Why solver classification matters

The SNITCH is calculated from Reference Solvers: club solvers whose results give a reliable measure of crossword difficulty. Solvers are classified automatically so that genuine solving behaviour contributes to the calculation, while other solving styles remain visible without distorting the statistics.

Non-reference solvers can still appear in tables and puzzle pages. Their results are simply excluded from the daily SNITCH calculation unless they meet the Reference Solver criteria.

What is a Neutrino?

How the detector works

The scatter plot below compares each solver's average solving time with their alignment to SNITCH difficulty rankings. Each point is one solver. The x-axis shows average solving time, and the y-axis shows how closely that solver's own ordering of puzzle difficulty agrees with the community-based SNITCH ordering.

Genuine solvers tend to cluster higher on the chart because they usually find the same puzzles easy or difficult as the wider solving community. Classic Neutrinos cluster toward the lower-left because their very fast times show little relationship to puzzle difficulty. Hover over a point to see the solver name.

Classification rules

The classifier uses average solving time and SNITCH alignment together. Very fast solvers need strong alignment before being accepted as Reference Solvers. Low alignment indicates Neutrino behaviour, especially when average solving times are unusually short.

Current settings for this SNITCH:

• Fast-solver boundary: under 8.0 minutes average solving time.
• Fast solvers need alignment of at least 0.6 to become Reference Solvers.
• Solvers below 0.4 alignment are classified as Neutrinos unless another configured rule applies.
• Other Reference Solvers need alignment of at least 0.5 and an average below 45.0 minutes.

Borderline cases become Tracked rather than Reference. Slower solvers with poor alignment are generally unsuitable as Reference Solvers even when they are not classic Neutrinos.

Solver categories

Category	Used in SNITCH?	Description
Reference	Yes	Reliable solvers whose results contribute to the SNITCH calculation.
Tracked	No	Solvers whose results are displayed but not used in calculating the SNITCH.
Neutrino	No	Solvers whose recorded times are inconsistent with normal solving behaviour.
Blog Solver	No	Solving times reported via the Times for the Times blog.

Current solver classifications

The chart below shows the same style of plot using each solver's current classification. These classifications are refreshed when the solver update is run.

Blog Solvers

Times reported on the Times for the Times blog can be tracked where the blogger has opted in. Use the "Blog Solver" button on crossword solving-time pages for full details.

• Preferred formats are "mm:ss" or "x minutes" in the comment title or at the start of the comment.
• Report errors as "n errors" near the time, for example "38:30, 0 errors".
• If only a time is given, the result is treated as error-free unless the comment mentions DNF, pink squares, or similar.
• Only the first main comment for each blogger is used; replies and later comments are ignored.

SNITCH alignment factor

The SNITCH alignment score measures whether a solver tends to find the same crosswords easy and difficult as the rest of the community. It is calculated using Spearman rank correlation between the solver's own ranking of puzzle difficulty and the SNITCH ranking for the same puzzles.

A score of 1 means almost perfect agreement. A score near 0 means there is no consistent relationship between the order of the solver's results and the SNITCH difficulty order.

For example, Verlaine has results as shown in the chart below. Easier puzzles according to the SNITCH are on the left of the x-axis, harder ones on the right. The individual results are noisy, but the easier SNITCH puzzles tend to be among Verlaine's easier results and the harder puzzles tend to be among his harder results. An alignment of around 0.8 is very typical of a real reference solver like Verlaine.

In contrast, the solving times for the solver below don't depend on whether the SNITCH sees the crossword as easy or hard. Because the solver's own ranking of puzzle difficulty does not follow the SNITCH ranking, the Spearman correlation is low.

Solving times for club members

The table below shows crossword club solvers who have submitted more than 20 solutions in the six months to the end of August 2026. Only Monday-to-Friday, error-free crosswords are considered. And only solvers with an average solving time of less than 60 minutes are included. The non-Neutrino solvers are ranked by that average solving time. The table also indicates the solver's status, including whether they are Reference solvers for calculation of the daily SNITCH.

