Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Ah yes, of course!

Still leaving me having only having identified 10 pairs.

I'll have another look through the clues - I must admit that I do have a few solutions in the grid where I can't fully parse the cryptic elements, and maybe these are the ones with the pairs of letters.

All done now. A good challenge, and a tragic story too. Have a good Sunday evening.

A very enjoyable solve and I have the event and venue, but there are still 3 clues I cannot parse...

18a - Punched useless forward (4)

My answer means "forward" and I've tried adding letters before and after but I'm not seeing how 'punched' and 'useless' fit in.

9d - Tree we’re climbing shortly on edge of wood in (En)field (8

Definition is "tree" and I can see most of/'shortly' of "we're" reversed/'climbing' but don't see how it fits in with the rest.

7d - King Canute previously slaughtered legendary beast (7)

This looks like a straightforward anagram/'slaughtered' of a usual abbr. for "king" + "Canute", giving a "legendary beast" - but if so, then what part does "previously" play?

Hi Brendan, Bradford's came to my rescue with18a. If you add 'use' to the end of your entry, you have a word (I've never heard), that means 'punched'.
9a. is, as you say, reversal of short 'we're' + one edge of 'wood' in 'field' (4)
7d. 'previously' means that the anagram comes before the one letter for 'king'

Got it, much appreciated Mattrom:-)

Do the 7 cells to be highlighted include the 4 to be changed or do they appear elsewhere?

Yes, the highlighted cells include the 4 changed cells.

Thanks buddy. I owe you a R....a (seeing as a b......o is not your, um, cup of tea).

Thanks to Kirsanov for a fun crossword and I do appreciate the changing of the letters to illustrate the initial and then eventual result, but I am a bit puzzled as to why ED is not mentioned or referenced anywhere.

I enjoy this one too with a novel device for the hidden message but am also extremely surprised that the most important issue of that event was seemingly overlooked. Perhaps that was the point, something to throw us off the scent so to speak.