End of an era
― In Walked Sho-Bud (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 10 March 2014 16:31 (ten years ago) link
Will Shortz playing ping pong with the cartoon editor of the NYer: http://vimeo.com/93017091
― Call the Doctorb, the B is for Brownstein (Leee), Monday, 5 May 2014 19:47 (nine years ago) link
http://www.fastcompany.com/3031792/most-creative-people/the-23-year-old-wordsmith-behind-the-hip-new-voice-of-the-times-crosswo
― mookieproof, Saturday, 14 June 2014 02:09 (nine years ago) link
Did not attend the ACPT this year, results are just in: http://www.crosswordtournament.com/2015/standings/rank.htm. The champ successfully defended.
― Big Iron Shirt Wearer (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 29 March 2015 18:30 (nine years ago) link
Hm. B and C finalists currently transposed on web page.
― Big Iron Shirt Wearer (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 29 March 2015 21:23 (nine years ago) link
Anyone for Lollapuzzoola 8, aka Lollapuzzocho?
― Archaic Buster Poindexter, Live At The Apollo (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 27 July 2015 23:14 (eight years ago) link
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/08/19/the_new_york_times_mini_crossword_replied_to_slate_s_takedown_by_ruth_graham.html
― aaaaablnnn (abanana), Thursday, 20 August 2015 02:23 (eight years ago) link
RIP Merl Reagle.
― Eternal Return To Earth (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 22 August 2015 14:31 (eight years ago) link
http://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/22/merl-reagle-january-5-1950-august-22-2015/?_r=0
― Eternal Return To Earth (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 22 August 2015 17:02 (eight years ago) link
http://www.crosswordfiend.com/blog/2015/08/22/merl-reagle-1950-2015/
― Eternal Return To Earth (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 22 August 2015 17:12 (eight years ago) link
http://www.tampabay.com/news/obituaries/crossword-creator-merl-reagle-dies-in-tampa-at-age-65/2242415http://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/22/will-shortz-on-merl-reagle/
― Is It POLLING, Bob? (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 23 August 2015 15:48 (eight years ago) link
So WSJ now has a daily puzzle, with a meta every Friday!
― The Starry-Eyed Messenger Service (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 21 September 2015 00:01 (eight years ago) link
RIP Henry Hook.
― You're a Big URL Now (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 28 October 2015 19:17 (eight years ago) link
http://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/28/remembering-henry-hook/
Enjoyed theme of today's times. Any takers for this year's ACPT?
― YOLO Versus Powerball on the Moneygoround, Part One (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 24 January 2016 15:08 (eight years ago) link
http://www.crosswordtournament.com/info/brochure.htm
― YOLO Versus Powerball on the Moneygoround, Part One (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 24 January 2016 16:04 (eight years ago) link
The judges and referees include leading names in crossword puzzling.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/07/opinion/what-74-years-of-times-crosswords-say-about-the-words-we-use.html
Had to check before posting that jaymc didn't write this </xls>
― a passing spacecadet, Monday, 8 February 2016 22:34 (eight years ago) link
...to be slightly clearer/less creepy, not bcz of the opinions stated, but because, hey, crosswords + ngrams
― a passing spacecadet, Monday, 8 February 2016 22:40 (eight years ago) link
Tournament is going on now. Not in attendance.
― Woke Up Scully (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 2 April 2016 17:22 (eight years ago) link
I have never done a tournament because I've never really focused on speed, but it might be fun some time.
BTW the Sunday Washington Post Magazine had a great revolving cast for many years. Not to speak ill of the dead but I was annoyed when it went all-Merl Reagle all the time.
These days, Evan Birnholz is bringing some pretty enjoyable puzzles in that space. Some stretches but not too hard; theme-based but not too cute.
Unfortunately the Post dropped the Post Puzzler, a weekly hard themeless puzzle from Peter Gordon. Fortunately one can still subscribe to Gordon's Fireball Crosswords, which I cannot recommend more highly for those not already aware of them.
― doo-wop unto others (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 2 April 2016 17:41 (eight years ago) link
Ah, do you do the Fireball, YMP? Good for you. I was wearing my Fireball cap earlier today.
I spent a lot of time on getting faster, finished about 77th one year and then dropped back a little bit, haven't really been doing puzzles a lot the past few years.
― Woke Up Scully (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 2 April 2016 17:51 (eight years ago) link
Did manage to get to Lollapuzzoola last year, at which I sat next to between Erik A and Evan B, nice guys both.
― Woke Up Scully (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 2 April 2016 17:56 (eight years ago) link
I don't subscribe to the Fireball but I buy the books. I get AVX and MGWCC, and I do the freebies from WSJ online and PMXwords.
― remove butt (abanana), Saturday, 2 April 2016 18:09 (eight years ago) link
Cool. Have you been submitting the WSJ meta solutions?
― Woke Up Scully (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 2 April 2016 20:29 (eight years ago) link
Just went over to look at ACPT standings. Must be missing it a little bit.
― Woke Up Scully (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 2 April 2016 20:32 (eight years ago) link
I'm not eligible for the WSJ prizes since I'm in Canada. I enjoy thinking over metas but my success rate isn't very high.
― remove butt (abanana), Sunday, 3 April 2016 07:43 (eight years ago) link
after more or less thirteen years of practice I'm finally at a point where I can pretty consistently finish the NYT xword Monday to Friday and (of course) the magazine. Is the Saturday arts section that much of a leap forward? I never quite get around to it.
― ulysses, Monday, 4 April 2016 14:30 (eight years ago) link
Saturday similar to Friday.
