Beneath The Surface

  PDF  -  puz  -  solution This month I'm sharing a variety cryptic that I made for the free puzzle table at the Midwest Crossword Tournament in Chicago, which took place earlier today. I worked as a volunteer at the tournament this year, having written a competition puzzle last year and entered as a contestant the year before that. It's a great event and I highly recommend it. I got to spend the day chatting with puzzle folks, reconnecting with some and meeting others for the first time, including cryptic setter Skaldskaparmal . The Rackenfracker  duo also worked the tournament and brought bonus puzzles, which I'm looking forward to digging into later. Enjoy! See you next month.

  PDF  -  puz (AL)  -  Solution Returning to a regular midi cryptic this month. Enjoy!

  PDF  -  puz  -  solution July's puzzle is a regular midi. Enjoy!

  PDF  -  puz  -  solution Back to a regular cryptic this month - enjoy!

  PDF  -  puz  -  solution This month's offering is a 9x9 variety cryptic in the style of the Guardian Genius series (blocked grid). I'd recommend solving on paper, but if you prefer computer solving there's an Across Lite file linked above. Enjoy!

  PDF  -  puz  -  solution While cluing this puzzle I decided to create a seasonal mini-theme. Can you spot it? Enjoy! Also, hope to see some of you at ACPT!

  PDF  -  puz  -  solution I realized yesterday that I didn't have a March puzzle ready, so I threw together this 9x9. Thanks to Evan Jenkins for testing. As it happens this is also my 50th puzzle on this blog, which is a nice milestone. Enjoy!

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  solution For this month's midi cryptic, I chose to go with a grid highlighting 11-letter answers. Thanks to Evan Jenkins for test-solving and helping to improve 9A and 9D. Enjoy!

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  solution Here's my first midi of 2026! Hope you enjoy solving it. Thanks to Evan Jenkins for testing.

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  solution Hope my last midi of 2025 contributes a little more delight to your festive puzzling season! See you in 2026.

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  solution Well, I didn't expect there would be a gap of a few months between my last puzzle and this one, so apologies for the lack of activity here recently. Simply put, I didn't have much time to make cryptics, mainly due to demands in my day job. Also, I had some other crossword projects that needed attention, especially getting ready for the Midwest Crossword Tournament last month, where I was one of the constructors (a personal milestone, and a huge blast to boot!). Finally, I managed enough time this past week to throw together this midi and get it tested (thanks as ever to Evan Jenkins for testing it out). I think I should be able to make another midi next month, and then it will be time to reflect on where this blog goes in 2026. Solvers of The Browser's weekly cryptic will know that their run of puzzles will wrap at the end of 2025. I'm fortunate to have one more puzzle in the queue there so look out for it (likely ...

PDF - puz  -  Online  -  solution I'm posting this puzzle while on vacation, so I'll keep this short: mini cryptic this month! Enjoy!

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  solution My favorite clue here is 8 (I'm a fan of the original source materials for the surface, though I've not kept up with the more recent entrants to its canon).  Have fun and stay cool! Back next month.

  PDF  -  puz  -  online  -  solution A midi for the month of May! I used this puzzle to practice with some wordplay that I feel I've underused in my work to date. Hope you'll enjoy it!

  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!