Today we welcome Claire Rimkus (they/them, she/her): crossword constructor, TPFA editor/organizer, ORCA-winning clue writer, and one half of a delightful duo in pairs solving. Claire lives in Massachusetts with her cats.
Claire! Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions! Let’s start with your crossword origin story.
As Bane said in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises, “But you merely adopted the [crossword]; I was born in it, molded by it.”
My grandparents were big-time puzzle lovers who passed their passion onto my dad, Pete Rimkus. When he was in college, his mom would mail him the Boston Globe crossword every week. He went to his first American Crossword Puzzle Tournament when I was a pre-teen. I was more into Boggle and KenKen at the time, but eventually as a teenager I started solving the New York Times (NYT) every day. I went to my first tournament in 2009, and I’ve been hooked on crosswords ever since. I started constructing in 2018 because it seemed like the kind of thing I would find fun. And luckily, I was right!
So, crosswords have been somewhat of a throughline in your teens and adult years. How have crossword puzzles impacted your life?
We are so blessed that this community is full of such fun, weird, smart, kind people, so I am incredibly grateful for the amazing friendships I’ve made. In addition, I feel doubly blessed because it’s also so special to share this hobby with my dad. In 2018, we decided to give pairs solving a go at Lollapuzzoola. It was so FUN to take this usually solitary activity and mind-meld with someone I know very well to solve puzzles together. I’m so grateful that we can have that nerdy fun together.
Can you tell us more about solving with your dad? Do you have any strategies you’re willing to share when it comes to solving as a pair?
We solve the same way every time: He starts in the upper left corner of the grid, and I start in the bottom right. We write in the letters simultaneously; there isn’t a lot of actual teamwork, we both just solve approximately half of the puzzle. We really don’t speak at all. Sometimes if there is a tricky theme, whoever figures it out will circle something or tap their pencil to draw the other person’s attention. Occasionally there will be a rapper or pop album he doesn’t know, and he circles the clue to have me check his answer; he then returns the favor when there are ’70s sports references on my half of the grid.
It sounds like you make a good pair. Does your dad ever solve the puzzles that you make? What was his response to you starting to construct?
Yes, he does! He was pretty pleased when I started constructing. Whenever I have a puzzle published, he’ll usually text me a screenshot of the Daily Crossword Links with my name circled and a bunch of exclamation points.
When you began making crosswords, did you have a mentor? If so, who?
Yes! I made my first puzzle with the amazing Andrew Kingsley as part of the Queer Qrosswords project. We met in a Panera and spent hours nailing down the theme and filling the grid; that experience was invaluable in getting me started on my crossword construction journey. Not long after that, I collaborated with the brilliant Erik Agard on a few themelesses, and that really helped elevate me from beginner to intermediate status and gave me the confidence to start making more puzzles on my own.
Where have you been published?
I’ve had puzzles in The New York Times, The New Yorker, USA Today, Apple News+, The Inkubator, Defector, numerous puzzle packs (Queer Qrosswords, Grids for Good, Indie 500, These Puzzles Fund Abortion) and have constructed several times for the Boswords tournament.
In other words, you’ve made a ton of puzzles! What keeps you coming back, wanting to construct more?
I just really enjoy making puzzles. I also feel like there could be more LGBTQ representation in the crossword space, so if I can have a hobby I love and also be a part of that, it’s a win-win.
Will you share any other hobbies or work with us? Do your hobbies or day job ever intersect with crosswords? If so, how?
I greatly enjoy being outside, whether that’s camping with friends, hiking, gardening, or just solving crosswords and reading in my backyard. I’m a chemist, which doesn’t directly intersect with crosswords, but a lot of chemistry is like a puzzle. I feel like it uses a similar part of my brain.
What part of your brain is that? Say more about the chemistry between chemistry and crosswords (sorry, I couldn’t resist!).
In general, crosswords have taught me a lot that can apply to science: have a flexible mind, consider all possible solutions, and if you are stuck on something try approaching it from another angle. Without getting too technical, in my job I use a technique called mass spectrometry. It basically breaks a molecule into fragments, and then I look at the data from the fragments and can piece them together to figure out what the entire molecule originally looked like. That’s the most puzzle-y part of chemistry, for me.
How do you come up with your constructing ideas?
