The latest in our series where we turn the tables on the torturers. Under the spotlight this time is Jim Toal, AKA Vlad
Vlad has been setting cryptics and Genius puzzles for the Guardian since 2014. He is also known to Independent solvers as Tyrus, and constructs fiendish barred puzzles as Lato for such series as the Listener, the Inquisitor and Enigmatic Variations.
His first Guardian cryptic contained such misleading surfaces as“Obvious replacement for Ant’s partner (11)”; his puzzles draw on language and names from the news pages as well as intriguing pieces of vocabulary and his definitions are often deftly disguised.
13dI must — she’s around! (3,6)
14ac/29ac/1d Can claims prove to be reliable? Absolutely (2,4,7,4,2,4,2,3,3)
14ac Groom used to rue riding under this rule (5,2,8)
11ac Prospect of this isn’t half depressing — could be better! (9,5)
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