The Stickler Weekly 136 Solution

It seems a natural thing in crossword circles to try and create something different for solvers to tackle, rather than have essentially the same kind of cryptic puzzle every time. Notable variations include the theme crossword (and its many forms), different grid types (as with The Listener), and the Alphabetical Jigsaw (AJ). The AJ traditionally has 26 answers (I have seen variations), each starting with a different letter of the alphabet, and no indication of where the answers should go (hence to “jigsaw” element of the puzzle). John Graham, or Araucaria, is credited with the invention of the AJ which reportedly first appeared in the 1970s. I love AJs as I think they are tests for the setter in construction AND the solver in construction, with advantages on both sides. A setter is obviously restricted in what they can use and the less common starting letters like Q, X, Y, Z and J make clue-writing quite a challenge. A setter, of course, can use more unusual words than they normally would and use a grid construction that wouldn’t be considered OK for everyday cryptics (with lots of missing initials). On the other hand, the solver knows what they are looking for and has the added bonus of a secondary puzzle, a jigsaw, although a number of clues need to be solved before grid filling can start.
The Australian Crossword Club’s magazine, CrOzworld, has had an AJ almost from the start, that’s 100s of AJs and variations – if you like them, download some published CrOzworlds. If I remember right, as the magazine was finding its feet, an AJ was published and the members enjoyed it so much they asked if there could be one every issue. I had a similiar experience doing the Australian Financial Review (AFR) crossword. I sent in an AJ as a one-off and the response was so positive that the editor asked if I could do one every week! I gracefully declined, saying how much extra effort was involved and the limited choices there were for appropriate words.
Some of my early cryptics were in fact AJs as I was one of the few setters with software that could help in devising them. I haven’t done a new one for a while (you can’t for obvious reasons do an online version) but this little spiel may inspire me.