Information, resources, stories and fun for puzzle solvers and creators

Tyler Hinman is that puzzle guy. Seriously. His Twitter account is thatpuzzleguy. And he really is. Among his accomplishments:

• Five-time (consecutive!) winner of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
• Twenty-one (and counting) published crossword puzzles in the New York Times
• Crossword contributor to The Onion AV Club, CrosSynergy, and other puzzle publishers
• Star of the movie Wordplay
• Star of the Bay Area Crossword Tournament
• Member of the League of Extraordinary Puzzlemen (aka “Kid Crossword”)

There is no possible way for a self-respecting puzzlehead to know too much about Tyler. Check out his interview with Ryan and Brian or his own personal web site.

I’ve written here before about a really fun BBC quiz show called Only Connect.  Well, there’s a new online version called Puzz Grid.

The rules are the same as the BBC ones – given 16 different words or phrases, sort them into four groups, then define what relates each group. Do so before the clock runs out and you win!

If you finish (or tire of) all of the groups, you can create your own and share with the rest of the internet.

Enjoy!

Q: Think of a word that means “To reconcile or help settle”. Add a “T” somewhere to that word to get another word that means “To reflect, ponder, or contemplate”.

Show Answer ▼

That was the only answer I couldn’t find in today’s Sporcle quiz. I coulda been a contenda!

What is Sporcle? Don’t bother clicking – if you do, you’ll be sucked into one of the most compelling time-sinks the internet has ever cooked up.

Simply put, Sporcle is an online trivia quiz site – new quizzes are posted every day. There is seemingly no topic that Sporcle doesn’t touch: at random, I found these:

• Things in the song “If I Had a Million Dollars” (Barenaked Ladies)
• Songs with “Of” in the Title
• One-Word Hitchcock Movie Titles
• Mythological Punishments
• Name All of the Schools in the Major NCAA Conferences
• Batman Villains
• Florida Cities by Population
• Retired Hurricane Names Per Letter
• Things Meat Loaf Won’t Do for Love
• And, of course, Methods of Execution

The cool part of all of this is that not only are there fun quizzes and leaderboards and the usual social networking features, but you can also create your own quizzes. Just in case there isn’t already a quiz on your particular area of expertise.

There’s a new type of puzzle in town: the gryptic crossword!

Imagine a (usually) 6×6 grid with no black cells – sometimes cells are filled in, other times not so much. There are no clues, but you’re given either the beginnings or ends of the various across and down words. Your job is to fill in the grid to form complete words.

For more information about gryptics and where to find them, check out Amy Reynaldo’s post on her blog.

So, how fast can you type the alphabet?

Wordplay, the New York Times Crossword Blog, doesn’t just post info about crossword puzzles. They also run a regular feature on mathematics and logic problems called Numberplay, which is quite fun.

Here’s a puzzle that appeared recently on Numberplay … I didn’t get it, but my 14-year-old son did in just a few minutes:

You are in a room with three switches each of which controls one of three table lamps in a separate room that’s some distance away. The switches are all in the “off” position and have been so overnight, but you know that all three table lamps work. Once you leave the switch room, you can go into the room with the lamps only once. How do you figure out which light switch goes with which table lamp? No tools, helpers or cellphones allowed.

Here’s the solution:

Show Answer ▼

I just upgraded the site to the latest WordPress and associated plugins. Should be fine, but let me know if it craps out on you for some reason.

Lollapuzzoola 3: The Great Pickle Giveaway is happening this weekend. It’s a crossword puzzle tournament held each year in Queens, New York. Its only $20 – a bahgain! – so if you’re in the area, there’s no excuse not to be there. It’s hosted by the world’s leading crossword podcasters Ryan Hecht and Brian Cimmet, so you know you’re in for a good time.

“Toured the Burj in this U.A.E. city. They say it’s the tallest tower in the world; looked over the ledge and lost my lunch.”

This is the quintessential sort of clue you hear on the TV game show “Jeopardy!” It’s witty (the clue’s category is “Postcards From the Edge”), demands a large store of trivia and requires contestants to make confident, split-second decisions. This particular clue appeared in a mock version of the game in December, held in Hawthorne, N.Y. at one of I.B.M.’s research labs. Two contestants — Dorothy Gilmartin, a health teacher with her hair tied back in a ponytail, and Alison Kolani, a copy editor — furrowed their brows in concentration. Who would be the first to answer?

Neither, as it turned out. Both were beaten to the buzzer by the third combatant: Watson, a supercomputer … read the rest of the story by clicking on this link.

Are you smarter than a supercomputer? Find out by taking IBM’s Watson Trivia Challenge!

Sneaking into the run-down carnival at the edge of town seemed like an easy way to get a cheap thrill; certainly more of a thrill than was ever on offer when the carnival was still in business. Wandering the backstage areas, you just finish adding “J. Kilroy was here” to the end of a long list of similar graffiti when you are briefly blinded by a sudden light.

After regaining your bearings, you head back to the midway and notice perhaps a halfdozen attractions running at full tilt. Your natural curiosity to see what’s going on struggles with your desire to not be that character in a bad horror movie, and loses. As you turn toward the hole in the fence that got you into this madhouse, you discover that the fence is now complete. Moving closer, you discover that the fence is also very sharp, and now very electrified.

While lying dazed on the ground, you hear the loudspeakers sputter into life: “You have entered my limbo, my temporary place of abode which is becoming distressingly permanent. The price for your freedom is my freedom. Work, and work hard, and work without fail. Set me free, and you may get a good night’s sleep.”

As the silence descends, you decide that even if you are in a bad horror movie, your only choice is to obey. You begin to explore. . . .

This is the introduction to the new puzzle suite by Andrew Feist called Ghost in the Machine.

These puzzles are free, and you can confirm answers (to individual puzzles and the final answer) by email to tabstopva+acs@gmail.com. If you want hints, or answers, that’s a dicerent story. To receive the hint file for this suite, send Andrew a copy of a receipt for a $5 donation to the American Cancer Society; for the hints and answers, make it a $10 donation. Don’t send him the money; just send him (at tabstopva+acs@gmail.com) a copy of the receipt.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Andrew sends his thanks to his playtesters Brian Cimmet and Charlie Reams. Also thanks to the puzzle community, especially the ones from whom he has subconsciously,  unconsciously, and unknowingly stolen puzzle ideas.

Ghost in the Machine home page • Direct download