The 2015 Orca Awards – Best Freestyle and Best Tournament Crossword

Posted on March 1, 2016 by Sam Donaldson

2 orcasIt’s a beautiful day for the Orcas—let’s give two! Today we double the fun with awards for themeless and tournament puzzles. It’s all part of our week-long ceremony honoring some of the best puzzles from 2015.

To recap where we are and where we are going, here’s the complete schedule:
• Sunday, February 28: Best Easy Crossword (won by Lynn Lempel)
• Monday, February 29: Merl Reagle Award for Best Sunday-Sized Crossword (won by Jeremy Newton)
• Tuesday, March 1: Best Freestyle Crossword and Best Tournament Crossword
• Wednesday, March 2: Best Meta/Contest Crossword
• Thursday, March 3: Best Gimmick Crossword
• Friday, March 4: Bob Klahn Award for Best Clue and Margaret Farrar Constructor of the Year Award
• Saturday, March 5: Best Crossword
There’s some great puzzles to read about after the jump. So jump already!

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MGWCC #404

Posted on March 1, 2016 by joon

crossword 4:38 
meta about 45 minutes, with help 

 


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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Amy Reynaldo

CS 6:53 (Ade) 

 


Jonesin' 5:41 (Derek) 

 


LAT 4:22 (Derek) 

 


NYT 2:58 (Amy) 

 


WSJ untimed (Jim) 

 


Xword Nation untimed (Janie) 

 

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The 2015 Orca Awards – Best Sunday-Sized Crossword

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Sam Donaldson

orca laughThe Orcas continue today with the award for Best Sunday-Sized Crossword, the top honor for crosswords 21×21 and larger.

Remember that the Orcas will continue all week according to this schedule:
• Sunday, February 28: Best Easy Crossword (won by Lynn Lempel)
• Monday, February 29: Best Sunday-Sized Crossword
• Tuesday, March 1: Best Freestyle Crossword and Best Tournament Crossword
• Wednesday, March 2: Best Meta/Contest Crossword
• Thursday, March 3: Best Gimmick Crossword
• Friday, March 4: Bob Klahn Award for Best Clue and Margaret Farrar Constructor of the Year Award
• Saturday, March 5: Best Crossword

Today’s award comes after the jump. Continue reading →

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Fireball Contest—Thursday, February 25, 2016

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Jenni Levy

Fireball puzzle 6:40/meta DNF (Jenni) 

 


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AV Club Contest – 2/24/16

Posted on February 29, 2016 by Ben Smith

AV Club untimed (Ben) 

 


Remember last week’s AV Club contest puzzle?
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WSJ Contest – Friday, February 26, 2016

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Evad

untimed (Evad) 

 


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Monday, February 29, 2016

Posted on February 28, 2016 by pannonica

NYT untimed (pannonica) 

 


LAT untimed (pannonica) 

 


CS 7:44 (Ade) 

 


WSJ untimed (Jim) 

 


BEQ tk (Amy) 

 


BuzzFeed tk (Andy) 

 

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The 2015 Orca Awards – Best Easy Crossword

Posted on February 28, 2016 by Sam Donaldson

orcas4Today marks the start of the fifth annual Orca Awards, our week-long ceremony cum love-fest honoring outstanding achievement in crossword construction. For the next several days we will look back and toast some of the best puzzles from 2015. #OrcasSoBlackAndWhite

For those keeping score, here’s the complete schedule for the awards:
• Sunday, February 28: Best Easy Crossword
• Monday, February 29: Best Sunday-Sized Crossword
• Tuesday, March 1: Best Freestyle Crossword and Best Tournament Crossword
• Wednesday, March 2: Best Meta/Contest Crossword
• Thursday, March 3: Best Gimmick Crossword
• Friday, March 4: Bob Klahn Award for Best Clue and Margaret Farrar Constructor of the Year Award
• Saturday, March 5: Best Crossword

Check back each day to read about all of this year’s winners and nominees. After the jump we’ll get the party started with the Orca for Best Easy Crossword.

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Sunday, February 28, 2016

Posted on February 27, 2016 by Matt Gaffney

CS 15:16 (Ade) 

 


Hex/Quigley untimed (pannonica) 

 


LAT 9:34 (Jenni) 

 


NYT 12:08 with two incorrect letters (Matt) 

 


WaPo tk (Amy) 

 


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