Strange score with tie puzzling (8)
I believe the answer is:
esoteric
'puzzling' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'strange score with tie' is the wordplay.
'strange' indicates anagramming the letters.
'with' says to put letters next to each other.
'score' after 'tie' is 'tiescore'.
'tiescore' is an anagram of 'ESOTERIC'.
(Other definitions for esoteric that I've seen before include "I set core up to be mysterious" , "Mystic" , "Understood by only a few people" , "Privileged or confidential among coteries" , "exclusive" .)