Friday, 12/31/10

NYT 2:48 ... LAT 2:05 ... CS 2:00 ... ND 2:11 ... WSJ 7:25 ... MGWC 4:25

Happy new year!

Thursday, 12/30/10

NYT 2:55 ... LAT 2:37 ... CS 1:40 ... ND 1:57 ... BEQ 2:52 ... AR #8 (p) 19:20

Wednesday, 12/29/10

NYT 2:32 ... LAT 2:13 ... CS 2:22 ... ND 1:49

Tuesday, 12/28/10

NYT 1:42 ... LAT 1:47 ... CS 1:39 ... ND 1:10 ... BT 2:47 ... TO 2:55

Monday, 12/27/10

NYT 1:27 ... LAT 1:36 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:20 ... JON 1:59 ... BEQ 3:58

Sunday, 12/26/10

NYT 4:40 ... LAT 5:56 ... MR 4:15 ... BG 6:09 ... ND 3:31 ... LATB 3:56 ... CS 2:45 ... WP 4:55 ... Wry Tangles (p) 6:35 & 12:55

Saturday, 12/25/10

NYT 4:21 ... LAT 2:38 ... CS 1:58 ... ND 11:28

Friday, 12/24/10

NYT 3:25 ... LAT 2:12 ... CS 1:35 ... ND 2:15 ... WSJ 5:48 ... MGWC 4:00 ... AR #7 13:30

Thursday, 12/23/10

NYT 2:49 ... LAT 2:08 ... CS 1:49 ... ND 1:58 ... BEQ 2:14

Wednesday, 12/22/10

NYT 2:40 ... LAT 1:51 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:57

The last ~30 seconds of the NYT was finding my mistake - the last letter of 45D, where I initially had SPORTS, so that area was messy for a while...

Tuesday, 12/21/10

NYT 1:47 ... LAT 1:44 ... CS 1:43 ... ND 1:32 ... BT 2:49 ... TO 2:35

Monday, 12/20/10

NYT 1:55 ... LAT 1:51 ... CS 1:44 ... ND 1:20 ... JON 2:06 ... BEQ 3:26

I'm taking the day off. See you Tuesday afternoon...

Sunday, 12/19/10

NYT 7:18 ... LAT 4:25 ... MR 4:10 ... BG 3:51 ... ND 4:04 ... CS 2:03 ... WP 3:13 ... Acrostic 5:45

Saturday, 12/18/10

NYT 4:22 ... LAT 2:55 ... CS 1:58 ... ND 4:52 ... Hex Cryptic (p) 25:30

Friday, 12/17/10

NYT 2:57 ... LAT 2:02 ... CS 1:56 ... ND 2:07 ... CHE 2:53 ... WSJ 5:05 ... JH/BEQ 3:09 ... MGWC 3:31

Thursday, 12/16/10

NYT 2:25 ... LAT 2:33 ... CS 1:46 ... ND 2:19 ... BEQ 2:13

Wednesday, 12/15/10

NYT 2:12 ... LAT 2:14 ... CS 1:45 ... ND 1:20

Tuesday, 12/14/10

NYT (p) 2:05 ... LAT (p) 2:13 ... CS (p) 2:29 ... ND (p) 1:54 ... BT 2:27 ... TO 2:31 ... AR (#5) 15:30 ... AR (#6) 19:40

Solved the NYT, LAT, and ND on camera for a segment on LX New York, an NBC "lifestyle" show airing at 5pm.

Monday, 12/13/10

NYT 1:36 ... LAT 1:16 ... CS 1:34 ... ND 1:06 ... JON 1:54 ... BEQ 2:40

Hey, new record on the Newsday. And LAT. And should have been on the NYT, but I fumbled for a few seconds and had a typo when I finished around 1:18. I did do more puzzles than usual to warm up... or rather, to get my brain in gear for a phone interview with Irish radio.

Sunday, 12/12/10

NYT 5:06 ... LAT 4:21 ... MR 3:17* ... BG 4:25 ... ND 3:08 ... LATB 4:02 ... CS 3:53 ... WP 4:25

* I solved this puzzle a couple weeks ago; it was previously published on August 3, 2003. At least a third of this year's Merl Reagle puzzles have been reruns, as I've discovered while solving my way through the last decade. Of course, nobody remembers puzzles from seven or eight years ago, so that's fair to the solvers -- I was just a little disheartened to learn that Merl is only human, and isn't coming up with a clever new idea every single week!

Saturday, 12/11/10

NYT 4:15 ... LAT 2:28 ... CS 1:49 ... ND 4:52 ... Rows Garden (p) 30+ before googling ... TPP Spiral (p) 3:20

Friday, 12/10/10 and Links

NYT 4:35 ... LAT 2:19 ... CS 1:52 ... ND 2:00 ... CHE 1:39 ... WSJ 5:08 ... MGWC 2:08

Fifteen Minutes of Fame update:

Brief mention on NY1's "In the Papers" segment (starting around 3:30). Host Pat Kiernan is better known to puzzlers as the emcee of the awesome and defunct game show World Series of Pop Culture.

Slightly less brief mention on NPR's "Talk of the Nation" (starting around 24:00) ... transcript here

Link on Jason Kottke's uber-famous blog

ABA Journal piece about my lawyer parents

The NYT piece was the second-most-shared on Facebook for a while on Monday night, and as high as seventh on the most-emailed list on Tuesday. I'm scheduled to talk to an Irish radio programme on Monday, and maybe do a segment on Tuesday on a local NYC TV show.

Thursday, 12/9/10

NYT 2:53 ... LAT 2:11 ... CS 2:07 ... ND 1:50 ... BEQ 2:24 ... FB 5:27

Wednesday, 12/8/10

NYT 2:17 ... LAT 1:54 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:44

Tuesday, 12/7/10

NYT 1:59 ... LAT 1:50 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:35 ... BT 2:14 ... TO 2:05 ... Science Times 2:03

Welcome, people who clicked on the NYT's link! As the title says, this isn't really a blog. Most of the actual content here can be found under the tags ACPT and MISCELLANY. See below for discussion of the NYT article...

Read Anything Interesting Today?

My fifteen minutes have arrived! I'll comment more about the article later...

...It's later. So how cool is that video? I came into the studio to find three still cameras mounted at different angles. They were planning to have me solve in the actual newspaper, which looks better, but I didn't think that would work because I only use pencil -- a fortunate decision because of all the erasing I had to do. By the way, that's not me playing the public-domain music over the video. They asked if I wanted to record some of my own music to use, but I had to decline because I don't have any music.

As for the article -- a much longer piece than I was expecting -- it's remarkably well-written and accurate. I guess that's not so remarkable, because Denise Grady is one of the top writers at the Times (865 articles!). What surprised me was how much she mined out of a single hour-long lunch (sans tape recorder), a few minutes at the photo session, and a couple of short phone conversations.

I can't really quibble with any of the content, except the implication that I actually knew "the name of Gorbachev's wife (Raisa), a synonym for no-good (dadblasted), the Rangers coach in 1994 (Keenan), a platinum-group element (iridium) and the meaning of objurgation (rant)?" Yes, RAISA was a Tuesday-level gimme, I'm aware of an element called IRIDIUM, and I knew I'd heard of Mike KEENAN but couldn't pull out the name without a bunch of letters. But the others came mostly from crosses -- you'll note that I had a single empty box in the NE corner for a while, because I hadn't a clue what "objurgation" might mean! As you are no doubt aware, crossword skill isn't necessarily about knowing everything, but about making some good guesses that form legitimate answers in both directions.

One other little "correction" in the chronology of my puzzle addiction: I had bought a few NYT crossword books and solved them non-obsessively for about a year before seeing Wordplay, and it was discovering the online community (and plethora of puzzles) that kicked me into high gear. There are two demonstrable factual errors in the piece, and they're both my fault! I finished 45th at my first tournament, not "50-somethingth," as I misremembered; and the sudoku champion's prize is $10,000, not $20,000, which makes it a little harder to complain about the purse at the ACPT.

Also, I feel like I should have my musical-theater-nerd card revoked, because that answer that stumped me in a Saturday puzzle last month? I was reminded a few days ago that it's in a Sondheim lyric. "WIRE-SPOKE wheel in America!"

Finally, how's this for irony? (Seriously... does this qualify as irony? So little actually does.) This afternoon, mere minutes before an email arrived from Ms. Grady telling me the story was posted online, I received another message from the Times. It was an automated message from the billing department, notifying me that my credit-card information was out of date, and my Premium Crosswords subscription couldn't be renewed automatically.

Monday, 12/6/10

NYT 1:32 ... LAT 1:27 ... CS 1:56 ... ND 1:24 ... JON 1:48 ... BEQ 4:14

Sunday, 12/5/10

NYT 4:51 ... LAT 4:09 ... MR 5:20 ... BG 4:39 ... ND 3:24 ... CS 2:40 ... WP 4:50 ... Acrostic 14:40

Saturday, 12/4/10

NYT 4:14 ... LAT 2:33 ... CS 2:01 ... ND 7:32 ... Acrostic 6:25

Inspired by Trip's monthly rundowns, discussion of my solving habits on other blogs, and the likelihood that I'll get a traffic spike this Tuesday (playin' it coy!) and want to have some content here, I decided to count how many puzzles I solved this week (11/28-12/4). I wasn't working much, so I spent more time than usual at home doing crosswords. (Saturday I'll be busy and not solving, so I can count now, on Friday night.) So:

42 - current puzzles with times posted here
82 - NYT from 1996
18 - WSJ from 2003-4
14 - LAT from 2007
21 - CS from 1997 [Downs only. I've found this a fun way to solve these puzzles in Across Lite (usually while watching Conan) - drag the Across/Down divider bar all the way up, and voila, it's Downs only. Every third puzzle or so, I need some help from "Check All" or Acrosses to finish.]
14 - in books that I'm trying to move from the "half done" shelf to the "done" shelf: Pop Culture Crosswords (done!), 10-Minute Crosswords, and Baseball Crosswords
9 - variety cryptics: 2 by Kegler, 2 by Hex, 5 by Maltby

...for a total of... holy crap, I swear I didn't rig this... exactly 200 in six days. Yeah, my goal is to do all the crosswords. All of them! (Well, not the ones edited by Timothy Parker.)

