Crossworld News and Notes

Congratulations to Erik Agard, winner of the 2022 Boswords Fall Themeless League, and to second- and third- place contestants Tyler Hinman and Will Nediger. League puzzle packs, videos, and full standings are available at boswords.org. Boswords Winter Wondersolve will take place February 5.

The 45th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament will be held in Stamford, CT March 31-April 2, 2023. Registration opens January 1.


AVCX+ is accepting applications for up to two new crossword editors to join the team in 2023. Applications accepted through December 4.

AVCX submissions open December 1 and Inkubator submissions open January 1.

Since the last News & Notes, Taylor Johnson (11/14), Benji Goldsmith (11/19), Kanyin Ajayi (11/26), Chloe Revery (11/28), and David Rockow (11/29) made their NYT debuts. Congratulations to everyone! Here’s some of their other work we have enjoyed: Chloe’s presentation for !!Con 2020 and Taylor’s work with the Lemonade Disco series.

Jeff Chen, operator of XWord Info, recently appeared on the Creative License podcast. He talks about what drew him into the world of puzzles, how he brainstorms themes, and what keeps him coming back for more.

The New York Times has announced that Wordle will now be edited and tested similar to Spelling Bee and the crossword. Tracy Bennett, associate puzzle editor, will lead this work.


Steve Mossberg is excited to announce “Eight Cryptic Nights,” a free Chanukah-themed variety cryptic meta suite. A new puzzle will drop at 5:00 PM ET each night of the holiday starting on December 18. It’s full of Jewish culture, humor, and even a little Hebrew, but should be loads of fun whether or not you light the menorah, and can be solved at Square Pursuit.

The Amazing Inventions of Eureka K. Jones,” a puzzle hunt by Eric Berlin is available now. For $7.99, you get eleven puzzles including a meta puzzle.

The Charlotte Ledger Crossword Puzzle Collection” by Chris King is a book of 35 Charlotte-themed crossword puzzles that originally run on the Charlotte Ledger site (5 are new) for $12.99.

Fireball Newsflash Crosswords by Peter Gordon are timely, current-event themed puzzles delivered twice a month by email. Registrations open now through January 18 on Kickstarter for the 2023 series.

The newest additions to the Sit & Solve crossword book series, edited by Francis Heaney, are here: a “simple” edition by Brooke Husic, and a “tough” edition by Kameron Austin Collins. The previous pair, by Robyn Weintraub and Adesina O. Koiki, are still available as well.

And if you’re looking for more holiday gift ideas, BEQ shared some of his recommendations in a recent blog post. We second his plug for the Inkubator book, and also suggest the reprinted film-themed A24 book. Gift subscriptions to the Inkubator to support gender diversity in crosswords and AVCX to support the indie community at large are great ideas too.


Have a news tip for us? An idea to pitch? A puzzle or puzzle site to share? Let us know!

Saturday, 8 October 2022

Club 72: Freestyle 752 by Tim Croce. .puz, .pdf.
Crosshare Community: Daily Mini and Featured Puzzles.
The Daily Princetonian: Capitalism Gone Wild by Katherine Dailey. Online.
David Alfred Bywaters: New Replacements by David Alfred Bywaters. .puz, .pdf, online.
Fordham Observer: Saturday, October 8 (Mini) by Irene Hao. .pdf, online.
Good Clues For People Who Love Bad Clues: Just Guy Things by Frisco17. .puz, .pdf, online.
The Nexus Blog: Higher Ground by Alex Boisvert & The Rackenfracker. .jpz, .pdf, online.
Pocket Squares: Pack a punch by Jasper Davidoff. .pdf, online.

The Charlotte Ledger: Cool Runnings by Chris King. .puz, .pdf.
Crossword Club: Daily Crossword: October 8, 2022 by Quiara Vasquez. .pdf, online.
Matt Gaffney’s Weekly Crossword Contest: ($) Eyes on the Prize (Meta) by Matt Gaffney. Subscribe at Patreon.
Morning Brew: Award by Mary Tobler .pdf, online.
My Jewish Learning: MJL Mini by Rebecca Goldstein .pdf, online.
Planet Crossword: Exceptional Cases by Nate Cardin. Online.
Spyscape: Eavesdropping by Jeff Stillman. .pdf, online.