― Woke Up Scully (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 4 April 2016 16:46 (eight years ago) link
I will try this week!
― ulysses, Monday, 4 April 2016 16:57 (eight years ago) link
Please let us know how it goes.
― Woke Up Scully (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 4 April 2016 17:00 (eight years ago) link
oh in excruciating detail no doubt
― ulysses, Monday, 4 April 2016 17:01 (eight years ago) link
My current "up the difficulty" ploy is to finish the monday puzzle in my mind without writing anything on the page. generally makes for a half hour of work; maybe i should time it.
― ulysses, Monday, 4 April 2016 17:02 (eight years ago) link
I've not read this article, but it looks like it could be interesting - a friend posted it on facebook and from a quick skim it seems to be a rather detailed UK-centric scientific study of cryptic crossword solving abilities published in a psychology journal: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00567/full
― NWOFHM! Overlord (krakow), Tuesday, 10 May 2016 14:09 (seven years ago) link
Saturday WAS only slightly harder so i've added it into the weekly mix.
― ulysses, Tuesday, 10 May 2016 21:26 (seven years ago) link
So I'm working the Washington Post Magazine sunday puzzle this morning.
Clue: Hefty closers
I already have _ _ _ _ _ _ I E S.
So I confidently (too confidently) fill in FAT LADIES.
You know, like the opera isn't over until?
It quickly becomes clear that I'm wrong, and the correct answer is the much more mundane TWIST TIES.
On the one hand it is a wokeness fail. On the other, I'm giving Evan Birnholz a little too much credit for cleverness and misdirection.
I've probably said this before but the worst thing about the Post Sunday is the shift to one regular constructor. They used to have a revolving stable and life was good. Then they went to all Merl Reagle all the time. People loved him; he died recently and everybody in town was oozing tributes. But I thought his puzzles were lame, partly because after a year or so you get sufficiently into his head that he can't surprise you anymore.
Birnholz is okay but I would still like a rotating cast, rather than one brain whose style you can pick up on and anticipate.
For me the perfect difficulty was hit the Post Puzzlers - very hard themeless puzzles in the Saturday Style section, edited by Peter Gordon. I do subscribe to the Fireball series, but mixed in with the very hard themeless puzzles are a bunch of themed ones that are either too cute or too inscrutable.
― snarkoterrorist (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 13 August 2016 12:56 (seven years ago) link
Too bad I'm not going to Lollapuzzoola today, otherwise I would pass along your comments to Evan.
― The Italo Disco Mystics (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 13 August 2016 12:57 (seven years ago) link
Nah, I wouldn't do that.
In any case, have taken a long break from xwords myself, more or less ran out of gas, like Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer in that one SNL parody.
― The Italo Disco Mystics (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 13 August 2016 12:59 (seven years ago) link
I will probably at least email him. And yeah, it's understandable to go through phases where you're really into a thing, then you take some time away. Then some day you'll idly pick up a pen in an airplane or whatever and get hooked again.
― snarkoterrorist (Ye Mad Puffin), Saturday, 13 August 2016 13:08 (seven years ago) link
I loved the Post Puzzlers too. My impression was that Peter G had some kind of mixed feelings about those because he himself didn't own those puzzles, the way he owns the FIreballs, but yeah they really hit the sweet spot.
― The Italo Disco Mystics (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 13 August 2016 13:11 (seven years ago) link
Wonder who the new champ from yesterday is
― Wavy Gravy Planet Waves (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 14 August 2016 14:15 (seven years ago) link
Just got an email about the home version of Lollapuzzoola from Brian C.
― Deneb on Ice (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 21 August 2016 19:00 (seven years ago) link
hoofed it all over town to track down today's NYT with the special puzzle section, featuring as its centerfold a 50x50 (!) crossword. haven't done a xword in ink for awhile, may time myself while i do it (i don't usually)
― donna rouge, Sunday, 18 December 2016 23:31 (seven years ago) link
starting all over again
― Two-Headed Shindog (Rad Tempo Player) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 1 October 2017 14:19 (six years ago) link
Had fun with Rachel's NYT on Friday, though I needed help to finish and we got one letter wrong, albeit mostly as a matter of not having the patience to reach certainty.
Particularly enjoyed 35 across and 11 down.
― Moo Vaughn, Sunday, 4 March 2018 22:05 (six years ago) link
Here she introduces it, in fashion that reminds that even to the degree scripted it's hard to find the same realness level elsewhere on (non-sports?) commercial tv. Love the ending.
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/maddow-proud-to-announce-first-new-york-times-crossword-puzzle-1174756419980?playlist=associated
― Moo Vaughn, Tuesday, 6 March 2018 15:21 (six years ago) link
Has anyone tried the New Yorker crosswords? I solved one and was refreshed by how unique the entries/clues were (at least from a NYT xword solving POV).
― Twyla Thwoorp (Leee), Tuesday, 8 May 2018 21:31 (five years ago) link
agreed, tho i haven't done this week's yet
― 808s & Deep States (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 8 May 2018 21:39 (five years ago) link
I did the first one and liked it well enough, but it made me appreciate how the AV Club xword is even more refreshing. Highly recommend that one.
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 8 May 2018 21:48 (five years ago) link
Bonus clue from https://www.xwordinfo.com/Crossword?date=5/24/2018:
Breaking pitch thrown by an oddsmaker? (6,6)
That would be CUTTER BOOKIE or some variation, right?
― Sybil Disobedience (Leee), Wednesday, 11 July 2018 20:09 (five years ago) link