Friday, 12/3/10

NYT 3:30 ... LAT 2:05 ... CS 1:38 ... ND 2:30 ... CHE 2:15 ... WSJ 4:47 ... MGWC 2:35

Thursday, 12/2/10

NYT 2:25 ... LAT 2:05 ... CS 1:38 ... ND 2:05 ... BEQ 4:28 ... FB 4:03

Wednesday, 12/1/10

NYT 2:39 ... LAT 1:50 ... CS 2:14 ... ND 1:47 ... PB2 2:18 ... AR (p) 22:30

Tuesday, 11/30/10

NYT 2:16 ... LAT 1:40 ... CS 2:00 ... ND 1:33 ... BT 2:47 ... TO 2:18

Monday, 11/29/10

NYT 1:42 ... LAT 1:31 ... CS 1:35 ... ND 1:26 ... JON 2:37 ... BEQ 3:03 ... Bonus BEQ (p) 10:05

Sunday, 11/28/10

NYT 7:14 ... LAT 5:17 ... MR 3:43 ... BG 5:46 ... ND 3:19 ... LATB 4:22 ... CS 2:17 ... WP 3:11 ... Diagramless (p) 10:05

Saturday, 11/27/10

NYT (p) 4:00 ... LAT (p) 2:40 ... CS (p) 2:22 ... ND (p) 6:40 ... In Boxes (p) 14:15

Friday, 11/26/10

NYT (p) 6:18 ... LAT (p) 3:40 ... CS (p) 2:00 ... ND (p) 2:31 ... CHE (p) 4:02 ... WSJ (p) 8:33 ... MGWC (p) 8:15

Thursday, 11/25/10

NYT 3:15 ... LAT 2:13 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 2:11 ... BEQ (p) 5:25 ... FB 4:52

Wednesday, 11/24/10

NYT 2:24 ... LAT 2:00 ... CS 1:46 ... ND 1:28 ... AR (p) 24:30

Tuesday, 11/23/10

NYT (p) 2:22 ... LAT (p) 2:43 ... CS (p) 2:47 ... ND (p) 2:01 ... BT (p) 4:15 ... TO (p) 3:28

All caught up! Everyone will get to watch me solve Saturday's NYT puzzle in a couple weeks. The sub-2-minute NYT Monday was not recorded, unfortunately. FWIW, while practicing on old puzzles last weekend, I hit 1:49 on two separate NYT Mondays.

Monday, 11/22/10

NYT (p) 1:58 ... LAT (p) 2:01 ... CS (p) 2:12 ... ND (p) 1:57 ... JON (p) 2:40 ... BEQ (p) 4:30

Sunday, 11/21/10

NYT (p) 7:23 ... LAT (p) 5:52 ... MR (p) 5:34 ... BG (p) 6:27 ... ND (p) 5:37 ... CS (p) 2:26 ... WP (p) 5:02 ... Acrostic 7:50

Saturday, 11/20/10

NYT (p) 5:29 ... LAT (p) 3:08 ... CS (p) 3:09 ... ND (p) 7:39 ... Hex Cryptic (p) 13:50 ... AR (p) 17:30

Here's the deal: I'm saving up the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday NYT puzzles so I can solve them on camera on Tuesday. Unfortunately, that means I have to avoid the blogs until then for fear of spoilers. Let me know if I miss anything important! (...that doesn't relate to the NYT puzzle.)

Friday, 11/19/10

NYT (p) 4:12 ... LAT (p) 3:21 ... CS (p) 2:19 ... ND (p) 2:38 ... CHE (p) 3:09 ... WSJ (p) 7:03 ... MGWC (p) 4:58 ... BEQ/DLW (p) 2:39

Time for me to work up those pencil skills again. Might have lost a step, but I'll get it back. Heads up: I may not be solving and posting times this weekend. Please try to contain your disappointment!

Thursday, 11/18/10

NYT 3:56 ... LAT 2:28 ... CS 1:43 ... ND 1:31 ... BEQ 2:05 ... FB 3:43

Wednesday, 11/17/10

NYT 2:05 ... LAT 2:01 ... CS 1:57 ... ND 1:26

Tuesday, 11/16/10

NYT 1:50 ... LAT 1:46 ... CS 1:29 ... ND 1:28 ... BT 2:47 ... TO 2:51

Monday, 11/15/10

NYT 1:43 ... LAT 1:32 ... CS 2:00 ... ND 1:32 ... JON 2:58 ... BEQ 4:55

Sunday, 11/14/10

NYT 5:03 ... LAT 3:51 ... MR 3:40 ... BG 4:23 ... ND 3:08 ... LATB 4:04 ... CS 3:08 ... WP 3:27 ... Special Delivery untimed

So has anyone else been solving Longo's King Features puzzle? (Alex is aware that the Butler hasn't been able to get it since last week.)

Saturday, 11/13/10

NYT 8:19 ... LAT 3:38 ... CS 1:51 ... ND 6:49 ... Horseshoes (p) 7:55

Bonus time: Joon Pahk's Themeless (#69) from S&S Mega #8 - 6:13.

Too tired for Saturday puzzles, but I won't have time tomorrow!

Friday, 11/12/10

NYT 4:16 ... LAT 2:19 ... CS 1:40 ... ND 1:59 ... CHE 2:28 ... WSJ 4:14 ... BEQ/CM 3:12 ... MGWC 2:20

Thursday, 11/11/10

NYT 2:59 ... LAT 2:23 ... CS 1:52 ... ND 1:33 ... BEQ 2:15 ... FB 4:02

Wednesday, 11/10/10

NYT 1:29 ... LAT 1:29 ... CS 1:22 ... ND 1:28

Don't think I've even had a Monday with four sub-90-second times... take that, Tyler! (he said joshingly)

Tuesday, 11/9/10

NYT 2:02 ... LAT 1:37 ... CS 1:53 ... ND 1:16 ... BT 2:52 ... TO 2:28

Monday, 11/8/10

NYT 1:24 ... LAT 1:38 ... CS 2:20 ... ND 1:24 ... JON 2:24 ... BEQ 3:48

Neville will post the video of me solving his LAT puzzle on his blog later tonight. I recorded all of my solving today, but I don't think I'll share the rest, because really, who cares?

Sunday, 11/7/10

NYT 5:32 ... LAT 4:50 ... MR 4:09 ... BG 5:11 ... ND 3:35 ... KFS unavailable? ... CS 1:52 ... WP 2:45 ... Acrostic 6:03

Saturday, 11/6/10

NYT 3:39 ... LAT 2:31 ... CS 1:25 ... ND 5:50 ... Acrostic 7:10

Friday, 11/5/10

NYT 3:15 ... LAT 2:08 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:58 ... CHE 2:07 ... WSJ 4:04 ... MGWC 2:06 ... BEQ/PW 3:55

I couldn't figure out either the NYT meta or the MGWCC meta today. Ouch!

Thursday, 11/4/10

NYT 3:02 ... LAT 2:14 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 2:07 ... BEQ 2:21 ... FB 3:06 ... PB2 3:21

Wednesday, 11/3/10

NYT 1:45 ... LAT 2:16 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:39

Before tonight I could not have told you what Canada's highest mountain is, but two consecutive crosswords just taught me that factoid.

Tuesday, 11/2/10

NYT 1:37 ... LAT 1:38 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 1:33 ... BT 2:39 ... TO 2:50

Monday, 11/1/10

NYT 1:40 ... LAT 1:46 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:21 ... JON 2:19 ... BEQ 3:54

On my way back to New York (and unemployment)...

Sunday, 10/24/10

NYT 4:33 ... LAT 4:37 ... MR 4:35 ... BG 4:40 ... ND 4:16 ... LATB 4:11 ... KFS 3:38 ... CS 2:08 ... WP 3:32 ... Cryptic 7:33

Saturday, 10/30/10

NYT 3:24 ... LAT 2:51 ... CS 2:00 ... ND 4:17 ... Marching Bands (p) 6:23

Sorry, Neville - I was halfway through your puzzle when I remembered you wanted to "see" me solving. Give me a heads-up and I can record the next one!

Friday, 10/29/10

NYT 2:58 ... LAT 2:54 ... CS 1:39 ... ND 1:48 ... CHE 2:29 ... WSJ 4:25 ... BEQ/Rex 5:10 ... MGWC 7:37

Thursday, 10/28/10

NYT 2:47 ... LAT 2:38 ... CS 1:49 ... ND 1:31 ... BEQ 2:21 ... FB 4:08

Wednesday, 10/27/10

NYT 2:27 ... LAT 1:47 ... CS 2:10 ... ND 1:44

Tuesday, 10/26/10

NYT 1:57 ... LAT 1:48 ... CS 1:39 ... ND 1:34 ... BT 2:08 ... TO 2:07

Monday, 10/25/10

NYT 1:52 ... LAT 1:39 ... CS 1:38 ... ND 1:14 ... JON 2:46 ... BEQ 3:37

Sunday, 10/24/10

NYT 4:55 ... LAT 5:21 ... MR 3:55 ... BG 4:43 ... ND 3:28 ... KFS 3:52 ... CS 3:05 ... WP 2:36 ... Acrostic 9:25

(Puzzles ... sometime Monday!)

Saturday, 10/23/10

NYT 4:36 ... LAT 2:30 ... CS 1:55 ... ND 4:53 ... Hex Cryptic (p) 14:35

Friday, 10/22/10

NYT 6:11 ... LAT 2:12 ... CS 1:44 ... ND 1:47 ... CHE 2:12 ... WSJ 6:27 ... MGWC 2:52

Thursday, 10/21/10

NYT 2:32 ... LAT 2:08 ... CS 1:26 ... ND 1:50 ... BEQ 3:11 ... FB 5:55

Wednesday, 10/20/10

NYT 2:19 ... LAT 1:40 ... CS 1:44 ... ND 1:56

Tuesday, 10/19/10

NYT 1:51 ... LAT 1:48 ... CS 1:55 ... ND 1:27 ... BT 2:51 ... TO 2:53

Monday, 10/18/10

NYT 1:32 ... LAT 1:39 ... CS 2:02 ... ND 1:33 ... JON 2:19 ... BEQ 3:26

Sunday, 10/17/10

NYT 4:21 ... LAT 5:18 ... MR 4:53 ... BG 4:08 ... ND 3:20 ... LATB 4:21 ... KFS 3:30 ... CS 2:01 ... WP 3:19 ... Diagramless (p) 10:30

Saturday, 10/16/10

NYT 4:03 ... LAT 3:11 ... CS 1:43 ... ND 3:55 ... Rows Garden (p) 13:35

Friday, 10/15/10

NYT 4:42 ... LAT 2:48 ... CS 1:54 ... ND 2:02 ... CHE 2:14 ... WSJ 4:23 ... MGWC 2:21 ... BEQ/DQ 6:10

Thursday, 10/14/10

NYT 3:14 ... LAT 1:50 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:37 ... BEQ 3:01 ... FB 4:10

I admit, I was a little disappointed that "The Quad Squad" didn't have anything to do with quad-stacked 15s. But I was intrigued enough by the shape and asymmetry to solve it right away!