Crosswords with Friends: by Nate Cardin. App Store | Google Play
Daily POP Crosswords: by Alan Olschwang. App Store | Google Playonline.
Los Angeles Times: by Malaika Handa. Online, pdf. Free Cruciverb account for .puz.
LA Times Mini: by Elizabeth Gorski. Online.
New York Sun: ($) Warrior by Bob Peoples. Reissues from 2003.
New York Times: ($) by Kyle Dolan. Online, .pdf, app.
New York Times Mini: by Tracy Bennett. Online, app.
Newsday: Saturday Stumper by Matthew Sewell. Online, .pdfbackup online.
Universal: Universal Freestyle 41 by Jared Goudsmit. Online, pdf. .puz.
USA Today: Right, Left! by Stella Zawistowski. Online, .pdf, app.
Vox: Gold Deposits by Will Nediger. .pdf, online.
Vulture 10×10: The Catholic Puzzle by Malaika Handa. .pdf, online.
The Wall Street Journal: Exchanging Words by Gary Larson. Online, .pdf. .puz.
Washington Post Daily Mini Meta: by Andrew White & Pete Muller. Online, .pdf.

The Rackenfracker: Higher Ground by Crossword Nexus × Rackenfracker. .jpz, .pdf.

Canadian National Post: Cryptic by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon. .pdf
Financial Times: FT Crossword: Polymath number 1,199 by Aardvark. .pdf.
Financial Times: FT Crossword: Number 17,220 by MUDD. .pdf.
The Globe and Mail: The Daily Cryptic Crossword. .pdf, online.
The Independent: Cryptic Crossword by Tees. .pdf, online.
WSJ Variety: Acrostic by Mike Shenk. .pdf.

Other American-style crosswords:

Reviews and Discussion at Diary of a Crossword Fiend | Boatload Puzzles/AARP | Crosshare | CrosswordsBackwards | Cruciverbalista (en español) | Dictionaries6 | Easy Crossword | FreeDailyCrosswords | GameLab | Hard Crossword | r/crossword | Squares.io | YourPuzzleSource | XWord-Muggles Meta Calendar

Other Cryptic/Variety crosswords:

A Frame Games | cf.kmbweb.de Links Library | Harper’s ($) | Lovatts | Magpie ($) | Mokelfish Links Library | MyCrossword | NPL | Panda Magazine ($) | Private Eye | PuzzleCrypt archives | Puzzling StackExchange | r/crosswords | Split Decisions | Sydney Morning Herald ($) | The Telegraph | The Times (UK) ($), includes The Listener

Saturday, 1 October 2022

Club 72: Freestyle 750 by Tim Croce. .puz, .pdf.
Crosshare Community: Daily Mini and Featured Puzzles.
David Alfred Bywaters: Seeking Adventure by David Alfred Bywaters. .puz, .pdf, online.
Haymarket’s Squares: Just *how* briefly we talking here? (Themeless) by ariel haymarket. .puz, .pdf, online.
The Nexus Blog: Middle School by Alex Boisvert .jpz, .pdf, online.
Pocket Squares: Level up! by Jasper Davidoff. .pdf, online.

The Charlotte Ledger: Fixing A Course by Chris King. .puz, .pdf.
Crossword Club: Daily Crossword: October 1, 2022 by Erica Hsiung Wojcik. .pdf, online.
Luckstreak+: Pobody’s Nerfect by Ada Nicolle. Patreon Subscription.
Matt Gaffney’s Weekly Crossword Contest: ($) Crack the Code (Meta) by Matt Gaffney. Subscribe at Patreon.
Morning Brew: Brown Bag by Mary Tobler .pdf, online.
My Jewish Learning: Dig In! by Rebecca Goldstein .pdf, online.
Planet Crossword: New puzzle released each weekday at noon. Online.
Spyscape: Hide and Seek by Bryant White. .pdf, online.

Crosswords with Friends: by Fred Piscop. App Store | Google Play
Daily POP Crosswords: by Mark McClain. App Store | Google Playonline.
Los Angeles Times: by Matthew Stock & Pravan Chakravarthy. Online, pdf. Free Cruciverb account for .puz.
LA Times Mini: by Elizabeth Gorski. Online.
New York Sun: ($) Double List by Alan Olschwang. Reissues from 2003.
New York Times: ($) by Natan Last. Online, .pdf, app.
NYT Monthly Bonus: National Newspaper Carrier Day by Fred Piscop. Online, .pdf, .puz.
New York Times Mini: by Joel Fagliano. Online, app.
Newsday: Saturday Stumper by Stan Newman. Online, .pdfbackup online.
Universal: Universal Freestyle 40 by Garrett Chalfin. Online, pdf. .puz.
USA Today: Dew Drops by Rebecca Goldstein. Online, .pdf, app.
Vox: From the Restart by Adesina O. Koiki. .pdf, online.
Vulture 10×10: The Billy Puzzle by Malaika Handa. .pdf, online.
The Wall Street Journal: You Really Get Me by Mike Shenk. Online, .pdf. .puz.
Washington Post Daily Mini Meta: by Andrew White & Pete Muller. Online, .pdf.

