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June Puzzles and Games News Roundup: Upcoming Tournaments, Events, and Free RPG Day!

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There’s so much going on in the intertwined worlds of puzzles and games to get into, so let’s skip the intro and get to the good stuff!

Westwords Crossword Tournament Is Almost Here!

On Sunday June 14th, Berkeley, California will host the third annual Westwords event. It’s only a few weeks away!

This event is being held both in-person and online, with four themed puzzles and two themeless/freestyle puzzles to challenge solvers. The list of constructors for this year’s event is quite impressive: Andrea Carla Michaels, Byron Walden, Mark Axel, Rebecca Goldstein, Sarah Sinclair, Sophia Maymudes, Mallory Montgomery, and Zhou Zhang.

Go to westwordsbestwords.com for full details and get in on the fun!

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Lollapuzzoola, Midwest Crossword Tournament, and Boswords Fast Approaching!

And there are plenty of other crossword events coming up in the next few months to keep ambitious puzzlers busy!

Registration is already open for Lollapuzzoola 19 on August 15th in New York City, as well as for the Midwest Crossword Tournament on October 3rd in Chicago.

Not only that, but registration for this year’s Boswords Summer Tournament opens Wednesday June 17th!

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The event itself is happening on July 26th in West Roxbury, Massachusetts, and is sure to be a great time.

Man, we’ve got Westwords in June, Boswords in July, Lollapuzzoola in August, and Midwest in October! Tournaments galore!

International Day of Play!

June 11th marks the third annual International Day of Play!

The United Nations, through UNICEF, created International Day of Play in 2024 to raise awareness of how important the act of playing is to the development and well-being of children.

This year’s theme for International Day of Play is “Protect play, protect childhood.”

Play is so important for all of us. It fosters relationship building and cooperation, reinforces friendly competition and concepts of right and wrong, and maintains that childlike love and whimsy that comes with play that so many of us, young and old, must hold onto at all costs in a world that is so often unkind, unfriendly, and unfair.

You can find out more about International Day of Play on UNICEF’s website.

Free RPG Day is coming soon!

Last, but certainly not least, Free RPG Day is Saturday, June 27th.

The concept behind Free RPG Day is simple. All over the world (but mostly in the United States), local game shops, hobby shops, and other outlets team up with RPG publishers to distribute new, fresh, and most importantly, free material for all sorts of different roleplaying games, systems, and settings.

Sometimes they’re quickstart versions of the games to introduce new players. Sometimes they’re exclusive adventures or modules to play either in-store or at home. Othertimes, they’re entirely new games, free of charge.

Not only can you receive a wealth of new ideas and playing options in one fell swoop, but it serves as a terrific way to meet fellow roleplayers and build a community of game enthusiasts.

You can click this helpful link to find local spots near you that are participating in Free RPG Day, and I would highly recommend searching online for local game shops, game cafes, and even community centers like your local public library to see who is participating.

These shops will often be running demonstrations of games, tutorials on how to play, hosting raffles and contests, and offering terrific sale prices to encourage you to find the game that fits you best.

Every year, dozens of companies get involved, not only to encourage the growth of the game world, but to promote their own products. And what better way is there to get people hooked than with free exclusive materials begging to be tried out?

Keep your eyes peeled for this year’s edition of the Level 1 Anthology, offered by 9th Level Games. It’s a collection of new games by up-and-coming and established RPG creators, all centered around a particular theme. Last year’s edition was all about the end of the Wild West. This year’s is about Stand Up.

This project is close to my heart because I had games featured in the previous two years’ Level 1 collections, and I also have a game featured in this year’s collection!

You can check out last year’s Level 1 Anthology free of charge on the 9th Level Games website (or purchase all five years of Level 1 for only $10)!

What upcoming events are you most excited for, fellow puzzlers and gamers? Let us know in the comments section below! We’d love to hear from you.

Crossword News Roundup!

