Crossword Fiend | Reviewing the best crosswords in newspapers and on the Web

Annual Cru dinner at the ACPT

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Amy Reynaldo

Photo by Don Christensen, 2018 ACPT

The Cru (which is essentially a group of all of us who dig crosswords) gathers for an annual buffet dinner at the ACPT. It’s a great way for veterans to see old friends, and for newbies to start their first ACPT weekend by socializing with lovely people. The dinner will be in the Stamford Marriott’s restaurant from 6 to 8 pm on March 22. Details here. Space is filling up quickly, so sign up now if you’re interested.

This photo is mostly women, but the Cru dinner crowd is a good mix of genders, ages, solving speeds, shy vs outgoing styles, etc. If you tend to be shy in crowds, the Cru dinner offers a great way to acquire a group of familiar faces to make the weekend’s crowds more workable.

Posted in Daily Puzzles | 2 Comments

Sunday, March 3, 2019

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Amy Reynaldo

LAT untimed (Jenni)

NYT 7:58 (Amy)

WaPo untimed (Jim Q)

Universal 8:27 (Vic)

Universal (Sunday) 9:18 (Jim Q)

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Saturday, March 2, 2019

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Jim Peredo

LAT 8:55 (Judge Vic)

Newsday 9:43 (Jenni)

NYT 5:16 (Amy)

WSJ 34 minutes – on paper (Jim P)

Universal 4:21 (Jim Q)

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Posted in Daily Puzzles | Tagged Andrew J. Ries, John Guzzetta, Lester Ruff, Paolo Pasco, Peter A. Collins, Stan Newman, Stanley Newman | 6 Comments

The 2018 Orca Awards

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Sam Donaldson

Live from the Orcas Red Carpet!

Welcome to the 2018 Orca Awards! If you’re new, the Orcas is our annual celebration of outstanding achievement in crossword construction and editing. Awards include Best Crossword of 2018, 2018 Constructor of the Year, and Best Gimmick Crossword of 2018. On this, our eighth year, we’re introducing a new category, Best Variety Crossword. That brings the total number of Orcas awarded to an even ten. Alas, that means you’re in for a post that’s about 11 percent longer than usual.

Festivities start below the jump. First, though, the fine print. Finalists for each award are selected based on a combination of the star ratings awarded by readers of this site, the independent assessment of puzzles by the Selection Committee (a formal term for “me”), and consideration of puzzles not reviewed on this site. As in past years, no one constructor was nominated more than twice in any one category. Given these constraints and general human fallibility, some good puzzles worthy of recognition are sure to slip through the cracks. If one of your favorites is not feted here, feel free to give it some love in the Comments.

Let’s get the party started with the award for Best Easy Crossword of 2018! Continue reading →

Posted in Orca Awards | Tagged Alex Eaton-Salners, Amy Reynaldo, Andrew J. Ries, Andy Kravis, Anna Gundlach, Benjamin Kramer, Byron Walden, Daniel Mauer, Ed Sessa, Elizabeth A. Long, Erik Agard, Evan Birnholz, Finn Vigeland, Francis Heaney, Freddie Cheng, Grant Thackray, Greg Johnson, Herre Schouwerwou, Jeff Chen, Jennifer Nutt, Joe DiPietro, Joe Krozel, Joon Pahk, Kathy Bloomer, Kevin G. Der, Lena Webb, Matt Gaffney, Michael Hawkins, Mike Shenk, Paolo Pasco, Patrick Berry, Patrick Blindauer, Patti Varol, Pete Muller, Peter Gordon, Peter Wentz, Rachel Maddow, Rich Norris, Robyn Weintraub, Sam Trabucco, Tony Orbach, Tracy Bennett, Will Nediger, Will Shortz, Yacob Yonas, Zhouqin Burnikel | 8 Comments

Friday, March 1, 2019

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Amy Reynaldo

CHE 19:48 (Vic)

Inkubator 6:48 (Jenni)

LAT 4:26 (Gareth)

NYT 6:04 (Amy)

Universal 9:05 (Vic)

Matt Gaffney has a 21×21 crossword in New York Magazine every two weeks, and guess what? Starting this Sunday night, these puzzles will be available online for free, no magazine subscription required. The weeks in between Matt’s puzzles will have older crosswords from the New York archives.

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