Day: March 1, 2024

Home to a handful of puzzles on our daily emails, The Puzzle Society announced this week a shift in its approac. The team graciously shared a blurb with us:

The Puzzle Society announced this week that it’s shifting to a member-only model. Previously the site allowed guests to play one free level each of their 30-plus games per day. Moving forward, all levels will available for members only, and the experience for existing paying members will not change.

“This shift to a membership model allows us to focus on our mission to create the best puzzle experience for our members, and to continually create new games and features,” says Chris Waldron, chief digital officer at Andrews McMeel Universal, the publishing company that owns the Puzzle Society.

Currently the Puzzle Society has one original crossword puzzle, The Modern Crossword, which is the brainchild of their editors Erik Agard, Anna Gundlach, Amanda Rafkin, and David Steinberg.

Amanda Rafkin also created Squared Away, a twist on the traditional crossword puzzle. Other original games have sprung up from that team, which also includes Kelsey Dixon and Jared Goudsmit: Upwordly, Switch Spots, Caved, Hex 10, Thematik, and ThruLine.

Already a favorite of our staff for their not-too-quick, not-too-hard, but just-right games, the Puzzle Society has really impressed with growth in its crossword and non-crossword offerings in the last year-plus. Memberships are available a $6.99/month or $44.95/year.

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Our publishing timeline has not played nice with this blurb, but voting is now open for the 12th ORCA Awards – the annual celebration of creativity in crosswords! Winners will be announced on March 6 during a livestream filled with games and prizes. Five long-time solvers will receive special awards. For each day of their streak, solvers can receive a chance to win crossword memorabilia inscribed to them and signed by Will Shortz. Need not be present to win. Details and voting info can be found at Diary of a Crossword Fiend.

If you’d like to review the nominees and vote yourself, be sure to visit that link today, as voting closes at midnight Eastern. And then set your calendar for the livestream on March 6!

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The in-person component of the ACPT has reached capacity. If you missed out but are still interested, a Virtual Tournament, held concurrently and presenting the same puzzles as the in-person competition is still welcoming registrants.

There is still time to register for the Boswords Spring Themeless League, whose first competitive week begins this coming Monday, March 4, following a “preseason” puzzle this past Monday. Visit Boswords.org to join the fun.

One of the cool things Boswords does is hold open submissions for one of their nine puzzles in each Themeless League. Congrats to Geoffrey Schorkopf, who claimed this season’s open spot! Read bios for each of the Spring constructors at boswords.org

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These Puzzles Fund Abortion 4 is still available for presale. The largest suite yet in a series that has raised over $200,000 for abortion funds and women’s health care, TPFA 4 includes 22 puzzles and a mini variety puzzle meta suite. Make a donation here by March 15 to receive the pack on its release day. A sample puzzle from TPFA3 is available for free, while previous packs are still available for donations.