Category: puzzle-recs

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!

Cruciverbology: Big telescope, small puzzle (7/7) by Elise Corbin. —Rich

The Modern Crossword: ($) (7/8) by Jared Goudsmit. —Rich

Defector: ($) Going, Going, Gone (7/8) by Erik Agard. —Rich 

Crossword Club: Daily Crossword (7/14) by Quiara Vasquez. Fun to see a Sunday 15x at Crossword Club. —Rich

Puzzmo: Fire Safety (715) by Rose Sloan. Pretty much the platonic ideal of a midi crossword theme to me. —Rich

Slate: Slate Midi (7/19) by Sid Sivakumar. A rare themed puzzle from Slate, and it’s a can’t-miss. —Rich & Matt

Current: On The Air (7/13) by Will Nediger – Matt

Sorry for missing a few. We expect to be back on our weekly schedule after this. Hope you’ve been solving enjoyable puzzles anyway!

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!

Westwords: ($) Tournament Puzzle Suite (6/23) by Adam Wagner, Amanda Rafkin, Enrique Henestroza Anguiano, Mollie Cowger, Rafael Musa, Rich Proulx, and Sara Cantor – Matt & Norah

Universal: Themeless Week (6/24-6/30) by Larry Snyder, Amie Walker & Shannon Rapp, Kyle Dolan, Jess Rucks, Lydia Roth, Kareem Ayas, and Adrian Johnson – Norah

New York Times: ($) (6/27) by Paolo Pasco and Sarah Sinclair – Norah

The New Yorker: (7/1) by Chandi Deitmer – Norah

Crossweird Puzzles: pleading_face (6/25) by Dob Olino. A different kind of crossword challenge. —Rich 

Los Angeles Times: (7/5) by Erik Agard. Really tight theme and wordplay. —Rich 

Cruciverbology: Big telescope, small puzzle (7/7) by Elise Corbin. —Rich 

The Modern Crossword: ($) (7/8) by Jared Goudsmit. —Rich 

Defector: ($) Going, Going, Gone (7/8) by Erik Agard. —Rich 

Scroll on for our recommendations from the last week of puzzles!

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 Sunday: Backing Musicians (6/9) by Aaron Rosenberg – A cute Sunday theme with a musical bent that probably didn’t need a revealer, but nevertheless has a very satisfying one I didn’t see coming. – Will E. 

Los Angeles Times: (6/12) by Rebecca Goldstein.  A great theme, with the kind of great bonus entries you’d expect from Rebecca. – Will E. 

New York Times: ($) (6/10) by Kareem Ayas. Rule breaking in the funnest way. – Norah 

AVCX Classic: ($) I Swear! (6/12) by Hanh Huynh. Challenging but fair and a theme that couldn’t be more at home at AVCX. -Norah 

Star-Crossed: Pet Projects (6/11) by Kiran Pandey and Puzzmo: Wanna Hang? (6/13) by kenny. Loved both of these midi themes. —Rich

xwords by a ladee: “you make a strong point” (6/13) by brooke husic. Stunning grid design, and the top stack (especially the clue for 17a) is 🧑‍🍳😘 . —Rich

Universal: Universal Freestyle 129 (6/15) by Amanda Winters. An unusual shape and a pleasant challenge a notch or two higher than Universal’s normal themeless difficulty.  – Norah 

The New Yorker: (6/17) by Natan Last. Brilliant, clever cluing alongside a grid showcasing a broad slice of culture. And a shout-out to the team at TNY for being the first (that I know of!) to run the entry at 5D. – Norah 

Lil AVC X: ($) Have a Nice Day! (6/18) by Robyn Weintraub. What happy, delightful, perfectly Weintraubian puzzle. – Norah

Scroll on for our recommendations from the last week of puzzles!

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.

Matt’s been on vacation this week, so I picked up a few guest recommendations. Did we miss your favorites? Add them in the comments!

USA Today: Bi Couples (6/1) by Olivia Mitra Framke. Lovely way to kick off Pride Month. —Rich

Los Angeles Times: (6/1) by Lance Enfinger and Bob Weisz. The kind of themeless puzzle that’s so packed with clever misdirection it has you second-guessing even the most straightforward of clues. —Will E.

New York Times: Rainbow Connection (6/1) by Portia Lundie. Not only is this month’s bonus puzzle from the Times perfectly on topic, it shines on its own as a fun themeless-like solve. —Norah

Los Angeles Times: Is There An Echo In Here? (6/2) by Sid Sivakumar. The kind of Sunday theme in which each iteration of the concept is fun to figure out on its own, and true to Sid’s style, smooth and friendly. —Norah

Washington Post: Let Me Give You a Hand (6/2) by Evan Birnholz. Creative interpretation on a theme loaded with possibilities and a fun pay off. —Norah

Universal: Themeless Sunday 88 (6/2) by Adrian Johnson and Rafael Musa. What an impressive themeless grid. —Rich

Slate: (6/3) by Sid Sivakumar. An unusual puzzle with a surprise ending. —Norah

Puzzmo: And now for the mane event… (6/3) by Lisa Hanawalt & brooke. Unreal theme density; it’s a joy to see so much of what someone loves in one puzzle. —Rich

Los Angeles Times: (6/4) by Taylor Johnson. A lot of theme content, and one particularly great themer, but the real kicker is the revealer that ties together multiple parts of each theme entry. That’s no easy feat, and the aha moment here was super satisfying. —Will E.

