Category: puzzle-recs

Got a few weeks of puzzles for you again today. Happy solving!

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!

New York Times: (12/12) by Daniel Bodily. Clean! – Matt

New York Times: (12/26) by Ella Dershowitz. – Matt

The New Yorker: The Holiday Crossword (12/23-12/27). This annual series from The New Yorker jam-packs a year-end retrospective into five puzzles. It’s a different solving experience than most puzzles, but certainly worth a try. – Matt

Los Angeles Times: (12/26) by Kevin Christian & Doug Peterson. A theme format that’s fallen out of vogue a bit, but pleasant to unravel and the themers themselves are entertaining – Matt

Alta Journal: Animal Style (12/15) by Rebecca Goldstein and Rafael Musa. Just a really solid puzzle from this pair of West-Coast (hint) constructors in this West-Coast (hint hint) magazine. – Matt

LuterCross: I Contain Multitudes (12/24) – Matt

The New Yorker: Stop Right There! (12/16) by Adam Wagner. A rare themed puzzle from The New Yorker, and it’s a clever one from Adam. —Rich & Norah

Mental Judo: Hacking the Cryptic (12/26) by herzwesten and joeadultman. The third text adventure puzzle from this duo is just as good as the first two. Very approachable if you’re new to variety cryptics. —Rich

Dissonant Grids: Healing? (12/13) by Owen Bergstein. A stunning blog debut unlike anything we’ve seen in a long time. While the post rightfully carries a comprehensive content warning, the unique solving experience is worth putting aside any reservations. Brilliant work. –Norah  

HallePuzzles: A Slight Alteration (12/7) by Halle Pollack. The winning puzzle of Crosswordr’s New Constructor Contest, and with good reason. A standout among the competition with a themeset executed with perfect consistency, including the revealer itself. Don’t miss it. –Norah 

Zinna Bun: 🫧 (12/22) by zinna and kateschmate. Zinna has become known for her blending of artistic grid presentation with a lyrical poetry in the clues. After adding Kate’s brilliant cluing voice, this is one of my favorite indie puzzles of the year. So gorgeous. -Norah 

Got a few weeks of puzzles for you again today. Happy solving!

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!

Newsday: Saturday Stumper (11/16) by Stan Newman –Matt 

New York Times: ($) (11/19) by Erik Agard –Matt

Universal: ($) Walk This Way by Drew Schmenner –Matt 

Luckystreak Xwords: ($) puzzle #195: who’s excited? (themeless) (11/18) by Ada Nicolle. –Matt

New York Times: ($) (11/19) by Erik Agard –Matt

Luckystreak Xwords: puzzle #195.5: lemme at ‘er! (themeless) (11/23) by Ada Nicolle. –Matt

The Atlantic: (11/24) by Kelsey Dixon. —Rich 

The New Yorker: The Crossword (11/26) by Erik Agard. —Rich

Luckystreak Xwords: care to elaborate? (themed) + no-skips recap (11/30) by ada nicolle. —Rich 

Slate: (12/8) by Chandi Deitmer – Rich

Los Angeles Times: (12/10) by Zhouqin Burnikel – Matt 

New York Times Puzzle Mania: ($) Annual Super Mega (12/1) by Sid Sivakumar. — Matt

Got a few weeks of puzzles for you again today. Happy solving!

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!

Crosstina Aquafina: crosstina aqua-zine-a, vol. 1 (10/19) by kelsey dixon. A tour de force in crossword creativity that’s still available as a PDF download. —Rich and Norah

Boswords Themeless League: Week 4 (10/28) by Sarah Sinclair. My favorite so far of the season. So many fun entries. You can still sign up! —Norah

lost for xwords: Was It Something I Ate? (10/28) by August Miller. Nice blend of indie touches, variety of cluing styles, and super-satisfying to solve. —Norah

Luckystreak Xwords: repeat stuff (10/29) by ada nicolle. clever theme that builds on itself as the puzzle continues. so much fun to solve. don’t miss! —norah

Universal: ($) Seasonal Ingredients (10/30) by Amie Walker and Geoffrey Schorkopf. —Matt

Los Angeles Times: (11/2) by Evan Mulvihill. —Matt

Luckystreak Xwords: remember those puzzles i built? (11/3) by ada nicolle. If you aren’t solving Ada’s (free!) “No-Skips November” puzzles, you’re missing out. Plus, there are cat adventures! —Rich

Boswords Themeless League: ($) Week 5 (11/4) by Andy Kravis. Without a doubt my favorite themeless grid of the year. Andy is an absolute pro, and the clues are just as good, if not better. —Matt (and Norah)

Luckystreak Xwords: letters of employment (11/8) by ada nicolle. Another “No-Skips November” puzzle, this one with a fun theme. —Rich

Apple News: ($) X Factor (11/10) by Kate Chin Park. I’ve only recently started doing the Apple News crossword every day, but it’s quickly becoming a favorite. Check it out if you can. —Rich

Defector: ($) Paintball (11/11) by Will Nediger. —Matt and Rich

Crossweird Puzzles: Puzzle Girl Autumn (11/11) by 🥯 and xwordswithbabka: and here we are (11/13) by Dan Schwartz. A pair of indie midis that brought me joy amidst *gestures at everything.* —Rich

We’re trying to get back to weekly, I promise. Happy solving!