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Crossword tournament season is fully in swing and there’s plenty to keep up on AND look forward to.

The Boswords Spring Themeless League is in week 3 already, and I’ve heard rave reviews of the puzzles so far.

We’re only a few weeks out from the 48th American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, which will be the last year the event is held in Stamford, CT, before the move next year to Philadelphia.

Westwords isn’t until June, but registration is open! (And they’ve added in-person pairs solving this year.)

Also, can we talk about crossword website names for a minute? Because https://www.westwordsbestwords.com/ is a great one.

Not only that, but there’s also https://www.midwestgridfest.com/ for the Midwest Crossword Tournament, which is just delightful.

Yes, you can simply type https://www.mwxwt.com/ and get to the same information, but where is the whimsy in that?!

(P.S. The Midwest Crossword Tournament isn’t until October, but registration opens April 6th!)

Crossword Con Returns!

Puzzmo’s Third Annual Crossword Con is being held on Friday, April 10th, in Manhattan, New York (and online as well).

If you’re looking for some fascinating insight into the world of puzzles both present and future, be sure to check it out!

They just announced the panel of presenters and it is stacked: Brooke Husic, Orta Therox, Saman Bemel-Benrud, Ben Zimmer, and Adam Aaronson.

Adam very deservingly won the ORCA for Best Crossword-Related Media for his piece “Square Theory,” so I’m excited to see him revisiting the topic for Crossword Con. It will be a must-watch presentation.

Be sure to get your tickets for either in-person or online attendance. They’re including a one-year subscription to Puzzmo Plus with your purchase!

These Puzzles Fund Abortion 6

Before I wrap up today’s post, I want to remind my fellow puzzlers about the important work behind These Puzzles Fund Abortion.

They’re hoping to raise $50,000 to support safe, affordable, and accessible abortion care with the sixth edition of TPFA. You can make a donation and preorder your puzzle packet right now!

These Puzzles Fund Abortion 6 contains 21 puzzles centered around social and reproductive justice themes, all for a minimum donation of $25.

If you donate $50 or more, you will also receive the puzzle packs for the previous five years of TPFA.

With data showing that Republican presidents send maternal deaths soaring when they take office, this is a very worthy cause. I hope your finances allow you to contribute to the health and safety of others.

Happy solving, puzzlers!

These Puzzles Fund Abortion 6!

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Crossword season is here and all sorts of events for solvers are approaching fast. The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is a little more than a month out, registration is open for Westwords, the preseason puzzle for the Boswords Spring Themeless League was launched last night, and the Spring Themeless League starts in earnest next Monday!

But it’s not just tournaments that are gearing up. Crossword-fueled charitable organizations are hard at work making puzzles and encouraging fundraising efforts for wonderful causes.

There’s a long history of activism and advocacy through puzzles. Women of Letters, Queer Qrosswords, Grids for Good… these are just a few prominent examples of constructors and creators donating their time and puzzly efforts to benefit the world at large.

And These Puzzles Fund Abortion is one of the most important.

They’re hoping to raise $50,000 to support safe, affordable, and accessible abortion care with the sixth edition of TPFA. You can make a donation and preorder your puzzle packet right now!

These Puzzles Fund Abortion 6 contains 21 puzzles centered around social and reproductive justice themes, all for a minimum donation of $25.

If you donate $50 or more, you will also receive the puzzle packs for the previous five years of TPFA.

It’s a very worthy cause and I hope you find it in your heart to contribute to the health and safety of others.

Happy solving, puzzlers!

Delving into the 2026 Boswords Winter Wondersolve Puzzles!

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Tuesday night was my first chance to sit down and try my hand at the puzzles from this year’s Winter Wondersolve event. Given the talent involved amongst the organizers and constructors — as well as the always-reliable puzzles featured in previous Boswords-hosted events — I had high expectations, and I was not disappointed.

So let’s put those puzzles under the microscope and see what’s what!

