The nineteenth edition of Lollapuzzoola, as is tradition, arrived on a Saturday in August. Last Saturday, in fact. (I was not in attendance, but I did purchase the Solve at Home puzzle pack.)
I had a chance to sit down and try my hands at this year’s tournament puzzles, and I was certainly not disappointed.
This year’s theme was “Around the World.” Every puzzle had something to do with travel or geography, and the constructors were clearly inspired in all sorts of ways. Let’s take a look at what they came up with.
Warmup Puzzle A: Twinlets by Brian Cimmet
A traditional Cimmet Twinlets (Cimlets? CimTwins?) puzzle begins the day’s proceedings and boy, did he hit the ground running! He presented the solver with two identical grids and two sets of clues, and you have to figure out which grid each answer applies to.
This was complicated by the fact that EIGHT of the answers across both grids had the same clue: “European country.” But I started filling in answers to establish the first grid, then worked back and forth as the answers continued to populate and reveal which clues fit which grid.
I really dig Twin Crosswords or Twinlets puzzles, and Brian has a knack for putting just enough common letters in the same spaces in both grids to keep you guessing. (And for writing several long clues that never disappoint.) I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle.
Interesting grid entries included LOST ART, SILENT O, and O, CANADA, and my favorite clues were “Three-syllable berry that’s great for both health and crossword construction” for ACAI and the 39-Across pairing of “____ on the Roof” for FIDDLER and “The other 39-Across, for one” for MUSICAL.
Warmup Puzzle B: Up in the Air by Brooke Husic
With a grid layout that feels like a moth or butterfly in flight, Husic clearly had flying on the brain, and her travel-centric apt pair — JETLAGGED and FLIGHT DELAYED — stacked together nicely. (Heck, having a grid that was short in one direction and long in the other FELT like travel, the trip there and the trip home.)
Brooke is a master at maximizing smaller grids, and she paired fun grid fill with longer, trivia- and opinion-focused clues, many of which continued the travel theme. (Also, she shouted out the board game Sky Team, which is a blast.)
Interesting grid entries included ALT LIT and JINX, and my favorite clues were “…—…” for SOS and “Plucked bass?” for ANGLED. (Though I didn’t know that pets can ride on Amtrak if they’re under 20 pounds. I love learning things from puzzles!)
There was also a contest puzzle featuring locations from famous musicals, which definitely tested my theatrical knowledge.
I’m sure there was frantic Googling during the breaks between puzzles for solvers to complete this one before the Puzzle 5 deadline!
Puzzle #1: Screen Sharing by Ada Nicolle
Kicking off a day of tournament solving is a daunting challenge — balancing accessibility, difficulty, style, flavor, skill, and playfulness, all while ably representing that event’s energy or that year’s theme — and I’m always impressed by the constructors who tackle that challenge.
Fortunately, solvers and tournament organizers were in the capable hands of Ada Nicolle, who created a great opening puzzle. It was a smooth solving experience with engaging cluing and tons of personality (as one should expect from Nicolle).
The theme was impressive, featuring compound words or phrases where both parts of the answer could be placed in front of the word CHECK to form a common phrase (RAIN check and COAT check for RAINCOAT, for instance), ably showing off the PRE-CHECK promised by the revealer.
Interesting grid entries included NU METAL, HO-HOS, TONSIL, and BAGUETTE, and my favorite clues were “What it might take to ask out a crush” for COURAGE and “Wide-brimmed accessory for Carmen Sandiego” for HAT.
Puzzle #2: Wherever the Wind Takes You… by Carina da Rosa
This year, the ORCAS crowned Carina as an Emerging Constructor to watch, and I think she’s proven everyone who voted for her correct.
The eye-catching shape of a hot-air balloon grid was just the tip of the iceberg with this puzzle, as solvers would discover that one letter from each theme answer had floated up, up, and away from the main entry, appearing in a circle above as part of the balloon’s design. The capper was each letter spelling out HOT AIR.
This is beautiful design and execution, especially with a packed grid like this. The page itself was equally packed with longer clues which made it a little difficult to read and solve (a pattern that would continue with the next puzzle… or maybe I need to revisit my prescription with my eye doctor). Nonetheless, this was a highlight of the day.
Interesting grid entries included RAW OYSTER, UNSUNG, COLBERT, and ADROIT, and my favorite clues were “Place to park your butt?” for ASHTRAY, “Hoffman whose FBI file was 13,262 pages long” for ABBIE, and “Portuguese greeting formed by dropping one letter from a Spanish greeting” for OLA.
Puzzle #3: What to Know Before You Travel by Amie Walker
Intend your puns indeed, as Amie Walker has some doozies for you in this one! The clues take traditional travel terms (“Baggage claim,” “Carry-on item,” “Domestic carrier,” etc.) and deliver tongue-in-cheek responses as answers (I’VE GOT TRUST ISSUES, TEMPER TANTRUM, BABY STROLLER).
Packing seven answers into this grid was no small feat, but Walker managed to stack the grid with charming fill as well, offering the densest and most ambitious puzzle design of the day. My puzzly mind definitely appreciated this one, even if my eyes didn’t.
