The 2026 edition of the Midwest Crossword Tournament was this past weekend, wrapping up the summer-to-fall monthly tournament pipeline (unless you live near the Finger Lakes of course).
I had a chance to sit down and try my hands at this year’s tournament puzzles. As always, I have some thoughts.
So, without further ado, let’s see what the Midwest Gridfest constructors had in store for solvers this year!
Puzzle #1: “Well, It’s About Time” by Kate Jenson
This 16×15 grid was an excellent starter for the tournament, offering solid accessible cluing (with some regional color and trivia) and an impressive swathe of long, varied entries all ending with “MN.” This puzzle was tied together nicely by the grid-spanning revealer MINNESOTA GOODBYE.
I wasn’t wild about LEAVES OF AUTUMN as an entry, which kinda felt like a lyric or line of verse that was reworded in Yodaspeak in order to fit a rhyme. (Though a quick internet search does seem to support the constructor, so this is quite possibly a me problem.)
But for the most part, this was a strong kickoff to a day of puzzle-solving.
Interesting grid entries included MASON WASP, BIANNUAL, and OFF-PUT, and my favorite clues were “Beauty brand with a six-shade ‘Ford Mustang’ collection” for OPI and “What a castle by the sea might be made of” for SAND.
Puzzle #2: Local Flavor by Mike Graczyk
The growing number of crossword tournaments each year across the US means we get more interesting location-specific clues, in addition to regional touches of personality. (As a trivia nerd, that’s a huge bonus for me.)
That’s absolutely the case with this 15x themeless crossword.
Now, unlike our constructor, I don’t begrudge people a little ketchup on their hot dogs (and that’s coming from someone who worked at a hot dog stand on and off for the better part of a decade). But I still quite enjoyed (almost wrote “relished” there) all the local references and “flavor” promised by the title.
There are some good crossings in this well-constructed grid, but the cluing is where Graczyk shines.
Interesting grid entries included MARSALIS, ONE AND DONE, SEARS TOWER, and JULES, and my favorite clues were “Feature of Grand Rapids and Green Bay” for HARD G, “Be a little shy” for OWE, and “Its name technically changed in 2009 (What’chu talkin’ ’bout… Willis??)” for SEARS TOWER.
Puzzle #3: Team Spirit by Rena Cohen
This 21x crossword, like Snickers, was guaranteed to satisfy any solvers in desperate need of some sports-based punnery.
Common phrases like BANG FOR YOUR BUCK and GUARDIAN ANGELS were clued to reference Midwest sports teams, and Cohen packed seven of them into the grid, including a grid-spanning centerpiece that taught me that there’s a hockey team called the Minnesota Wild.
Mix that with some excellent grid fill and a tightly constructed grid (UNIDEAL notwithstanding), and you’ve got an eye-catching behemoth to mark the Midwest midpoint of the tournament.
Interesting grid entries included BOCA RATON, LEFT A TIP, BELOW PAR, FIDELIO, PHOENICIA, and BAD PUNS (untrue when it comes to the puns in this puzzle), and my favorite clues were “Garment whose name evolved from French baby talk” for TUTU and “You might have one to get out of an escape room” for HOUR.
Puzzle #4: Take a Michigan Left by Emily Biegas and Sala Wanetick
I’ve solved several excellent collaborations by Biegas and Wanetick this year, so when I saw this byline come up in Puzzle #4, I knew I was in for something good.
What I didn’t know was how devious it would be.
This 15x puzzle featured four theme entries with U-turn signs accompanying them, as well as four black lines at various spots in the grid. It was clear that some sort of wordplay / answer manipulation would be at play here. I figured I would have to go beyond the actual answer to each clue to understand the gimmick involved.
For instance, 17-Across was clued “____ space (stairways, corridors, etc.)”, and the grid crossings resulted in LIMODRIVER. I knew LIMINAL was the answer, and I kept looking around, trying to find a way to replace letters or spell it out with neighboring letters in some way.
But I couldn’t suss it out.
This was, in fact, the second tournament puzzle this year where I completed the grid well within the allotted time, but I definitely didn’t UNDERSTAND the puzzle within the allotted time. (Puzzle #4 at Lollapuzzoola 19, I remember you.)
But after completing the rest of the tournament puzzles and then coming back to stare baffled at my completed grid for far too long, I reached out to a fellow puzzler who I knew was in attendance at the tournament, and she thankfully reassured me that I wasn’t alone in my befuddlement. In fact, many solvers needed the puzzle’s gimmick explained to them with visual aids.
