger Squires' puzzles appear in The Guardian under the pseudonym RUFUS and in The Herald under RFS and EAP (a pseudonym that the then Editor at a pinch bestowed on him and which is supposed to stand for Edgar Allan Poe).

I enjoy the NIE puzzles very much too, appreciate ...

2008-10-30T17:08:00.000+05:30

I enjoy the NIE puzzles very much too, appreciate the economy of words and the 'punch' factor that its clues have.

For The Hindu, you're right we need more data to go upon! Will try to validate the initial observations again after a few months, as you suggest.

I know NIE puzzles from the Seventies. Clues of Ro...

2008-10-30T16:32:00.000+05:30

I know NIE puzzles from the Seventies. Clues of Roger Squires - that's the name of the compiler of this UK syndicated crossword - have always been short and precise. They may be easy but they have high entertainment value.
THC has only now started giving bylines. Your observations made by scrutinising only puzzles over a month may by and large be correct - but I would urge you to do this exercise for at least three months in succession so we may have reliable results.