Wall Street Journal: Backfield (6/4) by Josh Goodman. A grid that delighted throughout and a fun and easy theme. —Norah

xwords by a ladee: “i spoke 2 soon” (6/5) by brooke husic. #5 in Brooke’s very fun project to make a new midi every day in June. If you haven’t been solving them, I definitely recommend the whole series. —Rich

Zinnabun: 🐻‍❄️ (6/6) by Zinna. From the constructor of the most beautiful puzzle of all time comes a somehow even more beautiful puzzle. — Will N. and Norah

Scroll on for our recommendations from the last week of puzzles!

We may be off next week due to vacation and work schedules, and do double duty on 14 June. TBD

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.

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The Walrus: You’re Not Even Doing It Right (5/25) by Will Nediger. Big corners and a delightfully cheeky 34-Across. —Rich and Norah 

Los Angeles Times: (5/29) by Matthew Stock. If there were an Orca award for cutest revealer, this would be my pick. —Rich 

Universal: AWOL (5/29) by Amie Walker. It’s a fun theme well done, but what really makes it can’t miss for me is the number and layout of theme entries. – Matt

AVCX: Food Travel Series (5/29) by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano. I thought the theme was cute. – Matt

Tough as Nails: (5/29) by Stella Zawistowski. There is an entry here that was EVERYWHERE for a hot minute, and I thought I would never see it again. – Matt

The New Yorker: (5/28) by Kate Chin Park. Lovely long entries, a bit breezier than the normal TNY Tuesday, and a very welcome appearance from Kate in the lineup. – Norah and Rich 

Scroll on for our recommendations from the last week of puzzles!

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.

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Los Angeles Times: (5/18) by Parker Higgins. Impressive themeless grid and a delightful symmetrical pair in the center. —Rich 

McGrids: Chasm No. 14 (5/18) by Ryan McCarty. A seven-stack of nines? I don’t know how he does it.  —Rich 

USA Today: (5/17) by Sally Hoelscher & Olivia Mitra Framke. Loaded with strong themers and a more-complex-than-usual theme for USA Today that’s hopefully a sign of things to come. – Will  

The Atlantic: Caleb’s Inferno (5/19) by Caleb Madison. These are so freaking hard! This one with its especially devilish split entry down the middle challenged me in the best way. —Norah 

Slate: (5/20) by Sid Sivakumar.  The Slate puzzles have quickly become a favorite for me. I’d recommend all of them if I could but I chose this one for Sid’s hallmarks of the uber-clean grid and clever wordplay. —Norah 

The Modern Crossword: (5/23) by Rafa Musa.  Fun and breezy with a bunch of references that I enjoyed. —Norah 

Vox: (5/23) by Will Nediger. That Will continues to get this much theme density in to these puzzles week after week is astounding, not to mention consistently fun to solve. -Norah 

Scroll on for our recommendations from the last week of puzzles!

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.

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New York Times: (5/11) by Billy Bratton. I’m a sucker for this themeless grid shape. – Matt

Wall Street Journal: Separation (5/13) by John Ewbank. A little birdie told us this was a fave of the week, with an unexpected theme design for a Monday. – A Little Birdie

AVCX: ($) AVCX Classic Themeless #76 (5/15) by Ryan Patrick Smith. I’m a sucker for this themeless grid shape. – Matt

The New Yorker: The Crossword (5/14) by Wyna Liu. Some really great cluing angles in this one, and the NW and SE corners are lovely. A bit tougher than the typical New Yorker Tuesday. – Matt

BEQ: Themeless Monday (5/13) by Brendan Emmett Quigley. I’m a sucker for this themeless grid shape. – Matt

The Atlantic: (5/12) by Kameron Austin Collins. Not the biggest challenge KAC has ever thrown our way, but quite satisfying nonetheless. —Rich 

The Modern Crossword: ($) Themeless 74 (5/12) by Maddy Ziegler. Loved the mini theme in this one, and the rest of the grid is stellar as well. —Rich 

Defector: ($) Tossed Salad And Scrambled Eggs (5/13) by Kelly Richardson. Really cute, evocative theme. —Rich 

Crosstina Aquafina: themeless no. 32 (5/16) by crosstina aquafina & erik agard. What a collab, with a standout triple stack of 16s and great cluing all around. —Rich, Matt and A Little Birdie

Scroll on for our recommendations from the last week of puzzles!

