Crossworld News and Notes, December 2021
Big news from AVCX, tournament announcements, and more
We’re back! It’s amazing how quickly the list of topics went from “not enough to put out a News & Notes” to “too much to catch up on.” First up, some of the biggest news in the indie crossword scene in some time:
AVCXpansion: Embiggening an Indie Puzzle Outlet:
Huge news! In a massive expansion effort, AVCX has corralled four new editing teams to deliver four new weekly features: one additional regular crossword (with an emphasis on themeless puzzles), one cryptic crossword, one or two midis (between 9x9 and 11x11), and a trivia game each weekend.
This effort is direly needed from our POV. Dating back to the few months before COVID, the crossword scene has been overflowing with new constructors, high-quality puzzles, increased solver appetite, and limited avenues for constructors to get paid for their work. An AVCX expansion represents a significant investment in both the constructing and solving communities, and I am here for it.
A Kickstarter campaign to fund the expansion (in “the most equitable, fair-paying, issue-forward way we can”) is open now. Learn more, including the all-star roster joining the team, and pledge your support here.
Tournament News and Announcements:
Congratulations to Will Nediger for his win at the Boswords 2021 Fall Themeless League with a stunning sub-3 time on the championship puzzle, and to second- and third-place contestants Tyler Hinman and Andy Kravis! Fall Themeless League puzzle packs, videos, and full standings are available at boswords.org.
Boswords’ 2022 Winter Wondersolve will take place on Sunday February 6, with puzzles from Kate Chin Park, Christina Iverson, Adesina Koiki, and Matthew Stock. Registration opens January 8.
Further ahead, the Boswords crew also announced (most of) their lineup for the Spring Themeless League: Adam Aaronson, Wendy Brandes, Katja Brinck, Julian Lim, Frank Longo, Sophia Maymudes & Kyra Wilson, Ada Nicolle, Robyn Weintraub. True to form, it’s an A-plus group.
The 44th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament will be held April 1-3, 2022 at the Stamford Marriott in Stamford, CT. Registration opens January 1.
Save the Date! Patrick Blindauer and friends are hosting the St. Louis City Crossword Puzzle Tournament on June 18, 2022. More info to come.
Books!
Leonard Williams’ book, “Black Blocks, White Squares: Crosswords with an Anarchist Edge” is now available from AK Press, and I’ve super enjoyed the first few, as well as Leonard’s appearance on this podcast episode.
After more than 100 puzzles delivered to our inboxes, the Inkubator is putting a bunch into a book, with “100 Audacious Puzzles by Women and Nonbinary Creators” now available for preorder. Don’t miss it.
And while we’re at it, Brendan W. Sullivan’s “Mini Math Crosswords” deserves a renewed shout. This Twitter thread sums it up better than I could - the puzzles are thoughtfully constructed and I’ve been reliving my past life as a math nerd in my current obsession.
Other News:
Since the last News & Notes (so long ago, whoops), Pao Roy (9/20), Daniel Okulitch (9/21), Grant Boroughs (9/22), Adam Simon Levine (9/25), Priyanka Sethy (9/26), Meghan Morris (9/28), Jessica Zetzman (10/5), August Lee-Kovach (10/9), Conor Sefkow (10/12), Brianne McManis (10/13), Fiona Taylor (11/1), Vaibhav Srikaran (11/2), Dan Harris (11/3), Ian Rathkey (11/15), Drew Schmenner (11/16), John Hawksley (11/19), Jeff Kremer (11/28), and Rebecca Goldstein (12/2) made their NYT debuts; Janet Strauss (9/27), Rose Sloan (10/18), and Ann Shan (11/2) made their USA Today debuts. Congrats to everyone! Find some more of their recent work that we enjoyed: Pao’s AVCX (12/9/20), Priyanka’s Juggernaut (8/28), Adam’s Crazy Eights (8/27), Rose’s Eleven (11/14), Ann’s NYT (3/3), Ian’s 7xword (5/27), Rebecca’s Happy Little Puzzle (10/22).
We’re enjoying solving “anagrammies,” puzzles built and clued like regular crosswords, but with the added device that some or all of the answers to the clues need to be anagrammed to other words before being entered into the grid. I first came across the format at Tim Croce’s Club 72, but recently Sara Cantor has posted them regularly on Crosshare, and Franci Dimitrovska and Norah Sharpe have also put up a few. Sara has also put together a guide and some wordlists so others can try their hand at constructing this kind of puzzle.
Spread the Word(list) from Brooke Husic and Enrique Henestroza Anguiano continues to develop. Since the last News and Notes, over 50,000 words have been added. Additional improvements in coding and filtering will continue, cementing this word list as a valuable resource for new and veteran constructors alike.
Erik Agard, USA TODAY’s Crossword Editor, was featured in this USA TODAY article in October, in which he emphasizes the importance of developing diversity among crossword constructors and details his mission to “rectify inequity [in opportunities] for women, people of color, and folks from other groups underrepresented in the puzzle world.” He also talks about Oreos and Jeopardy, and shares his incredibly fast 15x speed record.
In the Slate podcast “Spectacular Vernacular,” Linguist Nicole Holliday and Wall Street Journal language columnist Ben Zimmer discuss the ways language is changing, talk to scholars and writers, and set and solve word puzzles. As of this writing, ten episodes have been released so far. We especially enjoyed the August 31 episode featuring Sam Ezersky, Digital Puzzles Editor at The New York Times in which he goes deep on the Spelling Bee.
A variety of outlets have prepared special holiday gift packs, offered subscription discounts, or other puzzle related swag. Check out: 7xwords merch, ClassiCanadian Crosswords’ annual 15% off holiday sale, consider a Crucinova gift subscription, or check out some of BEQ’s recommendations in his annual holiday gift guide
Peter Gordon has launched a new Kickstarter for 2022 Fireball Newsflash Crosswords, which will fund a series of twenty current events-themed crosswords. Subscriptions are also now open for 2022 Fireball Crosswords.
We’ve been enjoying the intermittent analysis at Grid Alchemy from Henry Lin-David over the last few months. From Henry:
My aspirations are a tad less lofty: looking at the crosswords we love to solve––whether they’re from the NYT, the LA Times, or our favorite indie creator––and trying to figure out what allows them to succeed. Most importantly, what can these puzzles teach us as we embark on our own constructions?
Much of this round of News & Notes was written by Norah Sharpe — who knows how much longer it would have waited without her invaluable help. She’s also now adding the Wednesday daily emails to her plate at DCL, so big big thanks to her.
And as always, thanks to Parker Higgins for ongoing tech support and troubleshooting - the daily emails would be a far more substantial commitment without him.