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!

Slate: (10/13) by Nancy Serrano-Wu. I always learn something from Nancy’s puzzles and this one with a smooth solve, lovely center stack, and multicultural references is no exception. -Norah 

The Modern: ($) Themeless 85 (10/13) by Malaika Handa. Lovely balanced construction that is fresh but not unapproachable, hard but not too difficult, and a perfect example of why I’m sad that The Modern team has announced its closure. -Norah 

Defector: ($) Flower Arrangement (10/14) by Erik Agard and Kelsey Dixon. Wow this theme! If you have a few dollars to spare and can sign up for a month of two of Defector, the crossword archive alone is well worth it. -Norah 

Scientific American: Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes (10/15) by Aimee Lucido. I’m so happy that we’re getting more crosswords with science themes! This puzzle has it all – a creative theme, nice fill, and it references other SciAm pieces in some of the fact-based clues. -Norah

Vox: (10/3) by Will Nediger. A little late to this one, but I mean… how even. -Norah 

Major Arcana: Make Tracks (10/1) by Hoyt Arcane. I was a few weeks late to this ambitious and well-executed tribute to Chicago, but I’m glad I went back to it. Personally one of my favorite puzzles of the year. —Rich (and Norah) 

The Atlantic Mini: (10/18) by Paolo Pasco. Paolo’s Thursday/Friday Atlantics are always can’t miss, but I particularly enjoyed the little 1A/1D bonus in this one. —Rich

Puzzmo: Instant Film (10/18) by parker. Fun midi with an impressively tight theme set. —Rich & Norah 

Brendan Emmett Quigley: Number Place (10/17) I just liked the theme. Not too tricky but a really satisfying click. – Matt

Apple News: ($) Freestyle (10/19) by Kate Chin Park. – Rich

The New Yorker: The Crossword (10/23) by Patrick Berry – Matt

AVCX: Down the Drain (10/23) by Rebecca Goldstein. There was some surprise in one chatroom that this revealer hadn’t been used yet. But for the theme Rebecca puts together here, well worth the wait. – Matt

The Atlantic Mini: (10/24) by Paolo Pasco. A great example of a puzzle that can be hard while varied and entirely solvable. I love it when smaller grids get a gem in every single spot. – Matt

A light stretch from us given the runup to Midwest Crossword Tournament, but we’ve got a few. Happy solving!

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!

Bewilderingly: Back Exercise (9/23) by Will Nediger. This is a very “Will” puzzle in the best way. Some of the most memorable puzzles are ones that play with grid topography – rebuses, diagramless, and any number of variety formats are classic examples, but also diagonal symmetry and boundary-pushing tournament puzzles. Will is always happy to let a gimmick override a sense of where a theme should be in a puzzle or how much of the grid it should work with, and it’s a real neat payoff here. – Matt

Los Angeles Times: (9/24) by Stella Zawistowski This puzzle features a delightful theme that cleverly utilizes the circles in the grid. – Jac

New York Times: (9/25) by Peter Gordon. I’m thoroughly impressed with the theme of this puzzle. Even with all three revealers, it took me a while to grasp what was happening in the grid. But when that “aha” moment hit, I truly appreciated the cleverness of Peter’s construction. Hats off for finding so many words that fit the theme. – Jac

Universal: Fall Themeless Week, Puzzle 5 (9/27) by Matthew Luter: This crossword, featuring an impressive 14 entries of 8 letters or more, was a blast to solve. – Jac

Puzzmo: Winter Is Coming (10/2) by Elise Corbin. See what I said above about grid topography? Copy and paste. Plus whatever Rich was going to say; he didn’t leave a note =P. – Matt & Rich

Midwest Crossword Tournament: (10/5). They’re good puzzles. Available for a bit at the link. #3 and #6 were my favorites among favorites. – Matt

We’ve got a few from last week in addition to faves from this one; happy solving!

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!