Wednesday, 10/13/10

NYT 1:53 ... LAT 2:16 ... CS 1:45 ... ND 1:33 ... TPP 2:08

We appear to have an 80-word grid in Newsday (due to the constraints of that crazy theme, I imagine). And I love the 7-Down clue... because the poem is too obscure for Wednesday?

Tuesday, 10/12/10

NYT 2:10 ... LAT 2:09 ... CS 1:21 ... ND 1:25 ... BT 2:34 ... TO 2:36

Monday, 10/11/10

NYT 1:28 ... LAT 1:46 ... CS 2:32 ... ND 1:27 ... JON 2:45 ... BEQ 3:46

Sunday, 10/10/10

NYT 4:38 ... LAT 4:34 ... MR 5:26 ... BG 4:17 ... ND 3:50 ... KFS 3:23 ... CS 2:23 ... WP 2:21 ... Acrostic 14:30

Saturday, 10/9/10

NYT 3:27 ... LAT 2:40 ... CS 1:43 ... ND 3:28 ... Acrostic 7:02

Caught up on last weekend's variety puzzles...

Friday, 10/8/10

NYT 3:25 ... LAT 3:21 ... CS 1:40 ... ND 2:00 ... CHE 2:07 ... WSJ 4:56 ... MGWC 2:57

Thursday, 10/7/10

NYT 3:15 ... LAT 1:56 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:46 ... BEQ 1:55 ... FB 10:22 ... Bonus PB2 2:56

Wednesday, 10/6/10

NYT 2:12 ... LAT 1:55 ... CS 2:02 ... ND 1:29

Tuesday, 10/5/10

NYT 1:35 ... LAT 1:35 ... CS 1:54 ... ND 1:21 ... BT 2:33 ... TO 1:59

OK, what is the Newsday theme? I'm not going to spend any more time staring at it...

Monday, 10/4/10

NYT 1:20 ... LAT 1:42 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:22 ... JON 2:00 ... BEQ 4:25

Sunday, 10/3/10

NYT 5:12 ... LAT 4:51 ... MR 4:57 ... BG 5:41 ... ND 3:30 ... LATB 3:55 ... KFS 3:21 ... CS 3:41 ... WP 3:08 ... Split Decisions (p) 6:45

Saturday, 10/2/10

NYT 3:20 ... LAT 2:06 ... CS 1:30 ... ND 4:02 ... Section Eight (p) 14:05

Friday, 10/1/10

NYT 2:43 ... LAT 2:52 ... CS 2:00 ... ND 2:13 ... CHE 2:44 ... WSJ 5:08 ... MGWC 2:00

Thursday, 9/30/10

NYT 2:44 ... LAT 2:02 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:43 ... BEQ 2:59 ... FB 3:12

Wednesday, 9/29/10

NYT 1:46 ... LAT 2:01 ... CS 1:59 ... ND 1:29

Didn't we just have a very similar theme in Newsday? I forget 'em as soon as I do 'em, so I might be imagining it, or it might be an older puzzle...

Tuesday, 9/28/10

NYT 2:01 ... LAT 2:05 ... CS 1:49 ... ND 1:39 ... BT 2:26 ... TO 2:24

I downloaded the puzzles before leaving NYC early this morning, thinking maybe I'd have some spare time in an airport. Indeed - almost two hours to kill after missing my connecting flight in Philadelphia.

Monday, 9/27/10

NYT 1:32 ... LAT 1:42 ... CS 1:37 ... ND 1:22 ... JON 2:18 ... BEQ 3:31 ... US Airways Magazine (p) 3:05 ["Heard Herd" by Hex]

Sunday, 9/26/10

NYT 4:42 ... LAT 4:44 ... MR 4:16 ... BG 3:49 ... ND 3:33 ... KFS 3:42 ... CS 3:19 ... WP 2:51 ... Acrostic 10:25

Caught up on the PDF-only puzzles - WSJ Saturdays and Trip's latest (untimed). I'm heading back to New York for my day off on Monday, so I may not be posting again until Tuesday or even Wednesday.

Saturday, 9/25/10

NYT 2:56 ... LAT 2:18 ... CS 1:51 ... ND 6:12 ... Hex Cryptic (p) 11:23

Friday, 9/24/10

NYT 3:35 ... LAT 2:20 ... CS 1:29 ... ND 1:58 ... CHE 2:15 ... WSJ 4:50 ... MGWC 5:55

Thursday, 9/23/10

NYT 2:09 ... LAT 2:01 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 1:48 ... BEQ 3:00 ... FB 3:16

Wednesday, 9/22/10

NYT 2:07 ... LAT 1:51 ... CS 1:36 ... ND 1:34

Tuesday, 9/21/10

NYT 1:56 ... LAT 1:32 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 1:21 ... BT 2:25 ... TO 2:41

Monday, 9/20/10

NYT 1:37 ... LAT 1:47 ... CS 2:10 ... ND 1:30 ... JON 2:00 ... BEQ 4:23

Sunday, 9/19/10

NYT 5:13 ... LAT 4:01 ... MR 4:50 ... BG 4:22 ... ND 3:26 ... LATB 3:51 ... KFS 3:58 ... CS 2:22 ... WP 2:45 ... Cryptic 5:15

Saturday, 9/18/10

NYT 2:55 ... LAT 3:21 ... CS 2:12 ... ND 5:10 ... Crowd Control (p) 8:45

Friday, 9/17/10

NYT 3:30 ... LAT 2:45 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:57 ... CHE 3:13 ... WSJ 4:46 ... MGWC 2:54

Thursday, 9/16/10

NYT 2:47 ... LAT 2:02 ... CS 1:25 ... ND 1:54 ... BEQ 2:23 ... FB 3:50

Wednesday, 9/15/10

NYT 2:17 ... LAT 1:48 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:36

Tuesday, 9/14/10

NYT 2:04 ... LAT 1:38 ... CS 1:39 ... ND 1:34 ... BT 2:07 ... TO 2:27

Monday, 9/13/10

NYT 1:40 ... LAT 1:39 ... CS 1:58 ... ND 1:20 ... JON 2:08 ... BEQ 2:44

I'm off to Michigan for seven weeks. I think they have internets there, so my "blogging" shouldn't be affected too much...

Sunday, 9/12/10

NYT 8:05 ... LAT 4:09 ... MR 5:15 ... BG 5:08 ... ND 3:19 ... KFS 3:18 ... CS 2:17 ... WP 3:03 ... Acrostic 9:00

Saturday, 9/11/10

NYT 3:16 ... LAT 2:52 ... CS 2:38 ... ND 3:03 ... Acrostic 4:05

Man, was I on Brad Wilber's wavelength tonight - usually I don't know all the movie trivia he's asking for. On the WSJ Acrostic, I nailed B through M (and most of the other long answers) with just the clues, so that has to be my fastest acrostic.

Friday, 9/10/10

NYT 2:55 ... LAT 2:43 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:32 ... CHE 1:55 ... WSJ 5:12 ... MGWC 2:22

Thursday, 9/9/10

NYT 2:56 ... LAT 2:02 ... CS 1:44 ... ND 1:46 ... BEQ 2:38 ... FB 4:14

Wednesday, 9/8/10

NYT 1:53 ... LAT 1:44 ... CS 1:29 ... ND 1:26

Tuesday, 9/7/10

NYT 1:41 ... LAT 1:36 ... CS 1:55 ... ND 1:29 ... BT 2:45 ... TO 2:12

Monday, 9/6/10

NYT 1:38 ... LAT 1:41 ... CS 1:59 ... ND 1:24 ... JON 1:50 ... BEQ 4:28

Sunday, 9/5/10

NYT 5:12 ... LAT 3:53 ... MR 5:00 ... BG 4:42 ... ND 2:56 ... LATB 4:35 ... KFS 3:34 ... CS 2:20 ... WP 4:02 ... Diagramless (p) 8:35

Did the diagramless with the Saturday puzzles, but the rest will wait until tonight! tomorrow!

Saturday, 9/4/10

NYT 5:50 ... LAT 2:59 ... CS 1:29 ... ND 6:05 ... Spell Weaving (p) 5:35

Friday, 9/3/10

NYT 4:50 ... LAT 2:27 ... CS 1:47 ... ND 1:57 ... CHE 1:56 ... WSJ 5:22 ... MGWC 2:49

Thursday, 9/2/10

NYT 3:13 ... LAT 2:25 ... CS 1:51 ... ND 1:34 ... BEQ 3:16 ... FB 3:08

Wednesday, 9/1/10

NYT 2:14 ... LAT 1:58 ... CS 2:13 ... ND 1:32

Tuesday, 8/31/10

NYT 1:50 ... LAT 1:37 ... CS 2:12 ... ND 1:17 ... BT 2:44 ... TO 2:05

Couple of big clue bloopers in the Onion puzzle... (Didn't notice Newsday's 1A/1D until Joon's comment elsewhere...)

Monday, 8/30/10

NYT 1:40 ... LAT 1:37 ... CS 1:49 ... ND 1:20 ... JON 2:13 ... BEQ 3:31

Sunday, 8/29/10

NYT 5:15 ... LAT 4:35 ... MR 5:21 ... BG 5:03 ... ND 3:11 ... KFS 3:52 ... CS 2:23 ... WP 4:29 ... Acrostic 7:50

Thanks to the new version of CrosswordButler (currently in beta release), I'm pleased to welcome Frank Longo's Sunday King Features Syndicate Premier puzzle to my solving lineup!

