Tag Archives: Puzzle to solve

American Crossword Puzzle Tournament Weekend!

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Good luck to everyone participating in Stamford and at home in this year’s Nerd Olympics, aka the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament!

The mix of camaraderie and competition is so unique at ACPT, and there’s a general joyfulness that permeates the entire event. (Yes, even during the dreaded Puzzle #5.)

While I was unable to attend this year sadly, I did celebrate in my own way… by constructing a puzzle for you to enjoy!

Consider this a VERY easy icebreaker to shake off any puzzly ring rust you might have before diving into the devious and delightful puzzles of this year’s tournament!

[Click here to download a PDF of the puzzle.]

This is probably my fastest turnaround ever for a puzzle, from initial idea to finished product, and I hope you enjoy.

Happy puzzling, friends and competitors! Break a leg!

Wait, that’s for actors. What’s a good luck term for cruciverbalists? Break a pencil tip? That seems like a cruel jinx to put on someone.

Possible options:

  • May all your crossings not be cross!
  • Get your fill!
  • Happy rebus hunting!
  • Grid and bear it!

Wow, those are awful. Anyway, good luck and enjoy the puzzle!

Farewell, Sam.

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Sam Kieth is a comic book artist, writer, and storyteller who isn’t as well-known as he should be. He wrote and drew for the Hulk, Wolverine, Batman, and many other notable characters, and also co-created The Sandman with the intolerable Neil Gaiman.

He has sadly passed away at the age of 63 after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia.

When I was younger, his comic The Maxx (and the MTV Oddities cartoon adapted from the comic) were brain-meltingly creative influences on me.

He opened my mind to the possibilities of storytelling, and I still count his works alongside those of Dave Barry, Terry Pratchett, Connie Willis, and Douglas Adams, when it comes to how impactful they were.

And I want to pay tribute to him the best way I know how, so I created a little acrostic puzzle in his honor.

[Click here to download a PDF of the puzzle.]

I hope you enjoy solving it, and take a little time to explore the works of Sam Kieth. He leaves a long and varied creative legacy behind him, and much of it holds up to this very day.

Farewell, Sam. And thank you.

A Seasonal Puzzle Contest from Michael Hanko and George Barany!

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Hello puzzly friends!

Today is indeed your lucky day, as I have a second puzzle to share with you, courtesy of constructors Michael Hanko and George Barany!

They’re hosting a puzzle contest and asked me to help spread the word to my fellow puzzle enthusiasts.

The challenge before you? Solve the crossword below, titled Calendar Arithmetic, and complete both the grid and the bonus message (a timely warning!) at the bottom of the grid.

[Click here to download the puzzle!]

Once you’ve printed and solved the puzzle, either photograph or scan the completed grid.

Send it AND the timely warning to barany@umn.edu for a chance to win a prize, like puzzle books or complimentary custom puzzles to be worked out with the constructors!

Submit your entry by the vernal equinox for your chance to win: Friday, March 20, 2026, 9:46 AM. (Okay, just checked, and they’re offering a grace period, as long as you get the puzzle in by midnight on Sunday, March 22nd.)

Good luck, and happy puzzling!

Happy Friday the 13th!

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Today’s a good day. A day when people remember to be wary of sidewalk cracks, walking under ladders, or troubling that black cat on your path. A day for visiting the nearby summer camp and reminding those horny rapscallion teens of their duties and responsibilities.

Yes, it’s Friday the 13th, and I simply cannot let today a Friday the 13th pass without some sort of horror-fueled celebration.

I usually watch at least one of the Jason Voorhees films on this day. (Do yourself a favor and watch Jason X, it’s so hilariously great.)

So when inspiration struck last week, I sought out my horror movie friend Julien, who helped me brainstorm entries for this theme.

Oh, and I couldn’t resist turning the black squares red to fit the aesthetic.

I hope you enjoy, especially in a lakeside cabin, or a cruise ship, or for about 15 minutes, in the streets of Manhattan.

[Click here to download a one-page PDF version, or here for a larger text two-page PDF version.]

Happy puzzling, fellow solvers!

Valentine’s Framework For You to Solve!

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Hello fellow puzzlers! Happy Valentine’s Day! Or Happy Day After Friday the 13th! Or Happy whatever else you might be celebrating today!

To commemorate the day, I’ve constructed a little romance-tinged puzzly treat for you to solve.

It’s a heart-shaped Framework puzzle with a themed word list loaded with all sorts of shmoopy- and otherwise holiday-appropriate vocabulary!

[Click this link to download a PDF of this puzzle.]

Happy puzzling, friends!

Happy (Inter)National Puzzle Day!

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It’s National Puzzle Day on Thursday, also known as International Puzzle Day, depending on where you are and whether your puzzly activities extend across borders.

Hopefully you’ve managed to dig yourselves out of all that snow across the US, and you’ve got a jigsaw, a crossword, a logic puzzle, a brain teaser, or some other puzzly activity set aside to enjoy.

We’re delighted to be celebrating this puzzliest of days with you, and as you might expect, we’ve got a puzzle for you to solve in honor of the holiday!

This 15x crossword is titled Better Without. Happy solving!

[Click this link to download a PDF of this puzzle.]

Happy National/International Puzzle Day Eve Eve, fellow puzzle fans!