Fans of the CrosSynergy syndicate’s puzzles that publish in the Washington Post may have noticed a change in puzzle file availability. The Post’s games web page can no longer be used to download a .jpz (Crossword Solver) file. The publisher prefers to direct solvers to the online game, where solvers view an ad before accessing the puzzle for free. You can still solve the two more recent weeks of puzzles online at the WaPo site, print out the puzzles there, and use their leaderboards.
The CrosSynergy team is now offering email subscriptions for those who prefer ad-free or offline solving on the computer, or who like to support independent distribution of crosswords a la the AV Club and MGWCC. Each evening, the following day’s puzzle is sent to subscribers in .jpz and .pdf formats, plus a .pdf solution page.
The general subscription page is here: $2.99 a month or an introductory offer of $24.99 a year ($15 less than the NYT puzzle subscription, and under 7¢ a day). I’m delighted that they’ve got a special offer for Diary of a Crossword Fiend readers: A free month of CS puzzles. I encourage you to sign up for your free trial here: http://www.csxword.com/fiend/. Also, if you’re really hankering for the .puz file format, .jpz-to.puz converters are available.
—Amy
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