Interesting grid entries included BLITHERING, ICE CAVES, EGG CUP, and COBBLE, and my favorite clues were “Word ____ (you, maybe)” for NERD and “Enjoy a Manhattan tour, say?” for BARHOP.
Puzzle #4: Crossing the Line by Adam Wagner
Much like the dreaded Puzzle #5 at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, Puzzle #4 at Lollapuzzoola is usually a super-heavyweight challenge, and this might be the toughest I can remember from any previous event.
It took me a LONG time to realize the trick of this one. The revealer DAY OFF pointed me towards some sort of time shift, but I kept staring at the entries that crossed the dotted line down the middle of the grid and coming up empty. Seven of the clues simply refused to match their entries, until I finally noticed that each of those seven clues started with same letter as a day of the week (“Mob target” for Monday, “Tutor coaches” for Tuesday, etc.)
And when you shift the first two letters of each clue back a day, the clues suddenly make sense. “Mob target” becomes “Sub target,” which makes total sense for DESTROYER.
Tough clues, TOUGH gimmick, but a well-constructed puzzle. Although I easily completed it within the 40 minutes allowed, I don’t know that I understood it during that 40 minutes.
Interesting grid entries included RUH-ROH, U-HAULS, SAMURAI, and FROYO, and my favorite clues were “Beat generation?” for PULSE, “Breakfast accompaniment?” for BED, and “Construction term that becomes a meteorological term if SO is added after the first letter” for IBAR.
Puzzle #5: Every Second Counts by Will Nediger
Nediger closed out the pre-championship puzzles with this grid that feels like one long, snaky journey from the upper left to the lower right, meandering like a river.
Solvers found a very cool theme waiting for them where the theme answer was one location, but another location was circled in alternating spaces within the theme answer, like ALGERIA (AGRA within ALGERIA). Will packed six of these pairings into the grid, plus the revealer ALTERNATE PLANS. (And I quite liked SIDE TRIP as sort of a bonus revealer.)
All in all, a very impressive bit of construction, research, and theme execution. A terrific closer before the big finale.
Interesting grid entries included IDEOGRAMS, PIPING HOT, TRIMARAN, CLARISSA, and Wario, and my favorite clues were “Like plants that produce little to no chlorophyll” for ALBINO and “Punishment from a Discord moderator” for BAN.
Puzzle #6: Championship Final by Trenton Charlson
As always, there were two sets of clues for the Finals puzzle, the Local and the more difficult Express clues. No matter which clues you were working with, you were in for an excellent tournament finale.
This grid had clean stacks of 8-letter entries and 9-letter entries in the corners, and some unforgiving crossings that really reminded me of how much skill and creativity it takes to construct a great themeless puzzle.
The cluing was surprisingly accessible for a championship final (across both the Local and Express clues), and I can imagine many of the solvers in attendance performing well on this solve.
I don’t know Charlson’s work, but I’ll definitely be looking for their byline in the future.
Interesting grid entries included JUMBO JET, SEE STARS, YTTRIUM, and DON QUIXOTE. Both the Local and Express sets of clues had some gems, so I’ll list them separately below:
Local clues:
- “Farm animal follower” for EIEIO
- “Festival celebrating the arrival of spring” for TET
- “Starter starter?” for NON
Express clues:
- “Agrarian refrain” for EIEIO
- “Something a guitarist often has on hand?” for CALLUS
- “One who dreams knightly?” for DON QUIXOTE
- “Palms or pockets” for STEALS
- “Start to sense” for NON
- “9 to 5, e.g.” for ODDS
There was also a tiebreaker themeless midi by Laura Braunstein, which was an excellent, quick solve. The playful cluing and great flow made it an enjoyable interlude before the championship, and the apt pair of FIRST SIGHT and LAST RESORT really encapsulated the travel theme of the event nicely.
Interesting grid entries included WIGGLE ROOM and DARK HORSES, and my favorite clues were “Place for a pawdicure” for PET SPA and “General of the Resistance” for LEIA (put some respect on her name!).
There were ALSO two bonus puzzle suites — a variety one by Scott Weiss and a meta crossword one by Crossword Gentleman Doug Peterson — which I did not have an opportunity to solve before posting.
Another year, another parade of bangers from the Lollapuzzoola team. There were visually impressive grids, devious acts of cluing chicanery and cruciverbalism, and many many MANY trivia-loaded clues (a personal favorite of mine).
Every puzzle was well-constructed, smartly filled, and clued with love, personality, snark, and enthusiasm. It’s hard to precisely put a finger on what makes a crossword feel like a Lollapuzzoola puzzle — a unique blend of rock n’ roll and Tom Lehrer, maybe — but the LPZ spirit is alive (and often kicking) in each of these entries.
I can only imagine what they’ve got in store for us next year to mark the 20th edition of the tournament. Sadly, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
On the plus side, I’ve got puzzle suites to solve while I wait! Happy puzzling, everyone!
Did you tackle this year’s Lollapuzzoola crossword tournament, fellow puzzlers, either from home or live in person? Let me know in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you!
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