Darren’s Puzzles: Cryptic 2022-09 by Darren Miller. .pdf, online.
Loplop Cryptics: Loplop Cryptic #015 [15—] by George Ho. .puz, .pdf, online.
Puzzle Tome: October (Cryptic) .pdf, online.
Square Chase: ($) Not Cool (Variety Cryptic) by Steve Mossberg. Patreon subscription.
Tortoiseshell Studios: ($) Fall: A Meditation on Time and Entropy by Nathan Curtis. Patreon Subscription.
Tough As Nails: Mini Cryptic #10 by Stella Zawistowski. .puz, .pdf

Canadian National Post: Cryptic by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon. .pdf
Financial Times: FT Crossword: Polymath number 1198 by Sleuth. .pdf.
Financial Times: FT Crossword: Number 17,214 by Buccaneer. .pdf.
The Globe and Mail: The Daily Cryptic Crossword. .pdf, online.
The Independent: Cryptic Crossword by Bluebird. .pdf, online.
WSJ Variety: Marching Bands by Mike Shenk. .pdf.

Other American-style crosswords:

Reviews and Discussion at Diary of a Crossword Fiend | Boatload Puzzles/AARP | Crosshare | CrosswordsBackwards | Cruciverbalista (en español) | Dictionaries6 | Easy Crossword | FreeDailyCrosswords | GameLab | Hard Crossword | r/crossword | Squares.io | YourPuzzleSource | XWord-Muggles Meta Calendar

Other Cryptic/Variety crosswords:

A Frame Games | cf.kmbweb.de Links Library | Harper’s ($) | Lovatts | Magpie ($) | Mokelfish Links Library | MyCrossword | NPL | Panda Magazine ($) | Private Eye | PuzzleCrypt archives | Puzzling StackExchange | r/crosswords | Split Decisions | Sydney Morning Herald ($) | The Telegraph | The Times (UK) ($), includes The Listener

Saturday, 24 September 2022

Club 72: Freestyle 748 by Tim Croce. .puz, .pdf.
Crosshare Community: Daily Mini and Featured Puzzles.
David Alfred Bywaters: Heart’s Ease by David Alfred Bywaters. .puz, .pdf, online.
Pocket Squares: Sticky situations by Jasper Davidoff. .pdf, online.

The Charlotte Ledger: Winner’s Circles by Chris King. .puz, .pdf.
Crossword Club: Daily Crossword: September 24, 2022 by Kelsey Dixon. .pdf, online.
Morning Brew: Changing Colors by Mary Tobler .pdf, online.
My Jewish Learning: MJL Mini by Rebecca Goldstein .pdf, online.
Planet Crossword: New Puzzle Released Noon Daily. Online.
Spyscape: Down Under by Kate Chin Park. .pdf, online.

Crosswords with Friends: by Zhouqin Burnikel. App Store | Google Play
Daily POP Crosswords: by Mark McClain. App Store | Google Playonline.
Los Angeles Times: by Adrian Johnson. Online, pdf. Free Cruciverb account for .puz.
LA Times Mini: by Elizabeth Gorski. Online.
New York Sun: ($) Themeless by Patrick Berry. Reissues from 2002.
New York Times: ($) by Martin Ashwood-Smith. Online, .pdf, .puz, app.
New York Times Mini: by Joel Fagliano. Online, app.
Newsday: Saturday Stumper by Stella Zawistowski. Online, .pdfbackup online.
Universal: Universal Freestyle 39 by Rafael Musa. Online, pdf. .puz.
USA Today: Q2 by Erik Agard. Online, .pdf, app.
Vox: Seven Sinful Dwarfs by Patrick Blindauer. .pdf, online.
Vulture 10×10: The Medieval Puzzle by Stella Zawistowski. .pdf, online.
The Wall Street Journal: Authorization by Alan DerKazarian. Online, .pdf. .puz.
Washington Post Daily Mini Meta: by Andrew White & Pete Muller. Online, .pdf.

The Nexus Blog: Biblical Proportions (Acrostic) by Alex Boisvert .jpz, .pdf, online.

