It's just satisfying to be able to do it. Jon Delfin, who won the championship in 1988, agrees. ![]() ![]() "It might increase your knowledge and vocabulary a bit, but that's not the point," says the Atlanta resident, who can solve a daily newspaper crossword in about four minutes. "I can't see that it does anybody any good except to entertain them," says Trip Payne, 24, winner of this year's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Conn. In short, it's the fun of mind-games, and that's the primary appeal of puzzles, two championship puzzle solvers say. You want to know my favorite clue for 'tree?' 'Leaves home.' " Here's a punny clue from Newman: "What I will do to make a puzzle hard is use tricky clues and deliberate misdirection, the sorts of stuff that abounds in mystery novels. "So it's an unexpected answer that makes you see words in a new and very pleasing way," he says. "Of course, at first, you might think it was a very important person in the White House," he says.Īfter some thought, you might deduce that the answer was "sax," a reference to the brass instrument the president plays. Their mission has been to replace those puzzles with challenging games filled with jokes, puns, off-beat clues and references to contemporary people, issues and culture.Īs an example of a new clue, Shortz cites one from a recent crossword tournament: A three-letter word for "White House brass." These two have waged a war of words against crosswords riddled with old standards like "kran" (coin of Persia: 1826-1932) that lost currency way back when. Among them is Stanley Newman, 40, the self-appointed crossword crusader and founder of the 5,000-member American Crossword Federation, and Will Shortz, 40, an editor of Games magazine and the "puzzlemaster" of National Public Radio's Weekend Edition. Or maybe it's cocooning yuppies seeking at-home entertainment - or their babysitters on the rare nights they get out.Ĭertainly, much of the credit for the new flash of word games goes to a younger generation of crossword creators - or constructors, as they're called in the industry. Perhaps it's twenty-somethings with liberal arts educations, unchallenging jobs and time to burn while sipping lattes in coffeehouses. "Books of games have performed way beyond our expectations. "It's a tremendous success," says Annik Lafarge, associate publisher at Times Books. And more are on the way, including a series keyed to various difficulty levels. It has recently expanded its offerings with series from the New York Times, The Nation and other publications, plus a pair of books that bear the imprimatur of Mensa, the club for geniuses. Random House's division of Times Books is big on puzzles, too. Workman Publishing's star performers include "Games Magazine Big Book of Games," which has sold 231,000 copies, and "Games Junior Kids' Big Book of Games," with 295,000 copies in print. More clues are hidden in publishing companies' backlists. ![]() The bible of the new breed of puzzlers, the magazine has attracted 240,000 subscribers in less than two years. They're also adding more puns and pop-culture clues to get away from the musty feel of traditional puzzles and add razzle-dazzle.Ĭheck out the success of Games magazine for an indication of the growing popularity of puzzles. ![]() The younger generation of puzzlemeisters is changing the previously black-and-white world of puzzles by introducing colorful cartoons, lavish photographs, photomontage and other visual elements. Surveys show that 40 million Americans are crossword fans, and one lives in the White House: Bill Clinton loves to work the New York Times crossword - in ink.Īdd to their numbers loyal viewers of network TV's "Jeopardy!" and those who matched wits with Trivial Pursuit at the height of its popularity, and word games take on a new meaning: publishing profits.īut "word games" may be too limiting a phrase. Once written off as a creaky pastime more sedentary than shuffleboard but less intense than bingo, word games are beginning to win the hearts and minds of younger fans. Sharpen your pencils a revolution in crossword puzzles and other word games is set to sweep across - and down - the country.
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