As it turns out, I was on the right path, looking for the answer in a path beyond the actual entry. But U-turn arrows are curved, and so was the path to the answer, including diagonals. (Each one would stop at one of those black lines in the grid.)
WOOF. This one was a doozy. Impressively constructed and smartly clued, to be sure. But a doozy nonetheless.
Interesting grid entries included OK FINE, TEST RUN, SEMPER FI, and DEEP RED (sadly not clued to reference the Argento film), and my favorite clues were “Totally fasten-ated?” for RIVETED and “They turn thoughts into actions” for SYNAPSES.
Puzzle #5: Chicago Style by Zachary Edward-Brown
After my struggle with Puzzle #4, I regained a little confidence as I tackled this 15x grid that matched Puzzle #1’s welcoming energy, enjoying a breezy, smooth solve.
The theme entries were established phrases that became something new when CHI was added — my favorite was NO NOTES becoming CHINO NOTES — and the grid fill was great fun. Has SKINEMAX ever appeared in the NYT Crossword? (I just checked XWordInfo, and it has not. You scooped them, Zachary!)
Interesting grid entries included SMIRCH, EASY TIGER, PAC-MAN, NO OFFENSE, and the aforementioned SKINEMAX, and my favorite clues were “One assisting with coursework?” for SOUS CHEF and “Archenemy of Odlaw” for WALDO. (Deep Where’s Waldo? lore there!)
Puzzle #6: End of the Road by Jess Rucks
This 15x themeless was the perfect capper to the day’s solving, as Rucks presented a tight grid with loads of long entries crossing and buckets of personality in the grid fill.
There were two sets of clues available for the championship themeless, MINNESOTA NICE and CHICAGO FIRE, depending on your preference.
And Rucks excelled with both sets of clues, hitting the difficulty of each version perfectly and offering tons of style and wordplay to solvers of all ability levels. One of my favorite themeless puzzles this year.
Interesting grid entries included THE GOAT, PSYOPS, ACTION STAR, GICHIGAMI, and the fun pair of OKAY I GIVE and OH GOD NO.
As for favorite clues, here’s a list:
- MN NICE: “Guy who totally sleighs at gift-giving” for SANTA
- MN NICE: “Life phases, like ‘villain’ or ‘healing'” for ERAS
- MN NICE: “What one must do to be the last one standing, so to speak, in musical chairs” for SIT
- CHI FIRE: “They’re all talk, to some degree” for ORALS
- CHI FIRE: “It leads to suffering, per Yoda” for HATE
- CHI FIRE: “Present day figure” for SANTA
- CHI FIRE: “Many Gen Alpha members (already!?)” for TEENS
- CHI FIRE: “Doodle bug?” for FLEA
- BOTH: “Original name for Lake Superior (“great water,” in Anishinaabemowin)” for GICHIGAMI
Plus some shameless puns and a Golden Girls reference. Outstanding clues.
Tiebreaker: Calculus Class by Will Eisenberg
Waiting in the wings for any ties was this 12×9 Midwest midi packed with snark (quite apropos for MEAN GIRLS DAY, one of the grid-spanning answers).
It was a fun, quick solve and a terrific light dessert after a crossword feast.
And, for those who STILL weren’t solving-sated, there was a bonus themeless crossword by Kaye Brown, a Ben Bass cryptogram, and a Mini Meta Suite curated by Sally Hoelscher. Attendees were absolutely spoiled!
Last year’s Midwest Crossword Tournament puzzles made a big impression on me when I solved them earlier this year, so my expectations were high going into this year’s tournament. And for the most part, this year’s puzzles easily met those lofty expectations.
There were a few odd grid entries, but otherwise the construction this year was terrific. The themes were accessible and full of Midwestern color.
I obviously struggled with Puzzle #4, but that’s not a flaw in the programming, that’s a feature. There should always be one or two puzzles that ratchet up the challenge level and test your puzzly mettle, and Puzzle #4 succeeded at that.
The puzzling here was topnotch start to finish, and I’m already looking forward to next year’s festivities. (Which have already been announced for October 2nd, 2027!)
Did you tackle this year’s Midwest Gridfest, fellow puzzlers, either from home or live in person? Let me know in the comment section below. I’d love to hear from you!