Canadian National Post: Cryptic by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon. .pdf
Financial Times: FT Crossword: Number 17,208 by Rosa Klebb. .pdf.
Financial Times: FT Crossword: Polymath number 1197 by Falcon. .pdf.
The Globe and Mail: The Daily Cryptic Crossword. .pdf, online.
The Independent: Cryptic Crossword by Knut. .pdf, online.
WSJ Variety: Square Meal by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon. .pdf.

Other American-style crosswords:

Reviews and Discussion at Diary of a Crossword Fiend | Boatload Puzzles/AARP | Crosshare | CrosswordsBackwards | Cruciverbalista (en español) | Dictionaries6 | Easy Crossword | FreeDailyCrosswords | GameLab | Hard Crossword | r/crossword | Squares.io | YourPuzzleSource | XWord-Muggles Meta Calendar

Other Cryptic/Variety crosswords:

A Frame Games | cf.kmbweb.de Links Library | Harper’s ($) | Lovatts | Magpie ($) | Mokelfish Links Library | MyCrossword | NPL | Panda Magazine ($) | Private Eye | PuzzleCrypt archives | Puzzling StackExchange | r/crosswords | Split Decisions | Sydney Morning Herald ($) | The Telegraph | The Times (UK) ($), includes The Listener

Saturday, 17 September 2022

“Waaay better than a repository.” – Fill Me In

Club 72: Freestyle 746 by Tim Croce. .puz, .pdf.
Crosshare Community: Daily Mini and Featured Puzzles.
David Alfred Bywaters: Sad Partings by David Alfred Bywaters. .puz, .pdf, online.
The Nexus Blog: Golden Lady by Jeremy Horwitz & Alex Boisvert .jpz, .pdf, online.
Pocket Squares: Eat the which? by Jasper Davidoff. .pdf, online.
Taylor Made Crosswords: Lemonade Disco #1: Shaken, Not Stirred by Seth Bisen-Hersh. .pdf, online.
Taylor Made Crosswords: Lemonade Disco #1: Spirit Style by Emma Getman. .pdf, online.
Taylor Made Crosswords: Lemonade Disco #1: Spritzed Drinks by Matt Forest. .pdf, online.
Taylor Made Crosswords: Lemonade Disco #1: Never Gonna Keep Me Down by Glenn Cook. .pdf, online.

A-to-Z Crosswords: ($) Puzzle #90 by Peter Gordon & Frank Longo. Subscribe at link.
The Charlotte Ledger: Name Change by Chris King. .puz, .pdf.
Crossword Club: Daily Crossword: September 17, 2022 by Kelsey Dixon. .pdf, online.
Matt Gaffney’s Weekly Crossword Contest: ($) Our Retorter Is on the Scene (Meta) by Matt Gaffney. Subscribe at Patreon.
Morning Brew: Stopping By by Mary Tobler .pdf, online.

Crosswords with Friends: by Lynn Lempel. App Store | Google Play
Daily POP Crosswords: by Andrew J. Ries. App Store | Google Playonline.
Los Angeles Times: by John Lieb. Online, pdf. Free Cruciverb account for .puz.
LA Times Mini: by Elizabeth Gorski. Online.
New York Sun: ($) Animal Puns “R” Us by Louis Hildebrand. Reissues from 2002.
New York Times: ($) by Grant Thackray. Online, .pdf, .puz, app.
New York Times Mini: by Joel Fagliano. Online, app.
Newsday: Saturday Stumper by Steve Mossberg. Online, .pdfbackup online.
Universal: Universal Freestyle 38 by Guilherme Gilioli. Online, pdf. .puz.
USA Today: Last to Leave by Matthew Stock. Online, .pdf, app.
Vox: Letter Heads by Andrew J. Ries. .pdf, online.
Vulture 10×10: The Mystery Puzzle by Malaika Handa. .pdf, online.
The Wall Street Journal: What Did You Sate? by Mike Shenk. Online, .pdf. .puz.
Washington Post Daily Mini Meta: by Andrew White & Pete Muller. Online, .pdf.

Darren’s Puzzles: Perplexing Pirates by Darren Miller. .pdf
Taylor Made Crosswords: Lemonade Disco #1: Last Round (Cryptic) by George Ho. .pdf, online.
Tortoiseshell Studio: ($) Pathfinder by Nathan Curtis. Patreon subscription.

Financial Times: FT Crossword: Number 17,202 by Mudd. .pdf.
Financial Times: FT Crossword: Polymath number 1196 by Bradman. .pdf.
The Globe and Mail: The Daily Cryptic Crossword. .pdf, online.
The Independent: Cryptic Crossword by Serpent. .pdf, online.
WSJ Variety: Riding The Waves by Patrick Berry. .pdf.