Saturday, 8/28/10

NYT 4:02 ... LAT 2:50 ... CS 1:34 ... ND 4:42 ... Hex Cryptic (p) 17:45 ... BEW 5:02

I got Brad's new blog puzzle in Across Lite. How psyched are we that he's doing Saturday Stumpers now?

Friday, 8/27/10

NYT 3:21 ... LAT 1:59 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 2:08 ... WSJ 4:04 ... MGWC 3:55

Thursday, 8/26/10

NYT 2:45 ... LAT 2:32 ... CS 2:01 ... ND 1:34 ... BEQ (p) 4:45 ... FB 3:40

Wednesday, 8/25/10

NYT 2:01 ... LAT 1:44 ... CS 1:49 ... ND 1:45

Tuesday, 8/24/10

NYT 1:52 ... LAT 1:38 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:27 ... BT 2:28 ... TO 2:32

Speed-Solving Videos

Here are the two videos from today...

(Click 'em to view in a larger size so you can see what's going on...)

NY Times:


LA Times:


I did open the files to sneak a peek at the author before solving, but I promise I didn't see any of the clues beforehand! I think that's enough showing off, so I don't plan to make any more videos. But if any constructors would like to "see" me solve their puzzles when they come out, contact me and I'll make a recording.

Monday, 8/23/10

NYT 1:24 ... LAT 1:14 ... CS 1:29 ... ND 1:15 ... JON 1:47 ... BEQ 4:53

I recorded my solves today -- will upload a couple to YouTube. The LAT and ND both could have been at 1:10 if not for a few stray errors and typos...

Also, I updated the sidebar with sources of variety cryptics. Gonna print out a whole slew of them for when I go out of town next month!

Sunday, 8/22/10

NYT 5:07 ... LAT 4:08 ... MR 4:13 ... BG 4:15 ... ND 3:30 ... LATB 4:50 ... CS 2:19 ... WP 4:06 ... Three on a Match tba

Saturday, 8/21/10

NYT 3:29 ... LAT 3:06 ... CS 1:25 ... ND 6:19 ... Riding the Waves (p) 9:35

Friday, 8/20/10

NYT 4:55 ... LAT 2:49 ... CS 2:02 ... ND 1:57 ... WSJ 5:49 ... MGWC 4:00

Thursday, 8/19/10

NYT 2:33 ... LAT 2:13 ... CS 1:43 ... ND 1:44 ... BEQ 3:29 ... FB 2:46

Wednesday, 8/18/10

NYT 2:07 ... LAT 1:33 ... CS 1:36 ... ND 1:29

Well, I saw Alex's name on the NYT and decided to record it. Let me know if you want to see it (no editorial comments on the mic this time)...

Tuesday, 8/17/10

NYT 2:17 ... LAT 1:40 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 1:31 ... BT 2:27 ... TO 2:50

Behold, the not-at-all-anticipated follow-up to "Dan Can Type Fast". I thought Rex would enjoy it, since he asked for readers' solved copies of his debut. Hoped for a smoother ride, but whaddaya gonna do. I'll try to capture a 70-second Newsday solve sometime. Or maybe I should take requests?

Monday, 8/16/10

NYT 1:43 ... LAT 1:32 ... CS 1:29 ... ND 1:21 ... JON 2:20 ... BEQ 3:28

Sunday, 8/15/10

NYT 6:03* ... LAT 4:40 ... MR 3:53 ... BG 3:49 ... ND 3:22 ... CS 3:32 ... WP 3:33 ... Acrostic 8:19

I'll get to solving tonight, but I did update my Lollapuzzoola post below.

Had Across Lite show my error in the NYT (5-Down crossing the theme). I was so stunned by the quality of the fill that I didn't have the heart to look very long.

Lollapuzzoola 3: The Great Pickle Giveaway

[This post was written before the tournament...]
[And updated afterwards...]

[SPOILERS FOR THE TOURNAMENT PUZZLES!]

Congratulations to the champions! Whoever they may be! Jeffrey Harris and Jeffrey Dubner! And hooray for Jeffrey Schwartz and Jeffrey Krasnick, just because! All four Jeffs (but especially the first two) will be very competitive at the ACPT. In fact, can we say Mr. Harris is a strong favorite to beat me? I'll say it.

I was unable to defend my Lollapuzzoola crown due to work commitments, but I did get to test-solve the puzzles last week. Here are my solving times, if you'd like to compare notes:

Puzzle 1: "Ryan Says..." by Deb Amlen -- 2:37
The theme clues were written out on the test version, so I imagine it would have been a bit slower under tournament conditions.
[Actually, the tournament copy had the same clues, plus hints provided before the puzzle started, so I was at a tiny disadvantage.]

Puzzle 2: "Mixed Doubles" by Mike Nothnagel -- 13:00 plus :30 for bonus answer
I didn't read the instructions carefully enough, and didn't realize until halfway through that the pairs were either both Across or both Down. So I wasted some time searching for matches where they couldn't be found.
[At the event, the instructions were carefully explained before solving began, so I was at a bigger disadvantage, since I started the clock before reading the clues.]

Puzzle 3: "Saturday Morning Cartoons" by Joe Krozel -- 7:08
Barely used the cartoons at all, because they weren't much help in parsing the theme answers. Left all the unchecked squares blank until I got enough circled letters to figure out the theme, which obviously helped a great deal.

Puzzle 4: "Lucky Sevens" by Tyler Hinman -- 10:31
Amazing puzzle all around. Who thought it was even possible to put together a grid with 64 seven-letter answers and nothing else? It took me longer than it should have to see what was going on, but once I did, I didn't really get hung up anywhere.

Puzzle 5: "To Prevent Data Loss" by Neville Fogarty -- 10:58
Cool theme, and impressive in its density.
[Neville told me they discovered an ambiguous square when solvers came up with a possibly-correct crossing: ARGS or ARRS could be [Pirates' interjections], and STR or STG could be the [Section with vlns.]. I didn't catch that because STR is more standard, and ARR(R) is a R&B inside joke...]

Final (Express Division) by Doug Peterson -- DNF! I had a really rough time all the way through, not just with the unknowns TIRPITZ and HABAKKUK. At the 15-minute time limit, I had everything except an empty SE corner, with a couple of wrong guesses (OREM crossing FRETS). So after a few more minutes banging my pencil against the wall, I cheated by looking at a couple of the Local Division clues and finished it up.

So I'm glad that I wasn't competing, because I might have tanked up at the whiteboard! I was also happy to bow out so that other top solvers would get a shot at the finals -- not that I was guaranteed to be there, but, you know, odds were good. Let's once again commend Howard Barkin, who didn't have an excuse to sit out except that he's ultranice.

Well, only one of the finalists was able to finish, and it sure helped that he got HABAKKUK off the H. But Jon and Joon both ran into a brick wall in the same place I did. I think I ended up with a few more correct squares than they had, so... might have been second place?

I had a great time seeing all the cool cruciverbalists, though I didn't have as much social time because I didn't get to chat in the hallway after solving (I was on Deb Amlen's grid-collecting team), and I had to leave for three hours in the middle of the day. That aside, it was an extremely fun and successful event, and I was correct in saying last year that they were going to need a bigger room -- the solvers barely fit! Congratulations to Ryan and Brian, and thanks to everyone who made it happen and came to play.

Saturday, 8/14/10

NYT 5:15 ... LAT 2:27 ... CS 1:46 ... ND 3:27 ... Acrostic 4:50

Looking forward to Lollapuzzoola today! I have a post scheduled to go up at 6pm with my solving times on the puzzles (which I test-solved last week). Find out whether I would have won... (hint: not bloody likely)

Friday, 8/13/10

NYT 3:26 ... LAT 2:34 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 2:05 ... CHE 2:26 ... WSJ 5:10 ... MGWC 2:30

Thursday, 8/12/10

NYT 3:01 ... LAT 2:08 ... CS 1:46 ... ND 1:48 ... BEQ 2:31 ... FB 3:04

Could somebody forward me the Fireball e-mail? I didn't receive it this week. (Thank you Howard!)

...And Peter's email showed up ten minutes after Howard's. I blame my new smartphone.

Wednesday, 8/11/10

NYT 1:58 ... LAT 1:54 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:50 ... BT 3:06 ... TO 2:19

Tuesday, 8/10/10

NYT 1:59 ... LAT 1:41 ... CS 1:46 ... ND 1:17 ...

Monday, 8/9/10

NYT 1:37 ... LAT 1:38 ... CS 2:14 ... ND 1:15 ... JON 3:20 ... BEQ 4:25

Sunday, 8/8/10

NYT 5:40 ... LAT 4:47 ... MR 4:25 ... BG 5:08 ... ND 4:05 ... LATB 4:28 ... CS 2:14 ... WP 2:55

Saturday, 8/7/10

NYT 4:12 ... LAT 2:47 ... CS 1:45 ... ND 3:49 ... FB 2:50 ... Shapeshifters (p) 8:40

Friday, 8/6/10

NYT 3:27 ... LAT 2:11 ... CS 1:35 ... ND 1:43 ... WSJ 4:00 ... MGWC 2:22

I'm going out of town for the weekend and won't be looking at any puzzles until Sunday night! Or more likely, Monday.

Thursday, 8/5/10

NYT 2:42 ... LAT 1:52 ... CS 1:56 ... ND 1:39 ... BEQ 1:47 ... FB 6:10

Wednesday, 8/4/10

NYT 2:24 ... LAT 1:44 ... CS 1:23 ... ND 1:21

Tuesday, 8/3/10

NYT 2:08 ... LAT 1:44 ... CS 1:59 ... ND 1:24 ... BT 2:19 ... TO 2:55

Monday, 8/2/10

NYT 1:47 ... LAT 1:39 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:30 ... JON 2:11 ... BEQ 3:25

Sunday, 8/1/10

NYT 5:28 ... LAT 5:10 ... MR 4:31 ... BG 4:47 ... ND 3:48 ... CS 2:11 ... WP 4:21 ... Acrostic 8:42

Updated the sidebar links and not-FAQ. Am I missing any constructors' websites?

Saturday, 7/31/10

NYT 7:30* ... LAT 2:51 ... CS 1:51 ... ND 9:01 ... Cryptic (p) 11:40

It's post #600! Woohoo.

