Beneath The Surface

  PDF  -  Solution Back to a variety puzzle this month, and I'm pleased to share my first Playfair cryptic! I solved my first Playfair a few months ago--an Azed Christmas special . Though I'd never heard of this form of crossword before, I admired how it combined cryptic solving and codebreaking, and I knew I had to try my hand at making one. You can read more about Playfair ciphers and their uses in crosswords  here . Fortuitously, I found a good Playfair codeword from another deep interest of mine--music--and used the inspiration to come up with what I hope is a fun multi-layered challenge. And I hope it inspires some of you to search out more Playfair puzzles!

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  solution PDF Another regular midi for you to enjoy this month!

PDF  -  Solution PDF This is my first try at making an ABC Jigsaw, and I hope you'll like it! I enjoy the combination of wordplay and logic that goes into solving this variety of cryptic crossword.  As it happens, I'll have tomorrow's cryptic in The Browser, so look out for that. If you're not solving Browser cryptics, there's never been a better time to start! ;-) Back here with a new puzzle next month!

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  Solution PDF Happy New Year! Here is a new midi cryptic (11x11). I've resolved this year to return to regular monthly blog puzzles - 12 new puzzles (at a minimum) for the year ahead. One important programming change - I don't plan to make standard 15x15 cryptics a regular feature going forward. Instead, the blog will feature a mix of smaller regular cryptics (minis and midis) and variety puzzles. Happy solving and check back in February for a fresh puzzle!

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  solution Summer has gone by too fast, and they are saying an early fall beckons for the Chicago area. I've been taking as much advantage of being outside as possible this year, hence the construction docket has been very light of late, but I worked up another mini for this month. Hope you enjoy it!

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  Solution 7x7 mini this month--I banged this out in one sitting tonight after not having worked much cryptic construction over the past few weeks. If you like this puzzle, let me know! And if you're looking for more mini cryptic fun, check out  Aaron Riccio's "Sneaky Six" series--they're little but devilish, and full of Aaron's trademark voice and wit.

PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  solution PDF Back to a regular cryptic for this month's blog post. It was fantastic to get so much positive feedback for last month's variety cryptic . I would love to make another one, so stay tuned! In other news, today marks my debut in The Browser Crossword ! (Subscribe to get the puzzle, as well as the entire back catalog of Browser cryptics.) I'm really pleased with how it turned out and very grateful to editor Dan Feyer for the opportunity, and the top-notch editing work!