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Crossword editor’s desk: celebrating 30,000 cryptics with a treasure hunt

The Guardian UK Tuesday 02 June 2026, 11:24 UTC By Alan Connor 1 min read
Key Points

A breadcrumb trail of secret messages spanning two years, dozens of puzzles and the Guardian’s leader column led solvers to a very special prize …Last time, we shared some old milestone puzzles in anticipation of Guardian cryptic No 30,000. That crossword has since been published: and here, in the order it happened (that is, how solvers experienced it but in reverse), is its tale.29581 WELLDONE 29587 BRAVO 29599 HERE 29611 INCONCLUSION 29629 ISOURF 29633 INALCH 29641 ALLENG 29663 EAREYOU...

A breadcrumb trail of secret messages spanning two years, dozens of puzzles and the Guardian’s leader column led solvers to a very special prize …

Last time, we shared some old milestone puzzles in anticipation of Guardian cryptic No 30,000. That crossword has since been published: and here, in the order it happened (that is, how solvers experienced it but in reverse), is its tale.

29581 WELLDONE
29587 BRAVO
29599 HERE
29611 INCONCLUSION
29629 ISOURF
29633 INALCH
29641 ALLENG
29663 EAREYOU
29669 KEEPINGUPGREAT
29671 THEREWI
29683 LLBEAWON
29717 DERF
29723 ULPRIZ
29741 EBUTFIR
29753 STYOUM
29759 USTENT
29761 ERARAC
29789 ENOTAN
29803 ACTUALATHLETIC
29819 RACEOFC
29833 OURSETH
29837 ATWOULD
29851 BEWEIRD
29863 NOTTHAT
29867 ITSACER
29873 EBRALRA
29879 CEINTHE
29881 FORMOFA
29917 CROSSWORDPUZZLE
29921 ITSAGEN
29927 IUSPUBL
29947 ISHEDAT
29959 NOONBST
29983 TOMORROW
29989 GODSPEED

LAST THIRTY-FIVE PRIMES

Leader I tailored badly
[ definition: leader ]
[ wordplay: anagram (‘badly’) of ITAILORED ]

Continue reading...
Crossword (ORG) Guardian (ORG) WELLDONE 29587 BRAVO 29599 (ORG) ALLENG (ORG) EAREYOU (ORG) KEEPINGUPGREAT 29671 THEREWI (ORG) USTENT (ORG) ACTUALATHLETIC (ORG) IUSPUBL (ORG)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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