Warm-Up: Opening Kickoff by John Lieb

Perennial Boswords warm-up puzzle master Mr. Lieb delivers a terrific puzzle to knock any ring rust off of solvers with this 16×11 football-shaped grid.

With both teams competing in this year’s Super Bowl (as well as one team’s coach) in the grid, the theme is on point and the smart construction makes this puzzle so accessible. It’s a first-class starter for a day of solving.

My favorite clue was the double use of “Like a haunted house” for both SCARY and EERIE, especially since they were in mirrored spots in the grid.

Puzzle #1: French Twist by Pao Roy

The tournament proper launched with this 15x grid that relied on pronunciation as much as wordplay, adding an “eh” sound to established phrases, like PURE NONSENSE becoming PUREE NONSENSE or SNAIL MAIL becoming SNAIL MELEE.

I appreciate a puzzle that takes you out of the traditional solving experience, so the fact that I had to say each theme entry aloud to get the most out of the solve was great fun. Add in the tight construction and you’ve got a strong opener on your hands.

Interesting grid entries included THE FONZ, HARISSA, TUMBLR, and DEEP CUTS, and my favorite clue was “Only Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee to win a National Book Award (for her memoir “Just Kids”)” for PATTI SMITH. I learned something in this puzzle!

Puzzle #2: Pandora’s Box by Wendy L. Brandes

Puzzle #2 was only a half-step or so tougher than Puzzle #1, remaining very solver friendly while still peppered with some great vocabulary.

This 16×17 grid had a marvelous visual element, with some of the bad things contained in Pandora’s Box literally escaping from their rows and longer entries, so CIVIC ENGAGEMENT only read CIVNGAGEMENT, as the rest of VICE was spelled out in the circled letters above.

With HOPE remaining in the box in the final themed entry, this puzzle’s beautifully visual style nicely encapsulated the classic myth. My favorite puzzle of the day!

Interesting grid entries included STRIATED, ENRON, USER FEES, and AMATEURISH, and my favorite clue was “Name contained in a wedding registry?” for GREG.

Puzzle #3: Skipping a Grade by Adam Aaronson (or dm ronson, perhaps?)

The most devious puzzle of the day belongs to Adam Aaronson, as this 16×17 grid featured theme entries where all of the As have been removed from phrases, turning BLACKSABBATH into BLCKSBBTH. With six theme entries plus the revealer STRAIGHT A’S, this grid was packed!

And it’s hard to deny the absolute insanity of writing FLLLLLLLL for “Refrain in a Christmas carol.” An unforgettable puzzly moment, to be sure.

Interesting grid entries included BEAN BAG CHAIR, RIZZLER, I’LL SUE, and CULT HIT, and my favorite clue was “India is in its alphabet, but not in it” for NATO.

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Puzzle #4: Themeless by Amanda Rafkin and Amie Walker

The tournament concludes with the toughest puzzle of the day, a 15x themeless grid with an S-shaped grid pattern that created a genuine flow while solving.

Two sets of clues were offered for the final puzzle — FLURRY clues on the easier side (approximately a NYT Wednesday level) and BLIZZARD clues on the tougher side of the spectrum (approximately a NYT weekend level) — but both offered their fair share of challenges for solvers of all skill levels.

I have gained a new appreciation for themeless puzzles over the last few years (in no small part thanks to Boswords’s seasonal themeless leagues), and this one was a highlight, for sure. Great long entries, fun fill, and really smart construction made the final challenge of the day a very satisfying solve.

