Mastering Two Speed Crosswords: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

For many puzzle enthusiasts, the leap from a standard definitional crossword to a cryptic one feels like moving from checkers to high-stakes chess. The clues look like nonsense, the rules seem arbitrary, and the frustration can be high. However, there is a "secret weapon" in the world of British puzzling that acts as the perfect bridge: two speed crosswords. By providing a safety net of straightforward definitions alongside cryptic wordplay, these puzzles allow solvers to decode the logic of the masters without the usual headaches.

Whether you are tackling the daily challenge in The Sun or sitting down with the legendary everyman crosswords on a Sunday morning, understanding the mechanics of these beginner-friendly formats is the first step toward becoming a strategic gameplay analyst of the grid.

Understanding the Two Speed Format

The concept of the two speed crossword, popularized by The Sun newspaper, is brilliantly simple. A single grid is published, but it is accompanied by two entirely separate sets of clues. The first set is the "Coffee-Time" (or Quick) clues, which are standard definitions. The second set is the "Cryptic" clues.

Crucially, both sets of clues lead to the exact same answers in the grid. This creates a unique "training wheels" system. If you find yourself staring at a cryptic clue that makes no sense, you can glance at the quick clue to find the answer. Once you have the answer, you can work backward—a process known as reverse-engineering—to figure out how the cryptic clue was constructed.

The Power of Reverse-Engineering

In my work as a gameplay analyst, I often look at how players learn complex systems. The two speed crossword is a masterpiece of educational design. By knowing the answer first, you can identify which part of the cryptic clue was the definition and which part was the wordplay.

For example, if the answer is "TEACHER" and the cryptic clue is "Educator found in the heart of the ocean (7)," seeing the quick clue "Educator" helps you realize that "Educator" is the definition, and "found in the heart of the ocean" is the wordplay (the "heart" of "the ocean" being "the o-cea-n" doesn't quite work, but perhaps it's a hidden word or a container).

The Everyman Crossword: A Sunday Institution

While two speed crosswords are the entry point, the everyman crosswords in The Observer represent the "gold standard" for those moving into intermediate territory. First published on August 12, 1945, the Everyman has been a staple of British Sunday mornings for eighty years.

Unlike the two speed format, the Everyman only provides cryptic clues. However, it is specifically written to be "approachable." It follows strict Ximenean principles—named after the legendary setter Ximenes—which dictate that every clue must be fair, grammatically sound, and contain both a precise definition and a clear secondary indication of the answer.

Everyman Trademarks to Watch For

The current Everyman setter, Alan Connor, maintains several "trademarks" that help regular solvers gain a foothold in the grid:

1. Rhyming Pairs: Usually, there are two long, symmetrically placed answers in the grid that rhyme. For example, A KING AMONGST MEN might rhyme with EVERY NOW AND THEN.
2. The "Primarily" Clue: Almost every Everyman puzzle includes an acrostic clue where the answer is formed by the first letters of several words. This is almost always signaled by the word "primarily."
3. Self-Reference: If a clue mentions "Everyman," "the setter," or "this writer," the answer likely contains "I," "ME," or "MY."

Strategies for Solving Like a Pro

To transition from being a casual solver to a strategic analyst, you need to internalize the "Start and End" rule. In almost 95% of cryptic clues, the definition of the word is located at either the very beginning or the very end of the clue. Everything in the middle is "wordplay" (the instructions on how to build the word).

Common Cryptic Mechanisms

If you are used to American vs British Crosswords, you'll know that British cryptics rely heavily on indicators. Here are three common ones you'll find in both Two Speed and Everyman puzzles:

• Anagrams: Look for "indicator words" that suggest movement or brokenness, such as crazy, broken, mixed, failing, or distributed.
• Containers: Words like holding, inside, wrapping, or around suggest one word is inside another.
• Hidden Words: Look for phrases like part of, some of, or found in. For example: "A bit of the orange is a metal (3)" leads to "ORE."

Recent Trends: The Changing Landscape (2025-2026)

The world of crosswords is not static. In May 2025, a major shift occurred when Tortoise Media acquired The Observer. This transition was cheekily acknowledged in the Everyman puzzles through "Ninas"—hidden messages in the grid layout. Solvers found messages like "ALOHA GUARDIAN" and "ALOHA TORTOISE" woven into the white squares.

Additionally, 2024 saw the rise of the "Quick Cryptic" across various platforms. These ultra-short, beginner-focused puzzles have redefined what it means to be an "entry-level" solver. Consequently, some members of the community on sites like Fifteensquared have noted that Everyman puzzles have become slightly more complex to differentiate themselves from these new, faster formats.

For those looking to build their skills further, exploring 10 Crossword Solving Strategies the Pros Use is a great next step.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even seasoned gamers make mistakes when entering the crossword arena. Here are the most frequent pitfalls I see:

1. Over-reliance on Anagrams: Many beginners assume every long clue is an anagram. In a typical Everyman, only about 7 out of 28 clues (25%) are anagrams.
2. Ignoring "Crosswordese": You must learn the shorthand. In the world of cryptics, "About" is often RE, "Sailor" is AB, and "Student" is L (from the learner plate).
3. Taking Clues Literally: Cryptic clues are rarely what they seem. If a clue mentions a "flower," it might mean a river (something that "flows").
4. Skipping the Wordplay: In a two speed crossword, it’s tempting to just solve the quick clues. If you do this, you miss out on the mental training required for more advanced Acrostic Puzzles.

Conclusion

Two speed crosswords and Everyman puzzles are more than just hobbies; they are sophisticated mental training tools. By utilizing the dual-clue system of The Sun or the fair, structured logic of The Observer, you can master the language of cryptics at your own pace. Remember to look past the surface reading, hunt for those indicators, and never be afraid to reverse-engineer an answer to learn a new trick.