Roger Squires chanced upon crosswords by magic. During his first career flying for the aviation arm of the Royal Navy, periods of idleness were filled with card games played for money. But because Squires was also a self-taught magician and a member of Britain’s Magic Circle, his companions wouldn’t let him play.
For want of something to do, the lieutenant took up cryptic crosswords, setting in train a new calling that would establish him as the world’s most prolific compiler. Squires, who has died aged 91, set about 80,000 puzzles, wrote 2.5mn clues and was published in scores of publications around the world. The puzzle community called him the “Mozart of setters”, as much for his light, witty style as for his productivity.
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