I thoroughly enjoyed slowly uncovering layers of this theme, which were both glaringly obvious (the theme is printed in black squares all over the grid!) and incredibly subtle (you might not even notice the theme if you’re not looking for it). Scott Graham’s June 28 puzzle uses the placement of black squares to echo the theme entries and every single clue in the puzzle. I didn’t always feel that way, but I am amenable to changing my mind. I just love when grid art, the arrangement of the black squares or other visual elements, plays an important role in the theme of a crossword. Agard’s talent as a constructor shows us why he was selected to edit the USA Today Crossword.

In addition, the well-written clues are easy enough for even the most inexperienced crossword solver to find a foothold. The theme of Erik Agard’s May 2 puzzle is both straightforward and dazzlingly elegant. The best Mondays, in my opinion, manage to make easy puzzles glamorous. Of all the puzzles of the week, the New York Times Monday ones are expected to be the easiest, which sometimes means that their themes are so simple that they can come across as uninteresting.

Lovinger is our weekend warrior.ĭo you have any puzzles or solving experiences that remained with you after you finished? Tell us about them in the comments. Amlen covers Thursdays and Fridays and Ms. The writers are still in awe of some of the themes and clever clues they’ve solved, and they truly hope your solving year has been just as fun.Īs you already know, Ms. Over the past year, we have all enjoyed ideas from some of the brightest, most creative minds in the business. There is just so much talent in the roster that it’s hard to choose.

And if your favorite puzzle this year is not mentioned, or it is listed as a runner-up, it does not mean that the writers didn’t like it. As a thank you for showing up (almost) every day and joining the merry band of solvers of the New York Times Crossword, Wordplay would like to share the puzzles that made the biggest impressions on the columnists. There was a lot of “Oh, remember the time the Thursday puzzles had a CROSS YOUR T’S theme one week and a DOT THE I’S theme the next?” and “Can you believe that Ella Dershowitz played a game of MUSICAL CHAIRS in a weekday grid?” Caitlin Lovinger, Rachel Fabi and Deb Amlen were chatting the other day and, because they are sentimental people who solve a lot of puzzles, the conversation soon turned to looking back at the crosswords they have enjoyed over the past year.

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