Interesting grid entries included WHITE LIE, STRAY CAT, SCRAP PAPER, TARGETED AD, and THERE THERE. Both the easier and tougher sets of clues had some gems, so I’ll list them separately below:

FLURRY clues:

  • “Brass fastener, as in a kid’s model skeleton” for BRAD (love the specificity!)
  • “Ball culture affirmative” for YAS
  • ‘”You can totally pull off a Mariah Carey song at karaoke tonight,’ probably” for WHITE LIE
  • “Wool whose name becomes a country if you change one letter” for ANGORA

BLIZZARD clues:

  • “Draft pick?” for SCRAP PAPER
  • “Twosome in ‘Waiting for Godot'” for ACTS
  • “Whopper Jr.?” for WHITE LIE
  • “It might be right up your alley” for STRAY CAT

This year’s tournament felt like the perfect introduction to tournament-style solving and puzzles for a newbie competitor, and the wide array of themes, cluing, and grid entry vocabulary kept me engaged throughout the entire solve.

The cluing this year was topnotch, and I laughed out loud several times at the clever linguistic trickery on display.

Boswords events aren’t about difficulty, they’re about the joy of crossword solving and wordplay and all the delights that come with filling in these black-and-white grids, and this year’s Winter Wondersolve was no exception.

It’s the right mix of challenge and creativity for solvers accustomed to NYT-style solving, and I think the constructors and organizers did one heck of a job putting together the event. A hearty tip-of-the-hat to the hardworking puzzlers for pulling this all off!

I can’t wait to see what they cook up for us next.

And speaking of, the Boswords 2026 Spring Themeless League is coming soon! A weekly tournament that happens every Monday night from 9-10 pm Eastern in March and April (with a bonus livestream hangout!), the Spring Themeless League is the kind of community puzzly joy that is always welcome.

Registration for the event opens Saturday, February 15th, and they’ve already announced a killer’s row of constructors (in addition to the spot for the winner of their open submission contest).

This year’s line-up includes Kareem Ayas, Michael Berg, Malaika Handa, Katie Hoody, Rafael Musa, Jess Shulman, Byron Walden, and Stella Zawistowski.

Check out the Boswords website for full details!

Thanks for solving with me today. Did you tackle the challenge of the Winter Wondersolve, or will you be participating in this year’s Spring Themeless League? Let me know in the comments section below, I’d love to hear from you!

Open Submission Contest for the Boswords Spring Themeless League!

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The Winter Wondersolve has come and gone, but the team at Boswords is already looking ahead to their 2026 Spring Themeless League.

The Spring Themeless League spreads out a tournament-style solving experience over nine weeks, with one themeless crossword per week. Each puzzle is scored based on your answer accuracy (incorrect letters, empty squares, etc.) and how quickly you complete the grid.

While each week’s puzzle only has one solution, there are three sets of clues, each representing a different difficulty level for solvers. Smooth is the least challenging, Choppy is the middle ground, and Stormy is the most challenging. (When solvers register to participate, they choose the difficulty level that suits them best.)

And the Boswords team has announced that they’ll be accepting Open Submissions for one of those themeless puzzles.

They’re looking for an unclued themeless grid (size 15x or 15×16), and it’s only open to constructors who have never had a themeless crossword published in the New York Times (prior to 1/24/26). Constructors who have constructed for a previous Boswords event are also ineligible.

Click here for full details and guidelines for your submission!

Send your grid by Sunday, February 22nd, and you should hear by March 1st if your grid has been chosen.

What an awesome opportunity for up-and-coming cruciverbalists to show off their constructing talents!

While we’re talking about crosswords, let me also take this time to again shout out the ORCAS collaboration with the Trevor Project.

Just donate to the Trevor Project from the special link, and you’ll receive a puzzle pack featuring 76 ORCA-nominated puzzles from 44 outlets, plus five original puzzles from the Constructor of the Year nominees. I solved my way through the entire pack, and it was an absolute joy.

Please give if you can, it’s a wonderful cause. For information on how to make a donation and receive the puzzle pack, email: theorcaawards@gmail.com.

Oh, and the ORCAS ballot for this year’s nominees is now public, so be sure to get your votes in for all those marvelous puzzles and constructors.

