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I apologise if this question has been previously answered, but I've not been able to turn up an answer anywhere.

Is there any way to solve the Listener crossword online through any kind of software, or must it be solved by printing out a PDF?

For context, I'm fairly new to cryptic crosswords. I've been solving the New York Times (general knowledge) crossword for over a decade but last year started solving cryptics, primarily the Times Quick Cryptic. (I did try my hand at the Times Holiday Jumbo at the end of December, and won a nice set of pens for the effort!)

I decided to expand my horizons a bit and look into the Listener due to its historical importance, but realised it wasn't available in the Times crossword app, which is where I solve. I couldn't find any information as to why, and thought it might be because I wasn't a paid subscriber, so I've taken out a Times subscription. Still, the only place I can find the Listener is as a downloadable PDF.

Is this the only option? I'm sure many people prefer to solve the puzzle this way but, simply due to my own history with crosswords, I've only ever solved through apps. It's not the end of the world of course, but I figured I'd check just in case I'm missing something somewhere.

Thanks for any help or advice!

Yes postal entries only .....but they do open all the entries and keep individual records for each person entering

My advice would be to take out a Times subscription which gives you the full newspaper package and access to the Crossword archives going back 20 years for all puzzles. I would then come back here for advice on easier historical Listeners on which to cut your teeth.

The subscription also gives access to the weekly Mephisto, which is a decent stepping stone to the Listener level. There is also AZED in the Sunday Observer, which is available free on-line.

Diving straight into some of the more arcane Listener puzzles may be a bit of a shock! They still drive me bonkers after 30 odd years of battle.

Thank you for the replies!

I have indeed taken out a Times subscription. I opened the most recent Listener crossword and it does seem beyond my current abilities, unsurprisingly. Perhaps I should get to a point of regularly solving the Times standard cryptic (not just the Quick Cryptic) and then move on to Mephisto as recommended.

Chrisremo - it's pretty daunting until you get the knack - and the quarterly numericals, like the current one, require a totally different set of reasoning skills; but the word-based ones are very rewarding once you get the hang of it...most of the time, anyway!

It's reputed to be the world's hardest crossword, largely due to the 'endgames' which always involve either wide general knowledge or dogged research, or a combination of both - considerably easier in these days of Google and online tools like dictionary apps, and synonym and anagram finders.
Composers Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim were both dedicated Listener solvers - and they're good enough company for me.

If you submit your entries by post, the administrator keeps complete statistical records of all entries (only about 500 people actually submit), and each year will send you your performance scores compared with everyone else - which is a fantastic bonus. This Forum offers cautious help, and is generally a very friendly place - although the occasional pedantic tantrum provides entertainment.

Welcome; Good Luck; and Enjoy!

I would add that there are lots of obscure words used in the listener which you won't find in other crosswords so you need to have Chambers dictionary - either the traditional large red book or the rather tremendous app.

I did purchase the Chambers app after realising how central this dictionary is to cryptic crosswords. I agree, it's an extremely well constructed piece of software!

Hi Chris, it's also worth noting that barred crosswords like the Listener in The Times, IQ in The i and EV in the Telegraph often have an endgame that requires lots of highlighting that doesn't readily lend itself to interactive online solving.

Hi Chris
On a less demanding level, the Guardian crosswords are available free online too, and are usually entertaining.
https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords
There's also a very useful site that gives solutions and parses for several crosswords:
http://www.fifteensquared.net/
You will see that the Guardian is always the most followed!

Wholly agree with Brendan.

Additionally, it’s not at all uncommon for Listeners to require such unusual techniques as entering two or more letters per single cell; having cell entries being replaced by non-A-Z symbols (Greek letters, signs of the zodiac, Ordnance Survey symbols), let alone the endgame techniques of colouring in, rubbing out, drawing lines through cells to demonstrate Euler lines, kites and Leyden jars etc

If away from a printer for the weekend, it’s worth not just printing out a pdf, but also extra copies for v1.2 and v2 etc

You can occasionally get a fair way in doing it in your head, but it does get a bit tricky for some of the harder puzzles.