Outside The Box: ($) going too far (9/9) by joon pahk. A week late, but I’m always excited to see one of my favorite variety puzzle types. Highly recommend subscribing to Outside the Box (which just started its new year) if you’re interested in puzzles that make you think in new and different ways. —Rich 

xwords by a ladee: i will wait for the next time (9/16) by Brooke Husic. Tough but beautiful, with one of the most stunning grid designs I’ve ever seen. —Rich 

Universal: My Two Cents (9/19) by Amie Walker & Geoffrey Schorkopf. Make a reference to my neck of the woods or to my favorite animal, and you’ll win me over. Despite my bias, Amie and Geoffrey have constructed a fun theme making for an easy and enjoyable solve. – Jac

Los Angeles Times: (9/20) by Will Pfadenhauer. Even with solving the theme revealer, it still took me a couple of extra minutes to catch onto the wordplay at work. Once it clicked in my head, I was thoroughly impressed. – Jac

Los Angeles Times: (9/19) by Nancy Stark & Will Nediger. Some may say that many crosswords are cut from the same cloth, but the tapestry of this puzzle and its short story are quite the delight. – Jac

Universal: Unexpected Arrivals (9/16) by Amanda Winters. As a fellow crossword constructor, I’m rather jealous at how Amanda found these theme entries. I would love to see a sequel puzzle that continues to use this theme as just one crossword isn’t enough. – Jac

Universal: East and West (9/9) by CJ Tan. A fun and cute theme that’s so subtle that I almost missed it until the revealer. – Jac

New York Times: (9/20) by Jackson Matz. Good long stuff, appealing grid shape. I liked it. – Matt

We’ve got a few weeks’ worth this time; happy solving!

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!

Topping our recommendations since last time is the Lollapuzzoola puzzle pack. While we would say that every single one is a don’t miss, our favorites are Puzzle 3 by Adam Aaronson and Alina Abidi – it’s a real thrill!; Puzzle 4 by Hoang-Kim Vu – complex and clever; and the tiebreaker puzzle by Kenneth Cortes – quick and fun.

Universal: ($) Jersey Numbers (8/21) by Desiree Penner and Jeff Sinnock. This is probably a toughie if you’re not a sports fan, but I enjoyed it and the construction is impressive. —Rich

Universal: ($) Taking Its Toll (8/22) by Shmuel Schmell and Los Angeles Times: (8/23) by Wendy L. Brandes. A pair of fun themes with revealers that are VERY up my alley. —Rich

AVCX+: ($) You Know What’s Cool? (8/23) by Kelsey Dixon. I don’t rec a lot of AVCX puzzles simply because they’re ALL so good, but this one is a real standout. —Rich

New York Times: (8/27) by Julia Hoepner. One of the biggest things I like when solving crosswords is keeping an even solving pace and having fun. This crossword checked both those boxes. With a pleasant Tuesday theme set of entries and an overall fresh feeling, Julia’s NYT debut is one not to miss. -Jac

AVCX: ($) Bowl Game (8/28) by Aimee Lucido. A clever theme that’s fun to untangle, but what I enjoyed even more was the fresh referential cluing throughout. -Norah

Universal: ($) Cal Zone (8/28) by Quiara Vasquez and Paul Coulter. Moderately challenging theme elegantly constructed. Good for a solver looking to work on their theme detection skills. – Norah

Half-Baked Puzzles: Code Words (8/29) by Will Eisenberg and Alex Boisvert. Love this throwback theme. —Rich

The Modern: ($) Saturday August 31 (8/31) by Kelsey Dixon. Another midi from the Modern that makes use of grid art and color relating to a theme. They’re fun! – Norah

As a companion piece to the above, Crosstina Aquafina: themeless no. 34: let’s work it out on the remix (8/27) by May Huang and Kelsey Dixon. love to all my fellow 17-As out there. -Norah (and Rich, who may or may not be a 17-A)

Lil AVC X: ($) Good Days in Spain (8/27) by Wyna Liu. Nicely crunchy midi. I’m always impressed when a themeless puzzle of this size has this many interesting, well-clued spanners. – Norah

Universal: Themeless Sunday 100 (9/1) by Adrian Johnson. With an impressive seven 15-letter entries, this crossword featuring two triple-stacks is not one to miss. -Jac

Bewilderingly Puzzles: Layered Up (9/2) by Will Nediger. Will tells us this one has the normal number of revealers. It’s a Sunday-sized puzzle that will make you say “How does he do it?” – Norah

Lil AVC X: ($) Dance, Dance Revolution (9/3) by Nate Cardin. Ambitious, tight, and fun. The Lil AVC X team has been on fire with the guest stars this year! – Norah

Universal: ($) 4-H (9/5) by Quiara Vasquez and Will Eisenberg. Fun cryptic-lite theme. —Rich

Universal: Numerical Figures (9/10) by Adam Simpson. Numbers meet words with this fun theme. -Jac

The New York Times: ($) Untitled (9/10) by Daniel Bodily. A fun and clever theme that while a hair challenging for a Tuesday still ends up being delightful. -Jac

The New York Times: ($) Untitled (9/12) by Parker Higgins. While experienced solvers may find the theme a little easy for a Thursday, it made my list for its fresh and satisfying fill and cluing. – Norah

Puzzmo: (9/12) On the Contrary by Will Nediger. In Will’s words, “a theme that was discovered rather than created.” It’s got layers! -Norah

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 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!