Two errors on the NYT, both where even running the alphabet didn't help...

Friday, 7/30/10

NYT (p) 5:45 ... LAT (p) 3:32 ... CS (p) 1:53 ... ND (p) 2:34 ... CHE (p) 3:29 ... WSJ (p) 5:49 ... MGWC 4:35

Had some time today, so I thought I'd fire up the printer and see how my pencil/paper skills have deteriorated, since I haven't speed-solved since the tournament.

Thursday, 7/29/10

NYT 2:40 ... LAT 2:01 ... CS 2:06 ... ND 2:00 ... BEQ 3:45 ... FB 5:55*

Fireball: error at 42A/35D; guess-the-letter at square 22.

Wednesday, 7/28/10

NYT 2:05 ... LAT 1:49 ... CS 1:45 ... ND 1:53

Tuesday, 7/27/10

NYT 1:30 ... LAT 1:38 ... CS 2:20 ... ND 1:22 ... BT 2:28 ... TO 2:53

Monday, 7/26/10

NYT 1:30 ... LAT 1:47 ... CS 2:05 ... ND 1:22 ... JON 2:11 ... BEQ 3:35

Sunday, 7/25/10

NYT 4:54 ... LAT 4:26 ... MR 4:31 ... BG 4:43 ... ND 3:01 ... LATB 5:07 ... CS 2:35 ... WP 3:02 ... Diagramless (p) 8:38

Back tonight!

Saturday, 7/24/10

NYT 6:08 ... LAT 2:50 ... CS 2:09 ... ND 4:19 ... Rows Garden (p) 18:00

Breaking news: I won't be defending the Lollapuzzoola title this year. I have a work commitment that afternoon, but I'll still come to hang out before and after the show.

Friday, 7/23/10

NYT 2:30 ... LAT 1:58 ... CS 1:47 ... ND 2:15 ... WSJ 5:09 ... MGWC 4:00

Thursday, 7/22/10

NYT 2:08 ... LAT 2:24 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:47 ... BEQ 2:41 ... FB 4:05

Full disclosure: I read the NYT Notepad (a couple times) before starting the clock.

Wednesday, 7/21/10

NYT 1:48 ... LAT 2:03 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:12

Tuesday, 7/20/10

NYT 1:37 ... LAT 1:40 ... CS 1:36 ... ND 1:20 ... BT 2:42 ... TO 2:26

Monday, 7/19/10

NYT 1:44 ... LAT 1:27 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:21 ... JON 2:30 ... BEQ 3:44

Sunday, 7/18/10

NYT 5:12 ... LAT 4:03 ... MR 4:20 ... BG 4:32 ... ND 3:51 ... CS 2:52 ... WP 3:32 ... Acrostic 8:25

Happy birthday to me!

Saturday, 7/17/10

NYT 4:37 ... LAT 3:36 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 4:01 ... Acrostic 5:15

Also, I caught up on the CHE puzzles from yesterday and two weeks ago.

Friday, 7/16/10

NYT 4:19 ... LAT 3:15 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 2:00 ... CHE 3:38 ... WSJ 5:07 ... MGWC 3:38

Thursday, 7/15/10

NYT 3:25 ... LAT 1:52 ... CS 1:40 ... ND 1:48 ... BEQ 2:04 ... FB 2:55

Wednesday, 7/14/10

NYT 1:47 ... LAT 1:46 ... CS 2:02 ... ND 1:27

Tuesday, 7/13/10

NYT 1:54 ... LAT 1:57 ... CS 1:49 ... ND 1:18 ... BT 2:18 ... TO 2:30

Monday, 7/12/10

NYT 1:55 ... LAT 1:38 ... CS 1:34 ... ND 1:35 ... JON 2:05 ... BEQ 3:40

Sunday, 7/11/10

NYT 4:33 ... LAT 4:31 ... MR 4:12 ... BG 5:23 ... ND 3:30 ... LATB 5:04 ... CS 5:01 ... WP 4:35 ... Marching Bands (p) 5:10

Ran into brick walls in both freestyles: the whole NE corner of the CS, and two little letters in the WP. Don't know why I couldn't puzzle out A-HE-IVES - the real problem was not recognizing ADELEH as a title I've seen a few times before.

Saturday, 7/10/10

NYT 4:55 ... LAT 2:41 ... CS 1:39 ... ND 4:26 ... Labyrinth (p) 6:45

Nice Stumper, Joon! I was afraid after seeing the byline that there would be scary academic stuff, but it was nice and smooth. Hope you'll share some clue-editing details over at the Fiend. And another great LAT freestyle, Doug -- above-average time means fresh fill and clues!

Heh... one of the Newsday clues made the NYT's 46A a gimme. One reason my NYT times are so speedy is that I almost always solve it last.

Friday, 7/9/10

NYT 4:12 ... LAT 2:29 ... CS 1:32 ... ND 2:22 ... WSJ 3:58 ... MGWC 2:29

Thursday, 7/8/10

NYT 2:04 ... LAT 1:50 ... CS 2:22 ... ND 1:40 ... BEQ 3:57 ... FB 3:19

Wednesday, 7/7/10

NYT 2:42 ... LAT 1:55 ... CS 1:44 ... ND 1:25

Tuesday, 7/6/10

NYT 2:06 ... LAT 1:47 ... CS 2:10 ... ND 1:45 ... BT 2:48 ... TO 1:54

The mysterious benefactor hinted at in yesterday's comments helped me out, and I've got unlocked NYT puzzles once again!

Monday, 7/5/10

NYT 1:42 ... LAT 1:44 ... CS 2:55 ... ND 1:44 ... JON 2:27 ... BEQ 6:11

So apparently the "NYT Answer Key" guy is retiring. That's a bummer because I don't like doing the NYT in Across Lite without hearing from Mr. Happy Pencil. I hit the wrong key on the applet today -- going forward I'll just "Check My Solution" and subtract a couple seconds from the NYT time to reflect applet delay...

Sunday, 7/4/10

NYT 5:24 ... LAT 4:00 ... MR 4:50 ... BG 5:11 ... ND 4:18 ... CS 2:02 ... WP 4:06 ... Acrostic 8:33

Saturday, 7/3/10

NYT 4:55 ... LAT 3:15 ... CS 1:38 ... ND 4:10 ... Hex Cryptic (p) 13:00

Friday, 7/2/10

NYT 3:17 ... LAT 2:07 ... CS 1:58 ... ND 1:46 ... CHE 2:12 ... WSJ 4:38 ... MGWC 1:58

Thursday, 7/1/10

NYT 2:18 ... LAT 1:57 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 1:49 ... BEQ 4:25 ... FB 4:34

Wednesday, 6/30/10

NYT 1:37 ... LAT 2:02 ... CS 1:57 ... ND 1:50

I'm interviewed at Word-Buff.com. Shockingly, it's my fault that the publication is not as timely as it might have been...

Tuesday, 6/29/10

NYT 1:45 ... LAT 1:29 ... CS 1:51 ... ND 1:09 ... BT 2:27 ... TO 2:53

Apologies to Jared Hersh! Long day of work yesterday...

Set a couple speed records - yesterday's LAT, today's Newsday.

Monday, 6/28/10

NYT 1:33 ... LAT 1:18 ... CS 1:44 ... ND 1:31 ... JON 2:28 ... BEQ 3:24

Sunday, 6/27/10

NYT 4:31 ... LAT 4:22 ... MR 5:19 ... BG 6:14 ... ND 3:51 ... LATB 4:26 ... CS 2:10 ... WP 3:53 ... Cryptic 9:10

Saturday, 6/26/10

NYT 4:55 ... LAT 2:27 ... CS 2:46 ... ND 7:05 ... Seven Sages (p) 6:20

Friday, 6/25/10

NYT 4:48 ... LAT 2:08 ... CS 1:52 ... ND 2:44 ... WSJ 3:38 ... MGWC 4:18

Thursday, 6/24/10

NYT 4:47 ... LAT 2:14 ... CS 1:49 ... ND 1:41 ... BEQ 3:09 ... FB 2:44

Wednesday, 6/23/10

NYT 1:50 ... LAT 1:51 ... CS 1:39 ... ND 1:35 ... TPP 2:05

Tuesday, 6/22/10

NYT 1:55 ... LAT 1:35 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:31 ... BT 3:28 ... TO 2:44

Monday, 6/21/10

NYT 1:43 ... LAT 1:46 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:28 ... JON 2:21 ... BEQ 4:58

Sunday, 6/20/10

NYT 5:18 ... LAT 4:35... MR 5:15 ... BG 5:47 ... ND 3:15 ... CS 2:32 ... WP 3:54 ... Acrostic 9:05

Saturday, 6/19/10

NYT 5:55 ... LAT 3:21 ... CS 1:59 ... ND 6:43 ... Acrostic 8:15

Friday, 6/18/10

NYT 3:56 ... LAT 2:00 ... CS 1:45 ... ND 2:06 ... CHE 2:25 ... WSJ 4:21 ... MGWC 4:55

Thursday, 6/17/10

NYT 2:37 ... LAT 1:57 ... CS 1:52 ... ND 1:49 ... BEQ (p) 4:02 ... FB 3:27

Wednesday, 6/16/10

NYT 2:14 ... LAT 2:04 ... CS 2:01 ... ND 1:37

Tuesday, 6/15/10

NYT 2:02 ... LAT 1:39 ... CS 2:53 ... ND 1:18 ... BT 2:52 ... TO 2:57

My (paid) constructing debut, in Simon & Schuster's Mega #8, comes out today! No, there aren't any more in any pipelines (yet).

And I understand that my most loyal reader (besides Mom) had a debut this week as well... Congratulations, Joon and Caroline!

Monday, 6/14/10

NYT 1:29 ... LAT 1:40 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:31 ... JON 2:05 ... BEQ 5:12

Sunday, 6/13/10

NYT 7:45 ... LAT 3:55 ... MR 4:30 ... BG 6:07 ... ND 3:38 ... LATB 4:49 ... CS 3:07 ... WP 3:06 ... Diagramless (p) 9:40

Wow... Francis Heaney gets the biggest "wow" of the day, but Martin Ashwood-Smith wowed me too. I know there's another double quad-stack coming up in the NYT, so that one'll have to settle for third-ever.

