Listener 4233: Elementary By Wan

[emcee]

Good grief, I can't believe I'm starting this thread off!

I thought this was an excellent puzzle by Wan. Very clever how the clues read on the surface and still produce real words after the adjustments.

The hardest part was to ensure there weren't any discrepancies in the use of the elements -- there are a couple of traps I found where I thought "I can't use that, I've already used it". It does all work out in the end.

Many thanks, Wan. A tough but entertaining puzzle.

[teuchter2]

I am at the same stage, with a completed grid. I've not worked out the element for 30d and haven't been able to work through a complete chain of replacements, having some things that appear to occur twice. Perhaps it is unnecessary to be completely satisfied, as I'm sure grid is OK, but not sure what I am looking for. I too suspect that it is not what I thought.

[jabone]

Jim 360 I'm pretty sure it will be what you first thought

[Cloverjo]

Lovely puzzle. I never thought I'd be able to do it on first reading, and was stuck for ages with only two answers I was sure of, but it all came together very nicely. Like others, I'm not entirely sure of my last few elements, but the grid is full and have the highlighting, so I'll leave it alone. Very enjoyable.

[trux]

Fun puzzle with very skillful clueing and (I hope) no room for doubt as to what to send - even if I confess to lackadaisical attitude towards completing the elementary chain. Many thanks, Wan.

[jim360]

Well in that case jabone it's been brilliantly hidden. I have no idea how it's been concealed.

[Staurologist]

As a setter I am full of admiration for this one--a novel variant on a well-worn theme, with sound, often very clever clues and a very fine coda. However, the major flaw, to which several have already referred, is that you don't have to solve the complete chain to finish the puzzle off, although one may want to do that to satisfy oneself completely. Also, as a solver I found it rather tedious to work through, what with all that cross-checking of abbreviations. I did wonder idly, as I wrote down the abbreviations beside each clue, whether they, or some such set, could have been arranged so as to form a message, or at least a series of real words; now that would have been really impressive, and something that Wan might consider trying as a follow-up. Coincidentally, I recently bought a copy of the endgame's selected writings via the Academic Book Collection, whose catalogue I receive regularly; highly recommended for those interested in the topic.

[jabone]

jim360 I think you will probably feel a bit let down when you discover it. Consider the reason for the wording in the rubric. By the way have you noticed the reduced number of posts this weekend - I suspect that is because all the really really clever people have been at the Listener dinner! Or perhaps you were there?

[Scorpius]

I've been a little nervous about my highlighting, which seemed unsatisfactory, but I'm now much happier, having discovered an extra element in the full name (pun intended, but there's no cryptic meaning behind that comment, just in case it sets anyone off on a wild-goose chase).

[jim360]

I wasn't at the dinner, no. I might be on track to make next year's, though! Only one incorrect/ unsubmitted so far. I think.

[jabone]

I thought you wouldn't be long! At your age I was doing Everyman in the Observer and taking most of the day over it.
I have just realised an added sophistication in the highlighting that had passed me by; it doesn't alter my hint to you but I withdraw my comment about it being a disappointment,

[jim360]

Anyway found the highlighting at last.

[Ruthrobin]

Sadly Wan wasn't at the dinner last night and as his puzzle is current, any discussion or even mention of it was not in order but I did hear murmurs from people who had completed a grid and were matching elements. It was bandmaster's Duet For One that won the cup for last year's most popular puzzle - the one where we got two grids for the price of one and had to highlight BOGOF. It's the 'All corrects' who select their favourites. Unfortunately, Bandmaster wasn't there either.

[crosswhit99]

Enjoyed unravelling this elementary chain a lot, but what a shame 4 of the elements were unable to circulate with the rest.

[Alekhine]

I thought that my Chemistry background might be a help here, but it wasn't really called upon.

This was fun. But, try as I might, I couldn't see Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the final grid.

:-)

[s_pugh]

Thanks to Wan for a highly enjoyable puzzle. I hate word searches but on this occasion I spotted the name quickly but with some dissatisfaction. Then just as for Scorpius came the full realisation! Great fun even for someone who was an abject failure at Chemistry O-Level.

[teuchter2]

I found the answer soon after my last posting. It was my second thought, rather than my first thought. I haven't bothered to work through the entire chain, I confess as it was taking quite a while and then I hit a problem when I got to about 25 of the 36.

[olichant]

Good fun, but matching up the elements has taken a long time. Some tricky wordplay, I thought (notably 34 and 30) and I still can't quite get comfortable with 28. Hopefully it will come. Whilst I have the highlighting, I can't yet see the cunningness in the end-game, but I'm hopeful that the penny will eventually drop! Many thanks, Wan. Next stop, CAM 68...

[olichant]

Oops, have just understood 28. D'oh.

[LankyLanky]

Alright Wan, but I think maybe an opportunity missed to put letters of the creator in certain key positions of his creation. Now that would have been nifty. But altogether pleasing, I thought that a table was 'set' so the collation of symbols assisted me with that ambiguity. Overall, the last few weeks have been too easy, taking a total of 5 hours. Pythagoras was better and I was able to make the necessary adjustment mentally (having seen how new words would be created) without having to mutilate the grid.

[LankyLanky]

For example one of the 15 letters at the top left, another at the top right, and the remainder on the two next rows. Not quite what the purists would expect to see in those squares but...

A page of BRB is given over to translation of the symbols, so that shouldn't have been a difficulty for anyone. Having said that, I needed to confirm a couple.