Rank	Solver	Status - Oct 2018	Current Status	Average Time	SNITCH Correlation
	HedwigII	tracked	neutrino	01:50	0.49
	Southern Cross	new_solver	neutrino	02:19	0.08
	Stefan Szulc	tracked	neutrino	02:56	0.18
	Petinny	new_solver	neutrino	02:59	0.22
	TimA	tracked	neutrino	03:02	0.03
	Margaut	tracked	neutrino	03:07	0.02
	childshouse	new_solver	neutrino	03:24	0.0
	robertsonjon	new_solver	neutrino	03:32	0.09
	willperf	new_solver	neutrino	03:40	0.14
	seamus.butler	new_solver	neutrino	03:44	0.07
	Torquay53	new_solver	neutrino	03:45	0.09
	Solver52	reference	neutrino	03:45	0.34
	Henry Wyatt	tracked	neutrino	03:59	0.0
	cliffyg	new_solver	neutrino	04:25	0.06
	C M Gilles	new_solver	neutrino	04:27	0.25
	ray lewis	tracked	neutrino	04:29	0.1
	benedick	reference	neutrino	04:33	0.29
	susan	tracked	neutrino	05:20	0.33
	Pnmcg	new_solver	neutrino	05:23	0.16
	DaddyM	tracked	neutrino	05:36	0.17
1	cmjhutton	new_solver	reference	05:37	0.82
2	Nathan Panning	new_solver	reference	05:55	0.76
3	lili	tracked	reference	05:58	0.72
4	Magoo	reference	reference	05:59	0.81
5	Paul Gilbert	tracked	reference	06:09	0.79
	antigone	new_solver	neutrino	06:11	-0.02
	michaelbell53	new_solver	neutrino	06:14	0.07
6	verlaine	reference	reference	06:40	0.79
7	Alexis Johansen	new_solver	reference	07:09	0.83
	fshephe	reference	neutrino	07:13	0.65
8	mistigris	reference	reference	07:15	0.85
9	Jason	reference	reference	07:16	0.79
10	HoneyBadger	new_solver	reference	07:26	0.82
11	aphis99	reference	reference	07:36	0.83
	samgdavies	new_solver	neutrino	07:42	0.4
12	hilarym	tracked	reference	07:46	0.75
13	philjordan1147	new_solver	reference	08:08	0.65
14	Umpire	new_solver	reference	08:15	0.78
	greggybell	tracked	neutrino	08:24	0.44
	boulemiche	tracked	neutrino	08:39	0.45
15	morleyterrier	new_solver	reference	08:51	0.91
16	asaldanha	reference	reference	08:57	0.79
17	Ciolf	new_solver	reference	08:59	0.79
18	richard	reference	reference	09:14	0.79
19	Amoeba89	new_solver	reference	09:20	0.81
20	Deane Short	new_solver	reference	09:54	0.84
21	markdobell	new_solver	reference	09:57	0.81
22	Aybee	new_solver	reference	10:00	0.72
23	Balawo	tracked	tracked	10:04	0.5
24	Askival	tracked	reference	10:17	0.74
	Freemers1968	new_solver	neutrino	10:18	0.52
25	glheard	reference	reference	10:19	0.77
26	LoreleiBill	new_solver	reference	10:26	0.8
27	Heyesey	tracked	reference	10:27	0.79
28	SimonAnthony	reference	reference	10:44	0.77
29	Groucho	reference	reference	10:49	0.89
	fuzz	tracked	neutrino	11:06	0.03
30	Kinghedger	tracked	reference	11:06	0.86
31	clarkeybaby	new_solver	reference	11:11	0.77
32	keriothe_	reference	reference	11:14	0.78
33	toots	new_solver	reference	11:17	0.71
34	EricK	new_solver	reference	11:27	0.79
35	chindit	reference	reference	11:38	0.8
36	Morphosis	new_solver	reference	11:44	0.83
37	Riche	new_solver	reference	11:49	0.68
38	David Crooks	reference	reference	12:03	0.82
	KenD51	tracked	neutrino	12:06	-0.16
39	patrickcates	tracked	reference	12:07	0.81
	alisonm74	new_solver	neutrino	12:09	0.56
40	lickert	reference	reference	12:11	0.78
41	cdb_100	tracked	reference	12:16	0.8
42	Paul Bacon	new_solver	reference	12:23	0.72
