{{short description|British YouTube channel about sudoku and other puzzles}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}} {{use British English|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox social media personality | name = Cracking The Cryptic | logo = File:Cracking The Cryptic logo.png | logo_caption = Current channel logo | logo_alt = The words "Cracking the Cryptic" in front of an unfinished Sudoku puzzle | image = <!-- For Simon and Mark--> | caption = <!-- For Simon and Mark's image--> | origin = | website = {{URL|https://crackingthecryptic.com}} | youtube_handle = CrackingTheCryptic | youtube_display_name = Cracking The Cryptic | youtube_years_active = 2017–present | youtube_genre = Puzzle | youtube_subscribers = 688 thousand<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | youtube_views = 291 million<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | stats_update = 4 March 2026 }} '''Cracking the Cryptic''' ('''CTC''') is a YouTube channel dedicated to paper-and-pencil puzzles: primarily sudoku, but also cryptic crosswords and other types of number-placement, pencil, and word puzzles. They occasionally stream puzzle videogames on YouTube.
The channel was set up in 2017 by two friends from England: Simon Anthony, a former investment banker, and Mark Goodliffe, a financial director.<ref name="Clinton">{{cite news |last1=Clinton |first1=Jane |title=Suduko solving aces become unlikely YouTube stars during lockdown |url=https://inews.co.uk/light-relief/offbeat/sudoku-solving-aces-simon-athony-mark-goodliffe-youtube-coronavirus-lockdown-430588 |access-date=3 July 2021 |work=inews.co.uk |date=22 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="Johnson" /> Anthony is a former member of the UK's world sudoku and world puzzle championship teams, while Goodliffe is a 14-time winner of the Times Crossword Championships and UK sudoku champion.<ref name="Clinton" /><ref name="Johnson" >{{cite magazine |last1=Johnson |first1=Tom |title=Fifty years of The Spectator crossword |magazine=The Spectator |url=https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/fifty-years-of-the-spectator-crossword |access-date=3 July 2021 |date=3 July 2021}}</ref>
Each video is generally composed of one of the two hosts presenting a puzzle with given rules and then solving it in real time, with their live commentary. The channel features both standard and variant puzzles.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bellos |first1=Alex |title=Can you solve it? Sandwich sudoku - a new puzzle goes viral |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/may/06/can-you-solve-it-sandwich-sudoku-a-new-puzzle-goes-viral |access-date=26 May 2021 |work=The Guardian |date=2019-05-06 |language=en}}</ref>
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the channel grew in popularity, and {{as of|2026|03|04|df=yes|lc=yes}} it had 688,000 subscribers, with the most popular video receiving over 10 million views.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/may/22/cracking-the-cryptic-puzzled-uk-men-become-internet-sensation-with-sudoku-channel |title=Puzzled man solving 'miracle' sudoku becomes YouTube sensation |first=Simon |last=Usborne |date=22 May 2020 |newspaper=The Guardian |access-date=31 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/05/watch-this-genius-solve-insanely-difficult-sudoku-puzzles |title=Watch this genius solve insanely difficult sudoku puzzles |first=Nick |last=Schwartz |date=21 May 2020 |website=USA Today |access-date=31 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/comment/cracking-the-cryptic-how-the-healing-art-of-sudoku-became-a-youtube-sensation-1.1151242 |title=Cracking the Cryptic: How the healing art of sudoku became a YouTube sensation |first=Rhodri |last=Marsden |newspaper=The National |date=23 January 2021 |access-date=31 March 2021}}</ref>
The music played at the beginning and end of many videos is Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 16, nicknamed ''Sonata facile'' or ''Sonata semplice''.<ref name="Bell">{{cite news |last1=Bell |first1=Alice |title=These sudoku YouTubers are about to become your favourite game streamers |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/these-sudoku-youtubers-are-about-to-become-your-favourite-game-streamers |access-date=13 October 2021 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |date=7 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
== Other activities == The channel has produced twelve Sudoku apps based on Sudoku variants: Classic, Chess, Miracle, Sandwich, Thermo, Killer, Arrow, Domino and Line Sudoku.
In October 2020, a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign was announced in order to produce a physical book with some of the channel's most popular puzzles. The campaign reached its initial target within 24 hours.<ref>{{cite web |title=Update 2: We've Funded!! Cracking the Cryptic's Greatest Hits |url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peterchayward/cracking-the-cryptics-greatest-hits/posts/2985457 |access-date=31 March 2021 |website=Kickstarter}}</ref> A second volume was funded in October 2022.<!-- <ref>{{cite web |title=Cracking the Cryptic's Greatest Hits – Volume 2! |url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/peterchayward/cracking-the-cryptics-greatest-hits-volume-2?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=cracking%20the%20cryptic&total_hits=3 |website=Kickstarter |access-date=23 October 2023}}</ref> -->
In addition to paper-and-pencil puzzles, the pair stream puzzle video games such as ''The Witness'', ''Baba Is You'', ''Blue Prince'' and ''Return of the Obra Dinn''.<ref name="Bell" />
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{YouTube |channel=UCC-UOdK8-mIjxBQm_ot1T-Q}}
Category:Sudoku Category:English-language YouTube channels