Saturday, 6/12/10

NYT 3:31 ... LAT 2:47 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 6:46 ... Hand-to-Hand Combat (p) 6:20

Friday, 6/11/10

NYT 3:13 ... LAT 2:01 ... CS 1:57 ... ND 1:58 ... 6/4 CHE 2:10 ... WSJ 4:18 ... MGWC 2:40

Thursday, 6/10/10

NYT 3:06 ... LAT 2:11 ... CS 1:45 ... ND 1:41 ... BEQ 2:48 ... FB 3:14

Aaaaaand we're back.

Wednesday, 6/9/10

NYT 2:10 ... LAT 2:14 ... CS 1:38 ... ND 1:22

Tuesday, 6/8/10

NYT 2:10 ... LAT 2:13 ... CS 2:07 ... ND 1:35 ... BT 2:57 ... TO 2:32

Overnight flight back to NY, six hours of rehearsal -- I'm taking today and probably tomorrow off from puzzles. Not all puzzles, of course, just the ones we're talking about on these internets...

Monday, 6/7/10

NYT 1:42 ... LAT 1:48 ... CS 1:51 ... ND 1:19 ... JON 2:14 ... BEQ 6:43

Sunday, 6/6/10

NYT 5:11 ... LAT 4:25 ... MR 4:07 ... BG 3:56 ... ND 3:11 ... CS 2:14 ... WP (p) 5:something ... Acrostic 9:50

I did the Post Puzzler a few weeks ago on an advance copy. The printout didn't have the author's name, and I wouldn't have guessed it was KMT's!

Had a blast with some Bay Area crossword folks who came over for brunch yesterday. Photo!

Saturday, 6/5/10

NYT 4:03 ... LAT 2:12 ... CS 1:40 ... ND 6:03 ... Hex Cryptic 13:30

Friday, 6/4/10

NYT 5:07 ... LAT 2:44 ... CS 1:38 ... ND 2:30 ... WSJ 4:12 ... MGWC 2:45

Thursday, 6/3/10

NYT 2:42 ... LAT 2:21 ... CS 1:47 ... ND 1:53 ... BEQ 2:13 ... FB 3:48

Wednesday, 6/2/10

NYT 1:37 ... LAT 1:50 ... CS 1:55 ... ND 1:46

Tuesday, 6/1/10

NYT 1:58 ... LAT 1:30 ... CS 1:55 ... ND 1:26 ... BT 2:32 ... TO 1:53

Heading to San Francisco for a week!

Monday, 5/31/10

NYT 1:55 ... LAT 1:40 ... CS 1:25 ... ND 1:23 ... JON 2:14 ... BEQ 3:06

Sunday, 5/30/10

NYT 4:28 ... LAT 3:52 ... MR 6:35* ... BG 5:35 ... ND 4:22 ... LATB 4:55 ... CS 2:56 ... WP 6:16 ... Sunday Puzzles untimed

Saturday, 5/29/10

NYT 3:29 ... LAT 2:30 ... CS 1:57 ... ND 3:21 ... Rows Garden ~19:00

Friday, 5/28/10

NYT 3:00 ... LAT 2:46 ... CS 1:55 ... ND 1:57 ... BEQ 2:44 ... WSJ 5:01 ... MGWC 3:32

Thursday, 5/27/10

NYT 2:17 ... LAT 1:45 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 1:31 ... FB 2:41 ... TPP 4:49

Okay, another error in the Newsday solution. Is anybody complaining directly to Stan, rather than on blogs he doesn't read? (I'm not.)

Wednesday, 5/26/10

NYT 1:51 ... LAT 1:46 ... CS 1:47 ... ND 1:30 ... BEQ 1:35

Tuesday, 5/25/10

NYT 1:31 ... LAT 1:45 ... CS 1:40 ... ND 1:14 ... BT 2:42 ... TO 2:29

I'm giving myself credit for the Newsday time, even though I didn't get Mr. Happy Pencil - the error was in the online solution, ugh.

Monday, 5/24/10

NYT 1:58 ... LAT 1:42 ... CS 1:54 ... ND 1:26 ... JON 1:54 ... BEQ 3:33

Sunday, 5/23/10

NYT 6:17 ... LAT 4:51 ... MR 5:34 ... BG 4:55 ... ND 4:05 ... CS 2:06 ... WP 3:16 ... Acrostic 14:15

Saturday, 5/22/10

NYT 3:33 ... LAT 2:44 ... CS 1:59 ... ND 7:25 ... Acrostic 7:35

Friday, 5/21/10

NYT 3:55 ... LAT 2:20 ... CS 1:44 ... ND 2:27 ... CHE 2:36 ... BEQ 3:36 ... WSJ 5:27 ... MGWC 4:14

Thursday, 5/20/10

NYT 3:30 ... LAT 2:10 ... CS 2:06 ... ND 1:56 ... FB 4:16

Wednesday, 5/19/10

NYT 2:03 ... LAT 1:57 ... CS 1:33 ... ND 2:04 ... BEQ 2:23

Tuesday, 5/18/10

NYT 1:40 ... LAT 1:51 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:16 ... BT 2:32 ... TO 2:28

Monday, 5/17/10

NYT 1:41 ... LAT 1:38 ... CS 1:58 ... ND 1:17 ... JON 2:31 ... BEQ 3:39

Sunday, 5/16/10

NYT (p) 13:05 ... LAT 4:06 ... MR 3:20 ... BG 4:58 ... ND 4:01 ... LATB 4:03 ... CS 1:58 ... WP 4:53 ... Cryptic 5:22

I'm test-solving a crossword book this weekend, and my main task is to spot repeated clues. So I think I'm going to hold off on the Sunday puzzles until I'm finished, because those extra clues will just confuse my brain...

Saturday, 5/15/10

NYT 4:40 ... LAT 2:20 ... CS 1:35 ... ND 7:17 ... Section Eight 16:20

Friday, 5/14/10

NYT 4:06 ... LAT 3:01 ... CS 1:52 ... ND 2:20 ... CHE 2:52 ... BEQ (p) 7:14 ... WSJ 4:30 ... MGWC 3:43

I had errors in the CS LAT, CHE, and WSJ - one could have been avoided by checking crossings, one was a typo. Mr. Happy Pencil came out for the NYT, but I had to solve each corner separately before the middle would fill in.

Thursday, 5/13/10

NYT 3:04 ... LAT 1:59 ... CS 1:34 ... ND 2:01 ... FB (p) 4:50

Wednesday, 5/12/10

NYT (p) 3:26 ... LAT (p) 2:47 ... CS (p) 2:21 ... ND (p) 1:56 ... BEQ (p) 2:21

Working at Sterling this week, so I solved on my lunch break. Peter gave me four future Post Puzzlers that haven't been uploaded yet... so far I've resisted them.

Tuesday, 5/11/10

NYT 1:57 ... LAT 1:32 ... CS 2:02 ... ND 1:35 ... BT (p) 3:11 ... TO (p) 3:21

Monday, 5/10/10

NYT 1:41 ... LAT 1:30 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:20 ... JON 2:16 ... BEQ 4:34

Sunday, 5/9/10

NYT 4:17 ... LAT 4:44 ... MR 5:47 ... BG 4:04 ... ND 3:47 ... CS 2:18 ... WP 4:12 ... Acrostic 7:25

Saturday, 5/8/10

NYT 4:55 ... LAT 3:19 ... CS 1:52 ... ND 5:56 ... Hex Cryptic 7:17 (clues), ~5:00 (meta)

I'm tired, but I do think all three freestyles were harder than average today. Yum!

Friday, 5/7/10

NYT 4:02 ... LAT 2:08 ... CS 2:02 ... ND 2:06 ... CHE 2:34 ... BEQ accidentally untimed (3:30ish?) ... WSJ 5:09 ... MGWC 3:00

Thursday, 5/6/10

NYT 2:02 ... LAT 2:01 ... CS 1:40 ... ND 1:47 ... FB 3:12

Wednesday, 5/5/10

NYT 3:20 ... LAT 2:03 ... CS 2:14 ... ND 1:31 ... BEQ 4:55

Tuesday, 5/4/10

NYT 1:36 ... LAT 1:39 ... CS 1:56 ... ND 1:25 ... BT 2:46 ... TO 2:24

Monday, 5/3/10

NYT 1:40 ... LAT 1:37 ... CS 2:02 ... ND 1:26 ... JON 2:06 ... BEQ 2:37

Sunday, 5/2/10

NYT 5:54 ... LAT 4:44 ... MR 5:15 ... BG 5:03 ... ND 4:24 ... LATB 4:01 ... CS 1:57 ... WP 3:26 ... Diagramless (p) 8:30

Saturday, 5/1/10

NYT 4:14 ... LAT 2:30 ... CS 1:59 ... ND 5:10 ... Spell Weaving (p) 6:00

Friday, 4/30/10

NYT 3:26 ... LAT 2:58 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 2:33 ... CHE 2:27 ... BEQ 2:56 ... WSJ 4:51 ... MGWC tba

Thursday, 4/29/10

NYT 2:50 ... LAT 2:05 ... CS 2:35 ... ND 1:45 ... FB 3:39

Wednesday, 4/28/10

NYT 1:43 ... LAT 2:10 ... CS 1:47 ... ND 1:39 ... BEQ 2:40

Tuesday, 4/27/10

NYT 2:12 ... LAT 1:52 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 1:40 ... BT 2:38 ... TO 2:15

Wow, two major misspellings in two days. At least BEQ's didn't appear in any newspapers. I am available for proofreading and test-solving! ("Guaranteed Fastest in America!")

Monday, 4/26/10

NYT 1:44 ... LAT 1:23 ... CS 1:51 ... ND 1:21 ... JON 2:25 ... BEQ 3:44

Sunday, 4/25/10

NYT 4:48 ... LAT 4:18 ... MR 4:37 ... BG 7:10 ... ND 3:02 ... CS 1:53 ... WP 4:14 ... Acrostic 8:05

Saturday, 4/24/10

NYT 4:37 ... LAT 2:07 ... CS 1:43 ... ND 4:40 ... Acrostic 6:05

Friday, 4/23/10

NYT 3:01 ... LAT 1:58 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 1:59 ... CHE 2:40 ... BEQ 2:44 ... WSJ 4:28 ... MGWC 6:46

Thursday, 4/22/10

NYT 2:30 ... LAT 1:54 ... CS 1:58 ... ND 1:39 ... FB 3:29

This is post #500! How many do you think have content besides solving times?