43	ChuckB	tracked	reference	12:24	0.75
44	miked1961	tracked	reference	12:29	0.85
45	Adelaider	new_solver	reference	12:37	0.77
46	tilbee	new_solver	reference	12:39	0.83
47	neilr	reference	reference	12:44	0.83
48	Semillon	tracked	reference	12:45	0.81
49	aphasic	tracked	reference	12:49	0.76
50	Eddddddd	tracked	reference	12:51	0.89
51	Sheapey	reference	reference	12:53	0.85
52	Tom Stubbs	reference	reference	12:54	0.81
53	The Dabbler	tracked	reference	12:55	0.93
54	julian_w	tracked	reference	12:58	0.68
55	Topical Tim	reference	reference	13:00	0.77
	GeorgeTz	new_solver	neutrino	13:01	0.68
56	d.middleton	new_solver	reference	13:05	0.71
57	MikeOsborneMason	reference	reference	13:05	0.8
58	canismiser	new_solver	reference	13:07	0.67
	John Walsh	tracked	neutrino	13:11	0.55
59	Emmet	new_solver	reference	13:19	0.73
60	andy	tracked	reference	13:20	0.74
61	Peponi13	new_solver	reference	13:21	0.75
62	Silva	reference	reference	13:21	0.82
63	alexh	tracked	reference	13:24	0.77
64	chriswords	reference	reference	13:25	0.74
65	njnclarke	tracked	reference	13:33	0.82
66	Secondbass	new_solver	reference	13:41	0.81
67	OliGrant	tracked	reference	13:49	0.75
68	Stavros	reference	reference	13:54	0.86
69	benbush	new_solver	reference	14:02	0.82
70	MK76	tracked	reference	14:02	0.7
71	trux	reference	reference	14:02	0.72
72	Pootle	new_solver	reference	14:08	0.81
73	scrabbler	new_solver	reference	14:12	0.86
74	Sue Sweeper	reference	reference	14:12	0.77
75	Ed freshpot	reference	reference	14:14	0.78
76	JimboFS	new_solver	reference	14:16	0.78
77	Paul Hammond	new_solver	reference	14:18	0.78
78	CentralLine	tracked	reference	14:18	0.81
79	Johninterred	new_solver	blog_solver	14:20	0.91
80	BlackburnRover	new_solver	reference	14:21	0.79
81	March	new_solver	reference	14:22	0.84
82	fishernick79	tracked	reference	14:23	0.7
83	daulbs	tracked	reference	14:40	0.84
84	chriswestontour	new_solver	reference	14:49	0.66
85	Looch	reference	reference	14:50	0.82
86	dr.shred	new_solver	reference	14:54	0.65
	Kalakuta72	new_solver	neutrino	14:55	0.36
87	LouWeed	reference	reference	14:59	0.83
88	Finzi	new_solver	reference	15:10	0.8
89	franceslc11	new_solver	reference	15:11	0.88
90	Tibthorpe	reference	reference	15:23	0.79
91	rob.rolfe42	new_solver	reference	15:25	0.74
92	Penfold_61	new_solver	reference	15:25	0.83
93	7dPenguin	tracked	reference	15:26	0.81
94	TonyG0	new_solver	reference	15:27	0.85
	john.brassey	new_solver	neutrino	15:27	0.12
95	DunPangolin	new_solver	reference	15:39	0.55
96	Bill K	new_solver	reference	15:47	0.74
97	cmcnsmith	new_solver	reference	15:50	0.65
98	JezWoolfrey	reference	reference	15:50	0.77
99	Jeremy S	new_solver	reference	15:57	0.68
100	tds	new_solver	reference	16:01	0.88
101	Ben Staveley	reference	reference	16:04	0.77
102	andrewlake	tracked	reference	16:15	0.78
103	Vannyx	new_solver	reference	16:20	0.86
104	gabrojak	new_solver	reference	16:22	0.91
105	RobR	reference	reference	16:24	0.74
106	cerid	new_solver	reference	16:25	0.77
107	rrricharrrd	tracked	reference	16:31	0.78
108	Anomalospiza	new_solver	reference	16:33	0.76
109	hopkinb	new_solver	reference	16:33	0.77