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.

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Universal: Universal Freestyle 123 (5/4) by Jess Rucks. Easy breezy themeless teeming with fun fill. – Rich

The New Yorker: The Crossword (5/6) by Wyna Liu. Not the hardest New Yorker Monday but a lovely puzzle nonetheless. – Rich

Fireball: ($) What’s Next? (5/8) by Paul Coulter. Really impressive theme that puts up a fight till the very end. – Rich

Lucky Streak: ($) puzzle #170: cruel summer (themeless) (5/9) by Ada Nicolle. An impressive lattice of stacks with some absolutely killer clues and entries. I’ve been absolutely loving Ada’s stuff lately. – Matt

Los Angeles Times: (5/8) by Rebecca Goldstein & Rachel Fabi. A remarkably full theme set for a pattern that you’d think would be hard to pull together. – Matt and Norah

Wall Street Journal: Hand It Over! (5/9) by Karen Steinberg. If you like Evan Birnholz’ Sunday puzzles at the Washington Post, this very much has that vibe in a smaller package. You’ve probably seen a theme like this before, but the extra layer sets Karen’s puzzle apart. – Matt

Universal: Center Lane (5/9) by Lisa Senzel and Jeff Chen. Just a plain darn good theme, with a spot-on revealer. – Matt 

Scroll on for our recommendations from the last week of puzzles!

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.

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Los Angeles Times: (4/27) by Evans Clinchy. Deft mix of tricky clues with big payoffs and accessible entries to help move through the grid. – Matt 

Slate: Slate Crossword (4/28) by Chandi Deitmer. Delightful grid and a truly standout 42-Across clue. Slate’s crossword has quickly become a must-solve. —Rich, Norah, and Parker 

Nautilus Puzzles: Inkblot’s Inferno (4/29) by Ben Tolkin. A fun challenge all around, but I’m picking this because of the clue for 56-Across. —Rich 

New York Times: ($) (4/29) by Tom Locke. A damn good theme given room to breathe. One of the better early-week NYT themes in recent memory IMO. – Matt 

Lil AVC X ($): Knights of the Wrong Table (4/29) by Lydia Roth and Christina Bodensiek. A set of very funny theme entries anchor a puzzle that carries the right balance of personality and cleverness. -Norah 

AVCX: ($) Urban Sprawl (5/1) by Shannon Rapp & Will Eisenberg. It’s good, it’s kinda hard, and (as spoiler free as possible) I like revealers like this. – Matt 

Puzzmo: Infinity and Beyond (5/1) by Jo and Winguistics (5/3) by Corvimae. These two puzzles are the first from Puzzmo’s first submission period open exclusively to those who had never published a crossword. Both earn their place on this list this week for their creative and perfectly executed themes. Hope to see more from both of them. -Norah 

Los Angeles Times: (5/3) by Jay Silverman. Theme is solid, but the themers themselves are particularly high value for my entertainment and make it memorable. – Matt 

AVCX+: ($) Have Fun! (5/3) by Will Nediger. Clever themeless that more than lives up to the imperative in its title. —Rich & Matt

Vox: (5/3) by Andrew J. Ries. Been waiting for someone to make this exact puzzle! -Norah 

Scroll on for our recommendations from the last week of puzzles!

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.

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Tough as Nails: Themeless #111 (4/17) by Stella Zawistowski. From last week, but too good to let slip by. As good as any maximally-hard themeless in the last several months, if perhaps a bit trivia friendly. Every entry and corner was hard-fought and well earned. – Matt 

The Modern Crossword: ($) Swap Bands (4/20) by Larry Snyder. Clever theme type that could go (too) tricky, but here is deployed in a way that is friendly for solvers of all experience levels. – Rich and Norah 

The Atlantic: Themeless (4/21) by Chandi Dietmer. Such a goldmine of clever cluing and delightful long entries. One of my hardest solves this week, and I loved every second of it. – Norah 

Crossword Club: (4/22) by Ada Nicolle. My midi pick of the week for its fun stacks and open architecture. -Norah 

Bewilderingly Puzzles: Novel Idea (4/22) by Will Nediger. Hard to explain why this one made the list without giving it away, but let’s just say it might be a little more novel than it seems. -Norah 

The New Yorker: (4/23) by Erik Agard. Love seeing 45A in a puzzle, and those clues for 60A and 32D are perfection. – Norah 

Universal: Permanent Record (4/24) by Daniel Bodily. Love when a theme is pretty disruptive to the solve, but all the affected areas are still pretty smooth. Great payoff in the revealer here. – Matt

Los Angeles Times: (4/24) by Alex Rosen & Brad Wilber. I found the payoff without the revealer, and got a nice chuckle out of it. – Matt

Los Angeles Times: (4/25) by Sarah Sinclair and Kelsey Dixon. In a double LAT debut, a super-fresh theme in a very fun and smooth puzzle packed with modern references. – Matt and Norah