The Crossword Man brand was launched in January 2007 to market Ross Beresford's software when he became a resident of the USA (Ross's UK company, Bryson Limited, ceased trading at the end of 2006). Magdalen Braden helps run Crossword Man and focuses on customer service.

Ross developed TEA Crossword Helper as a DOS application in 1992 and then released it for Windows in 1996. Its large vocabulary and flexible search methods have been helping solvers ever since.

Sympathy Crossword Construction was launched in 1994 and has played a significant part in the recent development of cryptic crosswords, enabling compilers to create more ambitious and better-crafted puzzles.

Crossword Man also markets Wordplay Wizard (a subset of the flagship Sympathy product).

Ross Beresford aka Crossword Man, is a lifelong crossword puzzle addict from Oxford, England. After mastering cryptic crosswords, he became editor of The Listener Crossword - the toughest of them all. He's also edited and proofread numerous crossword dictionaries and compilations. He's the author of TEA and Sympathy.

In 2007 he married Magdalen and emigrated to the USA. The Crossword Man Blog describes his experiences as he tries to master American puzzles.

For more information, see Ross Beresford's biography.

Magdalen Braden

Magdalen is a latecomer to cryptic crosswords and, as an American, finds the British cryptic clue style difficult but not impossible. Resources like TEA Crossword Helper and Sympathy Crossword Construction have proven themselves to be invaluable, particularly when attempting to compose a thematic cryptic puzzle. Reference books like Brewer's, Chambers Crossword Dictionary, and the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations become vital for an American used to the New York Times crosswords.

As a former satisfied customer of Ross's software programs, Magdalen is happy to help out as he launches Crossword Man from its new home in the United States.