Ace's two millionth brainteaser
Shropshire's "king of the crosswords" has made it into the latest edition of the Guinness Book of Records - by clocking up his two millionth brainteaser.
Shropshire's "king of the crosswords" has made it into the latest edition of the Guinness Book of Records - by clocking up his two millionth brainteaser.
Roger Squires, from Ironbridge, has compiled more crosswords than anyone else in the world during nearly half a century of testing people's minds. The 75-year-old's fiendish puzzles have won him an army of fans worldwide.
They include Colin Dexter the creator of the crossword-loving Inspector Morse.
Mr Squires has now appeared in the 2008 edition of the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most prolific crossword compiler, a record he has held since 1978.
He has so far published more than 66,666 crosswords and is estimated to have written more than two million clues.
He said: "My one millionth clue was published in the Daily Telegraph back in September 1989, but I shall be too old to reach my third million.
"No other compiler is anywhere near. The nearest I heard of was an American claiming 450,000.
"The Guinness Book regularly included this among my other crossword records from 1978-97."
Mr Squires left school at 15 to join the Royal Navy as a boy seaman, and at 20 became the youngest-ever petty officer seaman. He was commissioned into the Fleet Air Arm at the age of 22, and flew from carriers for the next 10 years as a navigator and electronics operator.
Mr Squires started solving crosswords when rain stopped flights at his base in Cornwall, moved on to compiling crosswords when he went to sea and sold his first one to the Radio Times in 1963. He has a number of acting credits, is a member of Mensa and the Magic Circle and became a full-time crossword compiler in 1977.
He has had crosswords published in 564 publications, including 105 abroad in 32 countries outside the UK, and regularly sets crosswords for The Times, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian and the Financial Times.
Roger Squires holds the official title of the world's most prolific crossword compiler. Here are some facts about his brainteasing career:
He holds the record for the longest word ever published in a crossword, the Welsh place name Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwlllantysiliogogogoch.
He is one of only four crossword setters to have regularly provided crosswords for all five UK broadsheet newspapers.
Mr Squires has produced a 3D crossword which fits on a Rubik's Cube.
He holds the Guinness Record for the world's longest crossword.
His two millionth clue - "Two girls, one on each knee (7)" - was in the Daily Telegraph on May 14, 2007 (answer Patella).
Mr Squire's pseudonyms include Rufus, Icarus, Hodge and Bower (after his home at Hodge Bower, Ironbridge).
He was crossword editor of the Birmingham Post for 22 years.
In 1999 he captained the Great Britain crossword team at the International Crossword Marathon in Yugoslavia.
He has appeared as a contestant on TV quiz shows Countdown, Crosswits and Catchword and acted in Dr Who and Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy.
By Abigail Bates and Peter Johnson