Don't look now (or do), but the next six Post Puzzlers have already been uploaded. It's like the old days, when you could solve the NY Sun puzzles in advance. Which I didn't, but with these I might not be able to help myself...

Wednesday, 4/21/10

NYT 1:37 ... LAT 1:43 ... CS 1:34 ... ND 1:26 ... BEQ untimed

Tuesday, 4/20/10

NYT 1:58 ... LAT 1:37 ... CS 1:53 ... ND 1:28 ... BT 2:22 ... TO 2:34

Monday, 4/19/10

NYT 1:36 ... LAT 1:41 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:32 ... JON 2:02 ... BEQ 4:15

Sunday, 4/18/10

NYT 6:29 ... LAT 4:51 ... MR 4:58 ... BG 6:18 ... ND 3:50 ... LATB 4:07 ... CS 2:21 ... WP 4:20 ... Spiral 5:55

Saturday, 4/17/10

NYT 4:55 ... LAT 2:04 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 5:58 ... Snake Charmer 2:17

Friday, 4/16/10

NYT 3:21 ... LAT 2:04 ... CS 2:01 ... ND 1:55 ... CHE 3:12 ... BEQ 3:03 ... WSJ 3:48 ... MGWC 5:06

Thursday, 4/15/10

NYT 2:47 ... LAT 1:49 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:50 ... FB 2:54

Whew! All caught up, and it took nearly an hour and a half. Now to start catching up with the blogs.

Wednesday, 4/14/10

NYT 2:11 ... LAT 1:43 ... CS 1:46 ... ND 1:26 ... BEQ 3:23

Will be catching up tomorrow!

Tuesday, 4/13/10

NYT 1:33 ... LAT 1:52 ... CS 1:46 ... ND 1:16 ... BT 2:50 ... TO 2:32

Monday, 4/12/10

NYT 1:31 ... LAT 1:34 ... CS 1:45 ... ND 1:23 ... JON 2:21 ... BEQ 3:54

Sunday, 4/11/10

NYT 6:26 ... LAT 5:03 ... MR 5:37 ... BG 3:58 ... ND 3:14 ... CS 3:56 ... WP 4:18 ... Acrostic 8:05

Couldn't resist the new Post Puzzler (and Klahn freestyle), but I'm saving the 21s for later...

(Later: Jon Delfin suggested I might hit a record time on the Newsday, and he was right!)

Saturday, 4/10/10

NYT 4:51 ... LAT 2:32 ... CS 1:55 ... ND 8:23 ... Hex Cryptic 10:30

I've got a very busy few days coming up, so I might not be solving the puzzles in a timely fashion...

Friday, 4/9/10

NYT 4:35 ... LAT 2:39 ... CS 1:55 ... ND 2:23 ... CHE 1:59 ... BEQ 3:07 ... WSJ 5:08 .... MGWC 3:30

Facebook alerted me that the NYT was extra-hard, so I took care not to fall into any traps. Aside from the fact that I made zero wrong guesses, I also had very few immediate gimmes (STEIG, ALS, and SLA - hey, hasn't Will said he's trying to retire that entry?), so I'm not sure how I did so well.

Thursday, 4/8/10

NYT 3:05 ... LAT 2:41 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:43 ... FB 2:36

Wednesday, 4/7/10

NYT 2:12 ... LAT 1:50 ... CS 1:43 ... ND 1:40 ... BEQ 2:31

Tuesday, 4/6/10

NYT 1:30 ... LAT 1:41 ... CS 1:51 ... ND 1:20 ... BT 2:38 ... TO 1:52

Monday, 4/5/10

NYT 1:42 ... LAT 2:00 ... CS 2:01 ... ND 1:26 ... JON 2:01 ... BEQ 6:36

Sunday, 4/4/10

NYT 7:17 ... LAT 5:36 ... MR 4:52 ... BG 4:56 ... ND 4:29 ... LATB 4:22 ... CS 2:00 ... P&A oh that's OK, I'll just go back to these variety cryptics

Saturday, 4/3/10

NYT 4:11 ... LAT 2:41 ... CS 2:05 ... ND 3:57 ... Rows Garden ~22:00

Friday, 4/2/10

NYT 4:58 ... LAT 3:17 ... CS 2:03 ... ND 2:01 ... CHE 2:14 ... BEQ 2:34 ... WSJ 4:26 ... MGWC 2:45

Thursday, 4/1/10

NYT 4:02 ... LAT 2:38 ... CS 1:37 ... ND 1:38 ... FB 7:55

I've been looking forward to the Thursday [NYT] April Fool's Day puzzle... have to admit I was hoping for something even more devilish, but it was certainly a lot of fun.

Wednesday, 3/31/10

NYT 1:45 ... LAT 1:48 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:50 ... BEQ 3:02

Tuesday, 3/30/10

NYT 1:38 ... LAT 1:37 ... CS 2:01 ... ND 1:27 ... BT 3:05 ... TO 2:10

Monday, 3/29/10

NYT 1:49 ... LAT 1:58 ... CS 1:30 ... ND 1:25 ... JON 2:19 ... BEQ 3:13

Sunday, 3/28/10

NYT 5:28 ... LAT 4:17 ... MR 5:13 ... BG 8:24 ... ND 3:41 ... CS 2:55 ... Acrostic 5:55

Saturday, 3/27/10

NYT 5:08 ... LAT 2:17 ... CS 2:10 ... ND 6:08 ... Acrostic 6:15

Friday, 3/26/10

NYT 4:19 ... LAT 2:11 ... CS 1:56 ... ND 2:01 ... CHE 1:59 ... BEQ 2:38 ... WSJ 3:58 ... MGWC 4:01

Thursday, 3/25/10

NYT 3:05 ... LAT 1:53 ... CS 1:39 ... ND 2:16 ... FB 2:40

Wednesday, 3/24/10

NYT 2:07 ... LAT 2:00 ... CS 2:15 ... ND 1:33 ... BEQ 3:20

Tuesday, 3/23/10

NYT 2:12 ... LAT 1:45 ... CS 2:01 ... ND 1:30 ... BT 2:30 ... TO 2:44

Monday, 3/22/10

NYT 1:35 ... LAT 1:36 ... CS 1:37 ... ND 1:36 ... JON 1:43 ... BEQ 5:21

Sunday, 3/21/10

NYT 6:00 ... LAT 5:02 ... MR 6:27 ... BG 5:40 ... ND 4:05 ... LATB 5:27 ... CS 1:58 ... Diagramless (p) 8:05

Saturday, 3/20/10

NYT 5:10 ... LAT 2:15 ... CS 2:25 ... ND 3:43 ... Marching Bands (p) 4:27

Friday, 3/19/10

NYT 3:03 ... LAT 1:59 ... CS 1:55 ... ND 2:24 ... CHE 3:02 ... BEQ 3:47 ... WSJ 4:20 ... MGWC 6:15

Thursday, 3/18/10

NYT 3:13 ... LAT 2:05 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:49 ... FB 3:58

Yeah, I don't think I'm ever going to finish that ACPT recap. But I may write something, eventually. The word-search book for Sterling is priority #1 right now! Instead, you can enjoy the spam that's accumulated here for some reason. I delete all other spam, but I'm hoping to get to 100 comments over there, and the link should help...

Wednesday, 3/17/10

NYT 2:10 ... LAT 1:43 ... CS 1:45 ... ND 1:32 ... BEQ 1:46

Tuesday, 3/16/10

NYT 2:00 ... LAT 1:53 ... CS 2:24 ... ND 1:17 ... BT 2:44 ... TO 2:32

Monday, 3/15/10

NYT 1:35 ... LAT 1:48 ... CS 2:02 ... ND 1:27 ... JON 2:11 ... BEQ 3:37

Sunday, 3/14/10

NYT 6:14 ... LAT 5:05 ... MR 5:55 ... BG 5:04 ... ND 4:22 ... CS 1:55 ... Acrostic 11:18

Saturday, 3/13/10

NYT 4:42 ... LAT 2:15 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 3:38 ... Hex Cryptic ~17:00

Friday, 3/12/10

NYT 3:19 ... LAT 2:15 ... CS 1:38 ... ND 1:31 ... CHE 2:17 ... BEQ 3:30 ... WSJ 4:12 ... MGWC 2:40

Thursday, 3/11/10

NYT 2:04 ... LAT 2:08 ... CS 2:02 ... ND 1:58 ... FB 4:00

Wednesday, 3/10/10

NYT (p) 2:22 ... LAT 1:46 ... CS 2:01 ... ND 1:21 ... BEQ 2:52

I'm a sort-of-guest-co-blogger on Wordplay today!

Tuesday, 3/9/10

NYT 2:15 ... LAT 1:32 ... CS 1:47 ... ND 1:39 ... BT 2:20 ... TO 2:11

Monday, 3/8/10

NYT (p) 2:05 ... LAT 1:29 ... CS 1:43 ... ND 1:19 ... JON 1:50 ... BEQ 2:00

Solved the NYT last week, because I got it in advance (semi-accidentally) from Pat Merrell. My Wednesday time will be published on Wordplay.

Sunday, 3/7/10

NYT 5:38 ... LAT 4:29 ... MR 6:49 ... BG 5:46 ... ND 3:41 ... LATB 5:29 ... CS 2:13 ... Split Decisions 10:30

Well, I doubt I'm going to finish my epic ACPT post today...

Saturday, 3/6/10

NYT 3:55 ... LAT 2:46 ... CS 1:41 ... ND 4:15 ... Boxing Rings 12:00

Friday, 3/5/10

NYT 4:10 ... LAT 2:36 ... CS 1:45 ... ND 1:56 ... CHE 2:14 ... BEQ 2:01 ... WSJ 4:00 ... MGWC 1:56

Thursday, 3/4/10

NYT 2:36 ... LAT 2:08 ... CS 1:33 ... ND 1:40 ... FB 4:26

Believe it or not, I'm actually writing about the ACPT. Look for it this week!