110	Aldus	new_solver	reference	16:38	0.7
111	Squallaby	reference	reference	16:40	0.86
112	tapbarker	tracked	reference	16:41	0.8
113	Cookincats	tracked	reference	16:44	0.69
114	Galspray	tracked	reference	16:45	0.81
115	Mike C	new_solver	reference	16:47	0.83
116	jimwetzler	tracked	reference	16:48	0.7
117	ajcauk1	new_solver	tracked	16:55	0.45
118	james150374	new_solver	reference	17:00	0.77
119	Valance	tracked	reference	17:07	0.84
120	Rowlie26	new_solver	reference	17:12	0.61
121	Encota	new_solver	reference	17:12	0.78
122	Dzhigit	tracked	reference	17:35	0.75
123	The Caffeine Kid	new_solver	reference	17:38	0.6
124	DanSolo	new_solver	reference	17:42	0.78
125	endafk	tracked	reference	17:43	0.84
126	Pxspxs	new_solver	reference	17:52	0.81
127	KarenR	tracked	reference	17:54	0.81
128	mjsaunders9	new_solver	reference	17:56	0.81
129	Onelug	new_solver	reference	17:56	0.89
130	pc8	tracked	reference	18:02	0.8
131	Crossiant	new_solver	reference	18:13	0.93
132	LJCN	new_solver	reference	18:17	0.85
133	tom.healey	new_solver	reference	18:27	0.63
134	Stuart42	new_solver	reference	18:37	0.82
135	james.brown	new_solver	reference	18:37	0.84
136	Bluemilan	new_solver	reference	18:37	0.87
137	Maitresse	new_solver	reference	18:38	0.81
138	chrismarch	new_solver	reference	18:39	0.64
139	robinh	reference	reference	18:45	0.84
140	chrisw42	new_solver	reference	18:50	0.87
141	Zander	tracked	reference	18:52	0.78
142	Foozler	new_solver	reference	18:53	0.78
143	Nangle	tracked	reference	18:56	0.76
144	daniel.faith	new_solver	reference	18:56	0.82
145	gnome123	new_solver	reference	19:17	0.74
	myles	tracked	neutrino	19:17	0.59
146	valerian1967	tracked	reference	19:23	0.85
147	Blackbeard	tracked	reference	19:23	0.84
148	PGooden	reference	reference	19:27	0.88
149	Achernar	tracked	reference	19:29	0.83
150	KET	tracked	reference	19:30	0.88
151	uvofiz	new_solver	reference	19:32	0.82
152	Gallion Fish	new_solver	reference	19:33	0.79
153	janesa	new_solver	reference	19:33	0.93
154	Zabadak3	new_solver	reference	19:58	0.78
155	harl3qu1n	new_solver	reference	19:58	0.71
156	Upfisher	new_solver	reference	20:03	0.78
157	inca1	new_solver	reference	20:06	0.86
158	Curarist	tracked	reference	20:09	0.86
159	Willie F	new_solver	reference	20:21	0.79
160	GMcD	reference	reference	20:26	0.84
161	pterodactyl	reference	reference	20:30	0.68
162	UisceTe	new_solver	reference	20:40	0.84
163	Astonvilla.1	new_solver	reference	20:47	0.69
164	david_ch	new_solver	blog_solver	20:54	0.79
165	Astonvilla1	new_solver	blog_solver	20:59	0.7
166	Rod B	new_solver	reference	21:09	0.82
167	Solving slo mo	new_solver	reference	21:15	0.63
168	John Arnold	reference	reference	21:28	0.52
169	James P	tracked	reference	21:36	0.86
170	tony the butcher montana	new_solver	reference	21:36	0.6
171	hugh schofield	new_solver	reference	21:37	0.75
172	Jagsfan1971	tracked	reference	21:37	0.91
173	Tudds	reference	reference	21:46	0.84
174	Dvynys	new_solver	reference	21:49	0.82
175	Colin2355	new_solver	reference	21:57	0.85
176	Corymbia	new_solver	reference	21:57	0.8
177	m28ale	new_solver	tracked	22:08	0.4
178	Waterloo	new_solver	reference	22:13	0.84
