puzzlenation

[puzzlenation]

Puzzles in Pop Culture: Pinky and the Brain

As you might expect, I am always on the lookout for puzzles on television. Sometimes, a complete solvable puzzle appears, like in the seesaw brain teaser from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Sometimes, they’re only referenced, like in a murder mystery involving a crossword editor on Bones. Other times, a major portion of an episode revolves around them. We’ve seen this countless times from shows as diverse…

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Delving into the 2025 Westwords Tournament Puzzles!

I finally had a chance to sit down and try my hand at the puzzles from this year’s Westwords Crossword Tournament. Given the talent involved amongst the organizers and constructors, I had high expectations, and I was not disappointed. So let’s put those puzzles under the microscope and see what’s what! Puzzle #1: Brace for Turbulence by Kevin Christian The tournament launched with this 16×15…

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Real or Fake Game: TV Shows!

Truth is often stranger than fiction, as they say, and as someone who regularly creates quizzes, games, and puzzles for friends to unravel, that’s a core tenet of one of my favorite game styles: Real or Fake Games. Real or Fake Games are quite simple. I present the player(s) with something — a headline, an animal, a fortune cookie fortune, the plot synopsis of an episode of The Simpsons — and…

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What Belongs in Crosswords: Another Look

Years ago I wrote a blog post discussing how crosswords have to walk a tightrope, balancing topicality and freshness vs. familiarity and family-friendly content. I mentioned that older solvers may decry newer names, slang, terminology, or pop culture references, while younger solvers will bemoan not just older references they consider passe, but long-established crossword-friendly words they…

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A Language Barrier Preventing Game Sales?

Image courtesy of The Wall Street Journal. I’ve written a lot this year about how political decisions have impacted the games industry. With Trump’s wildly inconsistent implementation of tariffs, we’ve already seen game companies close, cancel projects, and try to right the ship amidst uncertain costs, supply opportunities, and factory dealings. But the United States isn’t the only place where…

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The Curious Case of Richard Simon's Aunt, Hedwig

Back in November, I wrote about how woman have shaped the world of puzzles, both in the past and in the present. One of the first women I mentioned was Richard Simon’s aunt. According to the lore of Simon & Schuster, she was the one who inspired Simon to publish a limited release book — the first crossword puzzle book — that launched their publishing empire. While I was writing that post, I…

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A Summer Camp for Games?

Hey, are you in the Boston area and looking for the perfect summer activity for the young game designers in your life? You should check out the Dice and Design Games Summer Camp in Belmont, MA! This summertime gaming festival of fun is the creation of Caro Murphy, an award-winning game designer who not only founded the Boston Festival of Indie Games, but has lectured on game design at the…

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The Riddle of the Two Guards

Hey there, fellow puzzler. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Ah yes, the riddle of the two guards. Also known as the two doors puzzle, the two guards/two doors puzzle, and, my personal favorite, that awful crap riddle. It’s easily the most famous example of a Knights and Knaves logic puzzle, which all work off the idea of individuals who always lie or always tell the truth, and a solver…

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More Names Depart D&D! What Does It Mean for the Brand?

It’s a little sad that the only time Dungeons & Dragons hits the headlines these days, it’s for stupid behind-the-scenes reasons and not terrific storytelling reasons. Over the last two years, Dungeons & Dragons has been in the news for: -trying to destroy the third-party market from which they profited by releasing a new OGL (the gaming license that allows third-party companies to make content…

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Boswords, Westwords, MoMath, and Free RPG Day: A Big Week for Puzzles and Games!

There’s so much going on this week in the intertwined worlds of puzzles and games to get into, so let’s skip the intro and get to the good stuff! Boswords Summer Tournament registration is open! Sunday July 27th marks the latest edition of the Boswords crossword puzzle tournament, and that’s only six weeks away! Thankfully, registration is now open to reserve your spot in this year’s…

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Twin Films Film Festival Test!

Are you familiar with the concept of twin films, fellow puzzlers? The basic idea involves the commercial release of two films with extremely similar plots or concepts being released in proximity to each other. For example, if I described a 1998 global disaster film centered around an impending impact event that threatens to end most or all life on Earth, what film would you name? You could…

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The World Cryptic Crossword Championship Is Almost Here!

Are you a fan of cryptic crosswords and looking for a challenge that suits your skill set and tricky puzzle of choice? Then you should consider testing your puzzly mettle in this year’s World Cryptic Crossword Championship! Debuting on the weekend of June 28th and 29th, the WCCC is composed of two events: an individual online championship on the 28th (which is open to any and all competitors)…

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Free RPG Day Is Only a Few Weeks Away!

Whether you’re a veteran of many roleplaying campaigns, someone who has dabbled in a few dice-rolling sessions, or a total newcomer to the RPG hobby, one of the best days of the year is fast approaching. Saturday, June 21st is Free RPG Day! The concept behind Free RPG Day is simple. All over the world (but mostly in the United States), local game shops, hobby shops, and other outlets team up…

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Crossword Charities Have No Chill (and That's Awesome)

Words are awesome. We use words to express ourselves, to paint pictures for each other, to explain the world and our viewpoints in vivid, meticulous detail. There is a heart-stirring magic in the poetry and art of words. But words can also obscure, conceal, and mislead. Words can be bent, they can weasel into unlikely positions, they can camouflage and doublespeak ideas as something else. There…

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No Prep Road Trip Games!

Summer is nearly upon us, and with the arrival of summer, one cannot help but think of road trips with friends and ways to pass the time in the car. While singalongs, I Spy, and the License Plate Game are all well and good, perhaps you would like a little more challenge with your road trip games. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a few suggestions for road trip games that require no…

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A-Ha Moments Stick in the Brain!

It’s one of the best moments in puzzle solving. When all the pieces click into place brilliantly. When the wordplay is unraveled. When the cryptic crossword clue is deciphered. When the trickery behind the riddle is revealed. That rush, that satisfaction that coincides with overcoming the clever, devious creation of another keen mind. The a-ha moment. And it turns out that the a-ha moment…

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Antonym TV Shows!

In today’s post, I’ve got a silly little puzzly challenge for you. I’m going to give you the antonym of a television show’s title, and you need to give me the show. For example, “Not at All Justified” would mean “Justified” or “Lawlessness and Chaos” would be “Law and Order.” And yes, they do get wackier, more specious, and more elaborate as we go. So, without further ado, let’s play! ANTONYM…