Remember that this is not an attempt to pick the “best” puzzles, and we won’t be commenting as critics. Our approach is best described as “puzzles we solved that we don’t think you should miss.” Kind of like staff recommendations at a local bookstore.
Did we miss your favorites? Add them in the comments!
Puzzmo: Business Up Front, Party in the Back (1/11) by Trent H. Evans. The rise of the midi form allows for all sorts of wordplay finds that wouldn’t work in a 15×15 grid to get their moment in the sun. This grid has two themers and a perfect title bringing them together. – Matt
Dissonant Grids: “it’s hard to get out of bed” and “it’s hard to know what i’m feeling” (1/12) by Owen Bergstein. For anyone who loves how a puzzle can reveal the personality of the constructor, Owen Bergstein’s Inferno Variations, a double-gridded masterpiece, offers a tough going but ultimately rewarding and artistic experience. – Steve
Bewilderingly: This Puzzle Is Full of Itself (1/13) by Will Nediger. One of those puzzles where you can’t wait for the next theme clue to see what else the constructor has in store. – Matt
Will also posted another edition of his Indie puzzle highlights, which we’re now going to include in these posts rather than News & Notes. Note that his posts are much more spoiler-heavy than ours.
Merriam Webster: The Missing Letter (1/16) by Matt Gaffney. We haven’t had Matt’s Merriam Webster puzzles in these posts yet. They’re awfully constrained, as each puzzle features clues starting with 25 different letters of the alphabet. This had a great pair of long entries. – Matt
Los Angeles Times: (1/16) by Pravan Chakravarthy. Cute idea in a direction you don’t see very often. – Matt
Vox: Blow-by-Blow Account (1/18) by Adesina O. Koiki. Tight theme set with a spot-on revealer. – Matt
Los Angeles Times: (1/22) by Parker Higgins. Themes don’t need dramatic contortions for a great payoff. I laughed out loud when I hit the revealer on this one. – Matt
Universal: ($) Break It Up! (1/24) by Ryan Mathiason. A great theme that I enjoyed piecing together even after my solve. – Matt
Apple News: ($) Freestyle (1/25) by Kate Chin Park. Shouting out the clue at 46-Across. —Rich