AVCX: ($) Line-Item Veto (8/7) by Adam Vincent and Sid Sivakumar. – Norah

Universal: Series Reboot (8/15) by Richard D. Allen. I enjoy when crosswords use symmetry other than the standard rotational symmetry. The grid has a clean fill with a fun anagram theme. – Jac

USA Today: But Daddy I Love Crosswords (8/16) by Rafael Musa. If you enjoy the Eras Tour, this crossword is for you! – Jac

Apple News: ($) Noise Cancellation (8/11) by Erik Agard. A fun challenge; 46-Across is a masterpiece. —Rich 

The Modern Crossword: ($) (8/12) by Erik Agard. [Spoilers] are so out, I only want to solve mini half [spoilers] now. —Rich 

Apple News: ($) Driving Rain (8/16) by Kelsey Dixon and Erik Agard. What an impressive construction: A 67-word themeless grid with a full-fledged theme. —Rich & Norah

Half-Baked Puzzles: Puzzle #100: We Want A Pitcher (with Brian Thomas) (8/16) by Will Eisenberg and Brian Thomas. This one’s a winner! – Steve and Matt

People Puzzler: She Wears The Pants (8/16) by Robyn Weintraub. I don’t think we’ve highlighted the People Puzzler making it online at all on DCL yet. Long overdue on our part. –Matt

Universal: PR Stunt (8/16) by Aidan Deshong. Smart and tricky theme applied super consistently –Norah

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 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!

Puzzles That Need A Home: Honk Honk (7/30) by bt. Tough themeless with such fun clues, my favorites being 2-Down and 36-Across. —Rich

Cruciverbology: Repeating Tile Mini Grids – Checkmarks #78 (8/1) by Elise Corbin. We love a brain-breaky puzzle idea from Elise. —Rich

Puzzmo: Did you not hear me the first time? (8/2) by parker. Simply incredible clue for 1-Across. —Rich and Norah

The Modern Crossword: ($) by Amanda Rafkin (8/7) I’m a fan of how the Modern has been making use of colored squares as theme elements lately. —Rich

Universal: Free Bird (7/30) by Michael Berg – a clever well executed theme with a fun bonus –Norah

Vox: by Will Nediger (8/1). amazing themestacking in midi form –Norah

luckystreak xwords: rustling jimmies (8/9) by Ada Nicolle. It’s a good themeless. –Matt

New York Times: by Hemant Mehta (8/9) There are at least a half-dozen entries in this one that I don’t think would have made it anywhere near the Times puzzle five years ago. –Matt

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 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!

Universal: Creative Spelling (7/24) by Aidan Deshong. A clever set of themers brought together by a satisfying revealer. – Will

Universal: French Blend (7/22) by Brian Callahan. A very fun use of symmetry and crossing theme entries that elevates an already extremely creative theme. – Will

New Yorker: (7/22) by Kameron Auston Collins. A difficult themeless that relies on terse clues to make a grid that’s hard to break into but satisfying to fill. -Will

New York Times: (7/23) by Sarah Sinclair and Amie Walker. The standout feature is cluing that feels abnormally fresh and modern for the Times, but also has a pleasant themeset and revealer perfect for a Tuesday difficulty. – Norah

Crosswords Schmosswords: (7/26) by Kate Chin Park. Everything indie themelesses should be: distinct voice; a balanced approach to its inclusion of references, humor, and vocabulary; entries and clues that make you want to learn something new; and challenging but not too difficult. – Norah

Crossword Club: (7/21) by Will Nediger. New at Crossword Club are full-size themelesses published every Sunday – a welcome addition to the growing pool of easy themelesses. This one is smooth and breezy with a conversational touch. – Norah

The Modern Crossword: (7/20) by David Steinberg. A stunner of a theme (that did in fact slow me down) that makes use of its size and interface beautifully. – Norah

Lil AVC X: ($) Not Cool (7/23) by Deanne Cliburn. This was one of the first revealers I ever wrote down when I started constructing crosswords, but I never did anything with it. Love seeing it out there in a puzzle. —Rich 

Luckystreak Xwords: the rise and fall of a midwest princess (7/25) by ada nicolle. A perfect crossword representation of one of the best albums of the year. —Rich 

Crossword Nexus: Oopsy-Daisy (7/26) by Alex Boisvert. Fun variety puzzle—and an exciting new solver that aims to replicate the experience of solving different puzzle shapes on paper. —Rich