(Oh, and PuzzCulture is nominated as well — Best Crossword-Related Media — and the competition is stiff. So much great crossword commentary and content available online!)

Crossword fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and months!

Boswords Winter Wondersolve was on Sunday (I’ll be delving into the tournament puzzles on Thursday), this coming Saturday is the Westport Library Crossword Tournament, and we’ve got the ORCAS livestream on Monday, February 23rd.

Not only that, but the Boswords Spring Themeless League starts in March, plus we’ve got the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and Crossword Con in April! (And somewhere in there, Westwords will announce when registration is open for their June event.)

Are you looking forward to any puzzly events coming up, or will you be submitting to the Boswords Spring Themeless League open submission contest? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you.

End-of-Year Crossword News Roundup: Globe and Mail, Upcoming Xwd Events, and Crossword Love!

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We’ve got all sorts of crossword-related news, updates, and stories for you today! Buckle up, and let’s talk xwds!

The Globe and Mail’s Annual Giant Holiday Crossword

Every year, constructor Fraser Simpson creates a giant holiday crossword for Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail. He has been doing so since 2003, so for many Canadian crossword and cryptic fans, this is a decades-long holiday tradition!

Not only is it enormous, but it’s visually striking, as he uses a cryptic-style grid, but American-style crossword cluing.

With 628 clues and entries, this puzzly behemoth will no doubt tax even the hardiest crossword enthusiasts!

And The Globe and Mail is offering a behind-the-scenes look at their constructing process, including an introduction to cluing styles for new solvers!

While it won’t be anything new to crossword enthusiasts or established constructors, it’s still cool that they’re willing to pull back the curtain on one of their biggest promotions of the year. Demystifying crosswords just means more people get to enjoy the puzzles we love so much. And that’s a very good thing.

ACPT, Boswords Winter Wondersolve, and Puzzmo’s Open Submission Week

Just a quick reminder of all the puzzly opportunities awaiting you at the end of this year and the start of 2026!

#1: Puzzmo is holding their next Crossword Open Submission Week from December 29th to January 5th, 2026, with new and established constructors all welcome to submit their puzzly creations.

Themed and themeless puzzles are welcome, as long as they fit Puzzmo’s specs, and the Puzzmo team has created an impressively thorough document to assist aspiring constructors with their efforts. Grid specs, examples of previously published puzzles, and more await anyone hoping to see their work pop up on Puzzmo.

#2: Registration for the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament opens on January 1st for former contestants and on January 8th for rookies!

With the tournament changing venues for the 2027 tournament, this is the last time to experience the ACPT in Stamford’s familiar locale.

#3: The Boswords Winter Wondersolve is coming Sunday afternoon, February 1st (and registration opens Friday, January 2nd)!

This online only, four-puzzle tournament (3 themed puzzles and 1 themeless) kicks off another year of puzzly events from the Boswords team, and there’s plenty to enjoy.

They’ve already announced the team of constructors lined up for this year’s Winter Wondersolve: Adam Aaronson, Wendy L. Brandes, Pao Roy, and the team of Amanda Rafkin & Amie Walker!

Boswords never disappoints, so be sure to sign up early for this one!

Crossword Compatibility

Please allow me to wrap up this crossword-centric post with a fun story I spotted on Reddit.

Making a crossword for your partner is a wonderful gift, and I’m sure the significant others of many puzzlers have either commissioned a special crossword or taken the leap and constructed one themselves!

So it was delightful to read a story where BOTH partners had the same idea.

Yup, each of them had constructed a crossword for the other in secret, revealing their linguistic efforts at the same time.

How can you not love a story like that?

Even better is the top comment on Reddit, where this anecdote first appeared: “Your shared disregard for symmetry tells me you were meant for each other.”

Clearly it’s a match made in puzzle heaven.

What are you looking forward to in the world of puzzles for 2026, fellow solvers? Let us know in the comments section below! We’d love to hear from you.