I hope the NYT will continue running occasional themeless Sundays. I enjoyed Will's recent Universal Sunday themeless more than this one.Ī couple of fantastic clues, like a HAT TREE giving a bowler (hat) a "hook," and GAY PRIDE PARADE was made even better with the wordplay in walk out.Įxperimentation is rarely the wrong thing to do. I'd rather break up some of these, clawing back the ability to jazz up other long entries like DETENTIONS, ERRONEOUS, TOTALED UP, REFUSALS. There was so much neutral material taking up valuable long slots, like PREPARATIVE, CONCURRENCE, NOT OCCUPIED, DEDICATE. To do it with some awesome entries like FACE TATTOOS, GAY PRIDE PARADE, and HULA DANCERS is even more impressive.Īll that said, the solver in me enjoyed some of the other Sunday themelesses more. He has edited countless books of crossword puzzles, Sudoku, KenKen, and all manner of brain-busters. He is also the puzzlemaster on NPRs Weekend Edition Sunday and is founder and director of the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. The fact that they filled this, period, is astonishing. Will Shortz has been the crossword puzzle editor of The New York Times since 1993. The middle of the puzzle … I wouldn't even attempt something like this, a feat even more difficult than Ryan McCarty's trademark themelesses featuring gigantic middles. That makes filling those regions much more possible. Pushing to 120 words is like a moonshot.Ĭlever use of cheater squares, Brooke and Will nibbling away at the grid's four corners. Difficulty level might double again cutting to 126 words. A 130-word themeless is maybe a factor of two harder - although it's more real estate to fill, you don't have to deal with any pesky themers.ĭropping down from there has an exponential effect. A regular 140-word 21x21 is difficult enough since you have to fill themeless-esque expanses of white space. From a construction standpoint, it's a jaw-dropping achievement.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |