Is this really the hardest crossword ever made?

Expert compiler claims it takes TWO YEARS to crack

IF YOU like nothing better than sitting down with a cryptic crossword, then this is the puzzle for you.

But beware, its compiler claims you’ll need to have two years to spare.

Marc Breman, who has compiled puzzles for several newspapers, says he has put together the world’s hardest crossword, with 64 fiendishly difficult clues.

The 56-year-old says the toughest crosswords on offer take the average enthusiast a week.

‘Based on the feedback of other compilers who have seen it or tried it, mine is about 100 times harder,’ he said. ‘If that description is indeed correct, then it stands to reason that it would take the average enthusiast 100 times longer to solve it.

‘This amounts to 100 weeks, or just over two years.’

Mr Breman said that the range of wordplay, codes and hidden meanings made it so difficult.

But his assessment of how long it takes to finish might be a little ambitious – yesterday one enthusiast said he had completed the puzzle in less than two hours.