Listener 4508 Moon By Encota

[IainGrace]

A pleasing, if gentle, challenge after previous frustrating weeks. A week’s holiday in early June (much enjoyed) led to us abandoning 4505 with 98% done and little time to tackle 4506. Well done to those who completed both.

[starwalker]

Yes, it was gentle and yes it was pleasing. Still, I found one or two of the clues hard to untangle. All in all it was a very pleasant experience, though one or two wordplays still elude me. Thank you Encota, and let us hope that there is a little more harmony this week.

[emcee]

Another straightforward puzzle but, mercifully, more to it than last week's.

Thanks to Encota, a good beginner's puzzle.

[olichant]

Lovely puzzle. As emcee says, not too tricky - though there were a few harder clues to balance some generous ones.

Love the title.

[Hagen]

Indeed another act of mercy from the Listener team after a tough series of puzzles. (After seeing the solution to the Sabre puzzle I'm glad I gave up early on, as I don't think the big reveal would have been worth the slog. Still, respect to those who stayed the course). Excellent clues and a tidy last stage, though I'm not sure which of the many possible interpretations of the title is the correct one. Not that it matters. Thanks Encota.

[12barblues]

Can only echo the above. Back to the World Cup then, thematic link??

[sunny-dave]

I agree with Hagen - saved me a lot of typing :+)

Thanks Encota - that was fun

[Philoctetes]

Gentle indeed, but a subject close to my heart and quite enjoyable. I found the plethora of three-letter answers irritating, but this was balanced by having so many ways to start. No grumbles here.

[upsetter]

A gentle puzzle with a nice flourish at the end.

[icynorth]

Thanks Encota, but this Didn’t really do it for me.

The name was too easy to find ( I posted the same comment last week), and that made the endgame unnecessary.

Long entries should have more challenging clues, as they provide better reward. The two longest here were most accessible, and gave away the entry method too cheaply.

[Scorpius]

Another very easy puzzle, if anything easier than last week's, but an enjoyable theme humorously provided by the name.

However, at the risk of sparking a further outbreak of hostilities (re last week's thread) might I suggest the grid leaves a lot to be desired. Philoctetes has already mentioned the 'plethora of three-letter answers.' I would add the over-unching in some entries, the odd barring and the unbalanced appearance of the grid as a whole, particularly in the NE corner. At first glance it all suggests that there is a lot of thematic material crammed into the grid, but unless I've missed something, I don't think there is.

I shall probably be shot down for my note of dissent, but grid design is an important aspect of the setter's art, and I feel that a number of principles have been neglected here. It would be unfair of me to make these criticisms without giving some thought to the constraints faced by the setter, so I set myself the task of producing a grid that addressed my concerns. I can say with confidence that an alternative, near-symmetrical grid is possible with only two three-letter entries and checking that is fully Ximenean. It wasn't easy, but I accomplished it in three or four hours.

[Hagen]

Scorpius, I sincerely hope you won't be shot down for making some valid points in such a polite and thoughtful way! I must confess I didn't really notice the over-unching or even the high count of short answers, as I solved this one quite quickly and therefore neither of these issues proved to be an obstacle. I often do find three-letter solutions irritating, for example if (a) the modification to grid entries is complicated (b) their clues rely on obscure words having bits chopped off to form equally obscure answers or (c) carte blanche puzzles. In any of these cases solving can become like trying to peel off an obstinate sticky label.

The issue of over-unching is a rare one, though I feel it mattered far less here than it would have, for example, in Ifor's recent puzzle.

Regarding the lack of symmetry - I'm surprised to find that this isn't mentioned in the Notes for Setters. Symmetrical puzzles have been norm for some time, no doubt for aesthetic reasons, though I get the impression (and may well be wrong) that we've had an increased number of asymmetrical grids in recent years. I agree that symmetrical, and therefore more balanced, grids are preferable where possible.

So I agree with you on all three points, though they didn't spoil my enjoyment of this particular puzzle.