For themelesses, a lot of the time I will hear someone say a word or phrase and I’ll think, “I want to put that in a puzzle!” For themed puzzles, I will notice something about a particular word or phrase, be it a letter pattern or a word with multiple meanings, or a fun re-interpretation of an idiom, and then just try to figure out “how could I turn this into a crossword puzzle?”
Please share some of your greatest hits with us!
I was really happy that I was able to debut TUXEDO CAT in the NYT, because one of my housemates is a tuxedo cat. Very recently, I collaborated with the wonderful Chandi Deitmer in Apple News+, and we were able to fit the names of each of our cats into the puzzle, which was a fun bonus for anyone who knows us. Sometimes I worry that I have made cats my entire personality, and my response to this question confirms this. Greatest non-cat hit? I had to clue the word BONER for an Inkubator puzzle, and I gave them options for an easy clue and a hard clue. They decided to go with the, ahem, hard one, and I got the ORCA “Clue of the Year” for that.
Well now I definitely need to know more. Are you willing to tell us the clue, for those who didn’t solve that Inkubator puzzle?
[Member state]
Ha! So good! So you like including fun wordplay and brilliant clues into your puzzles. What do you try to avoid?
Anything that would give a feeling of “ick.” For me, that includes obscure crosswordese, too many abbreviations, and things that are violent/unpleasant/offensive.
What advice would you give to new or aspiring constructors?
Don’t be afraid to just play around to hone your skills. When I first started constructing, my goal wasn’t to make something submission-worthy, it was simply to learn how to make a crossword. I used to take names of my favorite basketball and hockey players, lay them out symmetrically in the grid, and try to make a puzzle, just to learn the ropes of where to place black squares and practice getting good fill. I knew no one would ever solve those puzzles, but I learned so much about the basics by just fiddling around.
Are there any constructors whose puzzles you love to solve? What do you like about their puzzles?
I am a big Robyn Weintraub fan. When I see her byline on a NYT or New Yorker, I know that I am going to enjoy the puzzle, because both the grid quality and clue quality are top-notch. I have the same feeling for anything Wyna Liu has touched. I also love Crosstina Aquafina blog puzzles because they always make me laugh. There is so much talent in this community, so while there are many more than that, I cannot list them all!
What about any favorite crossword resources to shout-out?
I use Adam Aaronson’s Wordlisted tool with almost every themed crossword I make. THANK YOU, ADAM!
What’s one thing that DCL readers would be surprised to learn about you?
I’m a total gym rat. I’m one of those ridiculous people who wakes up at 5am every day to lift weights. I get all of my non-crossword solving (Wordle, Connections, LinkedIn Games, Order Up, Nerdle, etc.) done while resting between sets.
Are there any projects or other work you do in crosswords that you’d like to highlight (blogs, charity packs, etc.)? Where can we find it?
We are launching the fifth pack of These Puzzles Fund Abortion (TPFA) March 1, 2025. I am one of the organizers/editors of the pack, along with Rachel Fabi and Steve Mossberg. TPFA is a fundraising pack where we raise money for abortion funds, and in return we send donors a pack of 20+ puzzles, each with some sort of reproductive justice / social justice angle. We have raised over $320,000 to date, and I’m really excited about this year, because we once again have an incredible lineup of wicked-talented people volunteering their time to make puzzles for us. In addition to editing, I made/co-made two of the crosswords in the pack. You can find more information at abortionpuzzles.com.
I also have a blog called Just Gridding with Rachel Fabi that is not as active as it was in its heyday, but we still post there occasionally and have fun with our “Just-The-Grid” puzzles, where we make a grid and then crowd-source the clues online.
As a way to wrap up each Constructor Spotlight, I’ve decided to include a handful of rapid-fire questions. Since you’re answering these over email, I’m trusting you to not think too long and hard about these answers! 😉
Coffee or tea?
Neither?! I only drink water!
Sweet or savory?
Savory
Truth or dare?
Truth
Leg day or arm day?
Arms
What is your go-to emoji?
Final question: What three words do you think your closest friend(s) would use to describe you?
Independent, reliable, quirky
Thanks, Claire! All done. Thank you for your thoughtful answers – and for being our FIRST Constructor Spotlight feature!
😭😭😭😭😭😭
This interview has been edited and condensed from a series of written survey answers.
Jess Rucks is a therapist and crossword constructor. She is happy to combine her love of learning about others with her love of crosswords for DCL’s Constructor Spotlight.