The Puzzler

By Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon

KNIGHT’S MOVES

Across answers 1-12 are entered in the diagram normally. The 26 Knight’s Move answers are accompanied by coordinates indicating their beginning and ending squares (AL, for example, being the upper left corner), and they are entered in the diagram in L-shaped jumps, the way a chessboard knight moves: each letter after the first jumps two squares in one direction before landing in a third square to one side. When the diagram is completed, the central Across row will reveal a two-word phrase suggesting the activity of knights. Answers include three proper nouns.

The solution to last month’s Puzzler appears on page 144.

ACROSS_

1. Knight boy in discomfort (7)

2. Way to fight knight at first—with a charge (6)

3. Look for tip of Green Knight’s weapon (6)

4. Words cited about one cross knight (7)

5. Pawn has got moved by error (7)

6. Was a king heartlessly checked? (6)

7. Prizes damsel in distress (6)

8. Some hag arranged ceremonies of lords and vassals (7)

9. Parades horses around church (7)

10. Laugh about feudal worker coming back again (6)

11. Queen keeps quiet, in a morass (6)

12. Duly heartless, cruel succession of kings and queens (7)

KNIGHT’S MOVES

AL-BW Show knight’s servant one stab (9)

AN-DP Tough king holding the club (8)

AP-JO Pawn’s topside damaged (7)

AR-DX Knight circles king in corner (4)

BP-AW Love entering fair fight like a knight (5)

BR-DV Makes smoother chessboard rows (5)

BS-FQ Practice knight’s back fall (5)

CP-GO Unscathed raiment cloaks bishop’s throne (8)

DL-BU Armored fighter’s withholding the first of his grateful words (6)

DO-KP Jump in chess shows pressure (5)

DX-KV Kay, seen returning with Grail, finally prepares to be knighted (6)

EQ-JV A horse brought back around the heart of the country (5)

ES-IT Top of castle, mostly French (4)

EX-GX Pawns used stealthily, capturing bishop at last (5)

FW-IU Approach in fine armor (4)

FX-KX What a horse might pull three feet to the left (4)

GL-HV Initially, Ivanhoe landed in army sick of war (8)

GT-AX Win a chess game with one great move (7)

GV-IU Middle Ages army lacking my equipment (4)

IN-DM Battering device split castle’s defense (7)

IW-EO Knight at the Round Table tossing citronellas (11) (two words)

JN-DV Shaking an ax helps formations of shield-bearers (9)

JS-KW Arthur, after Camelot’s end, is sour(4)

JT-KR Ran into stable door (4)

KO-FT Bond restraining one Crusader, e.g. (7)

KR-AR Grayish horse has gone out part of a castle (7)

NOTE: The instructions above are for this month’s puzzle only. It is assumed that you know how to decipher clues. For a complete introduction to clue-solving, send an addressed, stamped envelope to The Atlantic Puzzler, 745 Boylston Street, Boston, Mass. 02116.

Answers to the October Puzzler

“DEDUCTION”

The dastardly deed was done with SCISSORS by a CENSOR in the CUTTING ROOM, Extra letters in clues’ definitions are given in parentheses after solution notes. Across. 1. SA-MBA 6. W(ASP)ISH 11. E-GOT-RIP 12. P(L)UT-O (c) 13. T-EARDROPS 14. GAS-TROP-OD (rev.) 15. (a)LACK (u) 17. TAC-KLE (rev.) 18. FORT(IF)IES (t) 20. AL(TIME)TER 24. MIGHT (double def.) (t) 26. BO(R)ON 27. BAN-TAMS 28. AG-LOW 30. VAULTS (double def.) (i) 31. SO(C)-KING 32. RINGER (double def.) 33. HEA(L)TH 34. RE-CORD (n) Down. 1.SE(a)TTLE 2. A(GE)D (g) 3. MOS(AIC)S (CIA rev.) 4. CAR(DAM)OM 5. A(IRS)TREAM 7. APPR(A)ISE 8. PUMP-KIN (r) 9. STOOL (rev.) 10. H(OR-D)ES 16. ALL-I(AN)CE (o) 18. FISHTAIL (anag.) 19. F(R)OGS 20. AMBUSH (anag.) (o) 21. T-ASTER 22. SO(ONER)S (rev.) 23. O-NWARD (drawn rev.) 25.T-AUNT (m) 26. BAS(I)E 29. LO-GO