Other American-style crosswords:

Reviews and Discussion at Diary of a Crossword Fiend | Boatload Puzzles/AARP | Crosshare | CrosswordsBackwards | Cruciverbalista (en español) | Dictionaries6 | Easy Crossword | FreeDailyCrosswords | GameLab | Hard Crossword | r/crossword | Squares.io | YourPuzzleSource | XWord-Muggles Meta Calendar

Other Cryptic/Variety crosswords:

A Frame Games | cf.kmbweb.de Links Library | Harper’s ($) | Lovatts | Magpie ($) | Mokelfish Links Library | MyCrossword | NPL | Panda Magazine ($) | Private Eye | PuzzleCrypt archives | Puzzling StackExchange | r/crosswords | Split Decisions | Sydney Morning Herald ($) | The Telegraph | The Times (UK) ($), includes The Listener

Saturday, 10 September 2022

“Waaay better than a repository.” – Fill Me In

A Crossword Rose: Good News by acommonrose. .puz, online.
Club 72: Freestyle 744 by Tim Croce. .puz, .pdf.
Crosshare Community: Daily Mini and Featured Puzzles.
David Alfred Bywaters: I Recycle by David Alfred Bywaters. .puz, .pdf, online.

A-to-Z Crosswords: ($) Puzzle #82 by Peter Gordon & Frank Longo. Subscribe at link.
The Charlotte Ledger: Chemical Changes by Chris King. .puz, .pdf.
Crossword Club: Daily Crossword: September 10, 2022 by Will Nediger. .pdf, online.
Matt Gaffney’s Weekly Crossword Contest: ($) Hanging by a Thread (Meta) by Matt Gaffney. Subscribe at Patreon.
Morning Brew: Crown by Mary Tobler .pdf, online.

Crosswords with Friends: by Donna S. Levin. App Store | Google Play
Daily POP Crosswords: by Mark McClain. App Store | Google Playonline.
Los Angeles Times: by Christina Iverson & Taylor Johnson. Online, pdf. Free Cruciverb account for .puz.
LA Times Mini: by Elizabeth Gorski. Online.
New York Sun: ($) Warrior by Randolph Ross. Reissues from 2002.
New York Times: ($) by Kameron Austin Collins. Online, .pdf, .puz, app.
New York Times Mini: by Joel Fagliano. Online, app.
Newsday: Saturday Stumper by Matthew Sewell. Online, .pdfbackup online.
Universal: Universal Freestyle 37 by Rafael Musa. Online, pdf. .puz.
USA Today: ABA Song Form by Enrique Henestroza Anguiano. Online, .pdf, app.
Vox: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way by Will Nediger. .pdf, online.
Vulture 10×10: The Player Puzzle by Stella Zawistowski. .pdf, online.
The Wall Street Journal: Animal Crackers by Joe Deeney. Online, .pdf. .puz.
Washington Post Daily Mini Meta: by Andrew White & Pete Muller. Online, .pdf.

The Nexus Blog: It’s The Least You Can Do (Acrostic) by Kelsey Dixon & Alex Boisvert .jpz, .pdf, online.

Canadian National Post: Cryptic by Emily Cox & Henry Rathvon. .pdf
Financial Times: FT Crossword: Number 17,196 by Artexlen. .pdf.
The Globe and Mail: The Daily Cryptic Crossword. .pdf, online.
The Independent: Cryptic Crossword by Crosophile. .pdf, online.
WSJ Variety: Acrostic by Mike Shenk. .pdf.

Other American-style crosswords:

Reviews and Discussion at Diary of a Crossword Fiend | Boatload Puzzles/AARP | Crosshare | CrosswordsBackwards | Cruciverbalista (en español) | Dictionaries6 | Easy Crossword | FreeDailyCrosswords | GameLab | Hard Crossword | r/crossword | Squares.io | YourPuzzleSource | XWord-Muggles Meta Calendar

Other Cryptic/Variety crosswords:

A Frame Games | cf.kmbweb.de Links Library | Harper’s ($) | Lovatts | Magpie ($) | Mokelfish Links Library | MyCrossword | NPL | Panda Magazine ($) | Private Eye | PuzzleCrypt archives | Puzzling StackExchange | r/crosswords | Split Decisions | Sydney Morning Herald ($) | The Telegraph | The Times (UK) ($), includes The Listener