179	Hamish.S	new_solver	reference	22:30	0.78
180	earlylight	tracked	reference	22:33	0.69
181	JayEm	new_solver	reference	22:36	0.64
182	goblin	tracked	reference	22:40	0.74
183	alwsn8	new_solver	reference	22:41	0.72
184	george.garlick	new_solver	reference	22:47	0.8
185	ChrisBrea	new_solver	reference	22:53	0.83
186	1234	reference	reference	23:02	0.76
187	heathldv	new_solver	reference	23:13	0.84
188	jimancliffe	new_solver	reference	23:14	0.66
189	gsriordan52	new_solver	reference	23:18	0.78
190	brian.richards1	new_solver	reference	23:19	0.87
191	AHearer2	tracked	reference	23:22	0.66
192	JoeyC	tracked	reference	23:36	0.83
193	En Cee	tracked	reference	23:41	0.71
194	David Bourne	tracked	reference	23:42	0.94
195	Snorter	new_solver	reference	23:44	0.77
196	DianeRS	new_solver	reference	23:44	0.84
197	intentional rounding	new_solver	reference	23:48	0.78
198	LiamD	new_solver	reference	23:50	0.75
199	Speedcop2	new_solver	reference	23:50	0.69
200	Jamie Fox	new_solver	reference	23:51	0.69
201	Rosey6	new_solver	reference	23:57	0.81
202	rjhinde61	new_solver	reference	24:03	0.69
203	stainl665	new_solver	reference	24:04	0.81
204	heisenberg1	new_solver	reference	24:12	0.89
205	rolytoly	tracked	reference	24:23	0.66
206	metagloria	new_solver	reference	24:26	0.71
207	Fidelio	new_solver	reference	24:33	0.62
208	JPTC	new_solver	reference	24:35	0.7
209	Doyler	new_solver	reference	24:43	0.82
210	Whitby Terrier	new_solver	reference	24:43	0.65
211	Mudge	new_solver	reference	24:54	0.7
212	Dr_Bob	new_solver	reference	25:00	0.72
213	crucihacker	new_solver	reference	25:10	0.85
214	Kevin Gregg	reference	reference	25:16	0.74
215	rjcassidy	reference	reference	25:21	0.84
216	medodd	new_solver	reference	25:30	0.62
217	infinitejest	new_solver	reference	25:36	0.86
218	Brenk	tracked	reference	25:46	0.64
219	Crippens1	reference	reference	25:49	0.79
220	JohnDun	reference	reference	25:51	0.85
221	barracuda	reference	reference	25:56	0.86
222	Manuel1	new_solver	reference	25:59	0.8
223	chris661554	new_solver	reference	26:03	0.85
224	crosswordian	reference	reference	26:16	0.78
225	Mkgnao	reference	reference	26:21	0.73
226	rowrhorowyourboat	new_solver	reference	26:24	0.86
227	Menelaus	new_solver	reference	26:26	0.62
228	Archie	tracked	reference	26:33	0.83
229	tonym	tracked	reference	26:37	0.81
230	SlumdogEngineer	tracked	reference	26:39	0.81
231	Deezzaa	new_solver	reference	26:50	0.79
232	David Luke	new_solver	reference	26:54	0.78
233	MichelinPoitiers	new_solver	reference	27:03	0.77
234	dedly	new_solver	tracked	27:12	0.48
235	wolfcloud	new_solver	reference	27:14	0.76
	Winchelt618	new_solver	neutrino	27:28	0.25
236	wimpoldo	new_solver	reference	27:29	0.58
237	Edprof	reference	reference	27:37	0.59
238	NAPASAI	reference	reference	27:58	0.75
239	Mike Harper	tracked	reference	28:05	0.78
	suethepotterer	new_solver	neutrino	28:09	0.48
240	Gussie	new_solver	reference	28:20	0.85
241	alf3056	tracked	reference	28:24	0.57
242	timbo	tracked	reference	28:31	0.81
243	rv_1	new_solver	reference	28:34	0.75
244	simjt	new_solver	reference	28:46	0.79
245	The Real Steve Snackman	new_solver	reference	28:48	0.7
