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This page gives background information on Crossword Man. You can use the Feedback Form if you have questions or comments about our software and services.


Crossword Man

The Crossword Man brand was launched in January 2007 to market Ross Beresford's TEA and Sympathy software when 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 Sympathy Crossword Publisher and Wordplay Wizard (subsets of the flagship Sympathy product) and the interactive word-making game BanderSnatch.

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Ross Beresford

Ross Beresford

Ross is British and had an interest in word puzzles from an early age – he began solving cryptic crosswords at school with the blocked grid puzzles in The Daily Telegraph. At university he looked for something more demanding but somehow missed out on The Times daily puzzles, graduating to thematic cryptics with barred grids like Azed in The Observer, Mephisto in The Sunday Times and The Listener Crossword, first published in 1930 in the BBC magazine of the same name.

After many years of persevering with the notoriously difficult Listener puzzles, Ross established a record for consecutive correct solutions (224 from 3030 to 3254). This run ended in 1994 when Ross became a co-editor of The Listener Crossword (now published in The Times every Saturday and offered online by The Times Crossword Club).

In 2002, Ross edited The Listener Crossword Book 1 - 60 outstanding examples of The Listener Crossword originally published in The Times between 1991 and 1995. This is the first collection of Listener puzzles in book form since 1980 and makes an excellent introduction to the world of thematic cryptics. This book is offered In Association with Amazon.co.uk and can be Ordered Here.

Ross has since been involved in editing and proof-reading several crossword reference books and crossword anthologies.

Listener Crossword

As well as developing general-purpose software for puzzle solvers and setters such as TEA Crossword Helper and Sympathy Crossword Construction, Ross edits a word list designed specifically for solving and compiling cryptic crosswords (formerly the UK Advanced Cryptics Dictionary or UKACD).

In 2005, Ross retired as a Listener co-editor to focus more on compiling crosswords. His puzzles have appeared under the pseudonym Arcturus in The Listener Crossword series, The Magpie and The Crossword Club. He keeps his clueing skills honed by entering clueing competitions such as those run by Azed and The Crossword Club. Some of his prize-winners are shown below:

Ross Beresford's prize-winning cryptic clues
Clue Answer
Did I poetically inspire a lovelorn Pope? AGANIPPE
Cracker containing a preposterous motto and a trinket BAGATELLE
Is an impressionist delicacy brought out in Déjeuner sur l'herbe? CANAPÉ
Versatile colonic aid that time forgot DIACATHOLICON
It's instructive to see distraught Man United seized by outsider EDUTAINMENT
Theatre team saved lung - brilliant work GILBERT AND SULLIVAN
After grand do, soak keels over in this GUTTER
Butcher's relaxed about Knight opening for England? LOOK-SEE
One with much clout in Ministry MANDARIN
What's use meant 'broken'? MANSUETE
Licking for Persians is a prolonged exercise MARATHON
Such as could render pâté 'pate'? MEATHEAD
Could I replace a super tom? MOUSETRAP
'Once upon a time' beginning by one spinning yarn is customary ORDINARY
Amazon order mailed with shrink wrapping SHIELD-MAY
Sort of meditation in which hides are good body covering TAGHAIRM
Suffer, having left cycle going into hump TOLERATE


Magdalen Braden

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.


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Last updated: $Date: 2007/12/19 16:44:47 $
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