Mufti magazine had previously never featured puzzles before now, but editor Jessica Antcliffe was looking for new ways to engage with readers and thought that crosswords were the way to do it.
The crosswords I’ve created for Mufti are accessible for people of all skill-sets, and both have themes based around Remembrance Day, as it was the theme of this edition of the magazine. There’s a 15x15 cryptic and a 15x15 American-style puzzle.
I jumped at the opportunity to create crosswords for Mufti because I felt the demographic would really appreciate thoughtful and challenging puzzles. Cryptic crosswords are a great Australian tradition, and they are more than just engaging for readers, they're good for advertisers and mental health of solvers too.
Jessica says that even though the issue has only been out for a few weeks, the feedback about the crosswords has been “overwhelming”. So hopefully this can lead to a long-lasting relationship for the RSL and LSR (my middle name starts with S), and perhaps even some special events like crossword workshops with readers!
For the curious, Mufti in this context is an old term meaning “civilian clothes of a person normally uniformed”.
Subscribe to LR’s Puzzle Library to get access to these Mufti puzzles, as well as my entire database of puzzles past, present and future.