	FelicityTT	reference	neutrino	28:52	0.36
246	Word Psmith	tracked	reference	28:55	0.56
247	ulaca	reference	reference	28:55	0.8
248	Yatton50	tracked	reference	29:08	0.66
249	Birdingbob	new_solver	reference	29:12	0.86
250	Grumpole	new_solver	reference	29:35	0.82
251	neil.rutledge	new_solver	reference	29:36	0.58
252	Msimmo	new_solver	reference	29:50	0.77
253	Manveru	reference	reference	30:03	0.66
	Mike Mansbridge	new_solver	neutrino	30:05	0.09
254	Gordon B	new_solver	reference	30:37	0.69
	Cryptique	new_solver	neutrino	31:03	0.64
255	symbenall2	tracked	reference	31:04	0.83
256	gbestanley	reference	reference	31:14	0.74
257	plusjeremy	new_solver	reference	31:17	0.83
258	laurence_da	new_solver	reference	31:18	0.62
259	Rookie	new_solver	reference	31:18	0.68
260	MalcolmD	new_solver	reference	31:30	0.78
261	docjd	new_solver	reference	31:55	0.69
262	eniamretrauq	reference	reference	31:56	0.51
263	Troothful	new_solver	reference	31:56	0.7
264	griftdrift	new_solver	reference	32:15	0.8
265	CoxBurglar	new_solver	reference	32:31	0.51
266	Jambo20	tracked	reference	32:39	0.85
267	JGP	tracked	reference	32:51	0.83
268	Col-y-wobble	new_solver	reference	33:14	0.79
269	E Bradford	new_solver	reference	33:48	0.77
	MartianAlien	tracked	neutrino	33:53	0.27
270	Peloton	new_solver	reference	34:05	0.77
271	bobbb	tracked	reference	34:08	0.64
272	vinyl12345	new_solver	reference	34:27	0.78
273	birthday girl	new_solver	reference	34:29	0.66
274	gothick	new_solver	reference	34:34	0.7
275	koro	reference	reference	34:49	0.82
276	Shushannah	tracked	reference	35:05	0.78
277	Pelforth	new_solver	reference	35:32	0.81
278	Charpentier	new_solver	tracked	35:34	0.42
279	joss henry	tracked	reference	35:58	0.63
280	kapietro	new_solver	reference	36:00	0.86
281	Dr Dolittle	new_solver	reference	36:00	0.71
282	Pleasuredome	tracked	reference	36:10	0.74
283	clivejharlow	new_solver	reference	36:24	0.89
	dosbarth	new_solver	neutrino	36:28	0.67
284	bridgesong	new_solver	reference	36:37	0.83
	HanS	tracked	neutrino	37:45	0.54
285	WordPlodder	new_solver	reference	37:52	0.72
286	Aidleys	new_solver	reference	38:09	0.72
287	GordonIsANeuron	new_solver	reference	38:47	0.77
288	starstruck	tracked	reference	38:51	0.83
289	jackk.larg	new_solver	reference	38:58	0.87
	RaghuS	tracked	neutrino	39:20	0.28
290	BertieVII	new_solver	tracked	39:34	0.49
291	SK42	tracked	reference	39:47	0.86
	ibaram	new_solver	neutrino	39:53	0.28
292	Steve Wood	tracked	reference	40:46	0.86
	SlowSteady	new_solver	neutrino	40:55	0.38
293	baronrob	tracked	reference	41:00	0.79
	cpn-xonmkhdty	new_solver	neutrino	42:01	0.47
	Lloyd	new_solver	neutrino	42:03	0.72
	maryht	tracked	neutrino	42:11	0.43
294	MichaelE	new_solver	reference	43:26	0.8
295	timcro	tracked	reference	43:38	0.79
296	paulmcl	tracked	tracked	47:03	0.6
297	MartinP	tracked	tracked	47:15	0.76
298	empty	reference	tracked	47:38	0.71
	VictoriaW	tracked	neutrino	49:28	0.35
299	Ron's mum	reference	tracked	50:25	0.56
300	hilarymatthews58	new_solver	tracked	51:45	0.62
301	Merlin_55	new_solver	tracked	52:48	0.87
302	profsjpayne	new_solver	tracked	56:25	0.65
303	kjbr	tracked	tracked	59:18	0.71