Wednesday, 3/3/10

NYT 1:42 ... LAT 2:13 ... CS 1:51 ... ND 1:49 ... BEQ 3:29

Tuesday, 3/2/10

NYT 2:20 ... LAT 1:47 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:51 ... BT 2:24 ... TO 2:35

Monday, 3/1/10

NYT 1:55 ... LAT 1:36 ... CS 1:49 ... ND 1:38 ... JON 2:10 ... BEQ 3:19

Sunday, 2/28/10

NYT 6:05 ... LAT 5:20 ... MR 4:48 ... BG 4:40 ... ND 4:02 ... CS 2:55 ... Acrostic 14:25

Saturday, 2/27/10

NYT 4:10 ... LAT 3:25 ... CS 1:36 ... ND 6:45 ... Acrostic 8:40

Finished catching up with the week's puzzles! Working on an ACPT post. (Nope, instead I'm off to a last-minute gig... will I ever write about the ACPT?)

Friday, 2/26/10

NYT 5:37 ... LAT 1:51 ... CS 1:47 ... ND 2:03 ... CHE 3:05 ... BEQ 2:32 ... WSJ 5:14 ... MGWC 3:14

Got quite stuck in the NW of the NYT puzzle. Had to remove MET from 6-Down and stop thinking of authors for 1-Across...

Thursday, 2/25/10

NYT 3:39 ... LAT 2:15 ... CS 2:22 ... ND 2:04 ... FB 3:57

Wednesday, 2/24/10

NYT 2:15 ... LAT 1:47 ... CS 1:53 ... ND 1:40 ... BEQ 1:57

Still way behind in life - my ACPT post will have to wait until after my Thursday night gig, for which I'm way underprepared...

Tuesday, 2/23/10

NYT 1:55 ... LAT 1:41 ... CS 1:44 ... ND 1:34 ... BT 2:30 ... TO 3:22

Yeah, that's all I have today. Sorry. Get used to it, new readers!

Monday, 2/22/10

NYT 1:40 ... LAT 1:35 ... CS 1:36 ... ND 1:20 ... JON 2:12 ... BEQ 3:55

Still wiped out from the weekend, still surprised at how well it went. I still have to clean up my inbox and read tournament writeups (and talk to a reporter or two... nope, just one) (nope, two!), but I hope to expand this post before heading to work. (and that's not gonna happen, so check back tomorrow)

Sunday, 2/21/10: Dan Does Not Lose

NYT 5:15 ... LAT 5:36 ... MR 5:02 ... BG 5:38 ... ND 3:33 ... LATB 4:52 ... CS 2:33 ... Cryptic untimed

It's over, and I won. Yay! Of course, I'll work on a writeup, and of course, it'll take me a couple days. Thanks for your support...

Saturday, 2/20/10: ACPT Begins

NYT 3:20 ... LAT 2:44 ... CS 1:23 ... ND 5:37 ... Traveling Cases untimed

Day one and I'm in first place! Where have I heard that before? At least I have a larger cushion, and it would take a lot for me to blow a chance at the finals. Feeling good about the final stumper, because my lead today came entirely from the hardest puzzle. So I guess I'm more optimistic than yesterday...

Friday, 2/19/10

NYT (p) 5:42 ... LAT (p) 3:19 ... CS (p) 3:21 ... ND (p) 2:50 ... CHE (p) 3:31 ... WSJ (p) 6:13 ... MGWC 3:51

ACPT Predictions! I do not think I will win. Low expectations all the way! Most likely to make the finals, other than myself: Howard, Tyler, Francis. And of course, Joon wins the B Division. I'll be heading to Brooklyn Friday afternoon... not likely to post much here (other than times) until Monday. Can't wait to see you all!

Thursday, 2/18/10

NYT (p) 4:28 ... LAT (p) 2:54 ... CS (p) 2:15 ... ND (p) 2:03 ... FB (p) 4:28

Wednesday, 2/17/10

NYT (p) 2:48 ... LAT (p) 2:16 ... CS (p) 2:40 ... ND (p) 2:14 ... BEQ (p) 5:37*

Another error on the BEQ -- could not parse 11-Down. Ouch! At least the ACPT training is going fine... dipping into the old Maura Jacobson omnibus, hitting more old NYT puzzles, finishing Take Flight Crosswords with those 17x17s, and re-solving NYT themelesses that I've mostly forgotten.

Tuesday, 2/16/10

NYT (p) 2:22 ... LAT (p) 2:15 ... CS (p) 2:12 ... ND (p) 1:52 ... BT (p) 3:06 ... TO (p) 3:34

Getting caught up today! I haven't even solved the last two WSJ Saturday puzzles, but this week is for tournament training.

Monday, 2/15/10

NYT (p) 2:07 ... LAT (p) 2:05 ... CS (p) 2:11 ... ND (p) 2:05 ... JON (p) 4:08 ... BEQ (p) 3:47*

Had an error in the BEQ - does ETNA'S Goldfish sound like a logical band name? And I got held up in the freestyle Jonesin' because I wrote a K instead of a G at the bottom of 1-Down.

Sunday, 2/14/10

NYT (p) 7:10 ... LAT (p) 7:15 ... MR (p) 6:28 ... BG (p) 5:58 ... ND (p) 5:30 ... CS (p) 2:37 ... Acrostic 7:15

Valentine's trumps puzzles today! I probably won't catch up until Tuesday.

Saturday, 2/13/10

NYT (p) 6:26 ... LAT (p) 3:15 ... CS (p) 2:24 ... ND (p) 6:41 ... Hex Cryptic untimed

Friday, 2/12/10

NYT (p) 5:01 ... LAT (p) 2:40 ... CS 1:30 ... ND 2:11 ... CHE (p) 2:27 ... BEQ 2:24 ... WSJ (p) 6:37 ... DB (p) 6:23 ... MGWC 2:34

I wasn't going to solve tonight, because I'm tired and have an early morning tomorrow. But I peeked at who had the NYT puzzle, and literally exclaimed "Holy shit!" when I saw the grid. Outstanding! Liz Gorski's got a tour-de-force in the WSJ, too.

Thursday, 2/11/10

NYT (p) 4:07 ... LAT (p) 2:39 ... CS (p) 2:17 ... ND 1:47 ... FB (p) 5:05

Wednesday, 2/10/10

NYT (p) 2:39 ... LAT (p) 2:37 ... CS (p) 2:14 ... ND (p) 2:15 ... BEQ (p) 3:05

Tuesday, 2/9/10

NYT (p) 2:21 ... LAT (p) 2:08 ... CS (p) 2:35 ... ND (p) 1:44 ... BT (p) 3:52 ... TO (p) 3:00

Monday, 2/8/10

NYT 1:39 ... LAT 1:25 ... CS 2:32 ... ND 1:20 ... JON (p) 3:03 ... BEQ (p) 3:07

After doing all 8 Sunday puzzles on paper, I had no desire to print out any more...

Sunday, 2/7/10

NYT (p) 9:14 ... LAT (p) 5:14 ... MR (p) 6:02 ... BG (p) 6:46 ... ND (p) 5:44 ... LATB (p) 5:46 ... CS (p) 3:41 ... Diagramless (p) 10:52

Saturday, 2/6/10

NYT (p) 6:55 ... LAT (p) 3:51 ... CS (p) 2:12 ... ND (p) 5:03 ... Rows Garden not gonna time it

Friday, 2/5/10

NYT (p) 5:05 ... LAT (p) 3:12 ... CS (p) 2:21 ... ND (p) 2:23 ... CHE (p) 3:49 ... BEQ (p) 3:54 ... WSJ (p) 6:52 ... DB (p) 6:20 ... MGWC 2:11

Thursday, 2/4/10

NYT (p) 3:30 ... LAT (p) 2:18 ... CS (p) 1:59 ... ND (p) 2:13 ... FB (p) 6:00

Wednesday, 2/3/10

NYT (p) 2:22 ... LAT (p) 2:14 ... CS (p) 2:03 ... ND (p) 2:02 ... BEQ (p) 3:13

Expect end-of-day posting for the rest of the week...

Tuesday, 2/2/10

NYT (p) 2:22 ... LAT (p) 3:00 ... CS (p) 2:20 ... ND (p) 2:02 ... BT (p) 3:16 ... TO (p) 3:16 ... FB (p) 4:36

Today's my last day (for now) working at Sterling Publishing. Last Wednesday I took home an advance copy of The Wrath of Klahn Crosswords, a compilation of Bob Klahn's Sunday Challenges for CrosSynergy. Even though I've only been solving on the subway and during rehearsals, I've already made it through 55 of the 72 puzzles, and plan to finish it up this week. Guess I'll be ready if Klahn is constructing for the ACPT...

Wed. update: Both of Tausig's puzzles took me the same time... is there a connection to Oceanic Flight 316??!?!

Monday, 2/1/10

NYT (p) 2:12 ... LAT (p) 1:57 ... CS (p) 2:07 ... ND (p) 1:46 ... JON (p) 3:06 ... BEQ (p) 6:05

Fireball subscribers -- okay, that's everyone besides the spambots -- I've learned that Roger DePont is constructing his annual Oscar-nominations puzzle on Tuesday, and it'll be supersized becaue of the expanded field this year. (What happens if Up gets a nod?) So we get two Fireball crosswords this week!

Sunday, 1/31/10

NYT (p) 6:56 ... LAT (p) 6:05 ... MR (p) 6:46 ... BG (p) 7:43 ... ND (p) 6:15 ... CS (p) 2:19 ... Acrostic 7:45

Saturday, 1/30/10

NYT (p) 6:27 ... LAT (p) 3:01 ... CS (p) 2:20 ... ND (p) 4:31 ... Acrostic 5:20

Friday, 1/29/10

NYT 5:13 ... LAT 2:08 ... CS 2:00 ... ND 2:20 ... BEQ 3:10 ... WSJ 4:20 ... DB 3:55 ... MGWC 6:46

Thursday, 1/28/10

NYT (p) 5:01 ... LAT (p) 3:06 ... CS (p) 2:13 ... ND (p) 2:05 ... FB (p) 4:11

Wednesday, 1/27/10

NYT (p) 2:47 ... LAT (p) 2:23 ... CS (p) 3:13 ... ND (p) 2:07 ... BEQ (p) 3:47

Tuesday, 1/26/10

NYT (p) 2:15 ... LAT (p) 2:20 ... CS (p) 2:44 ... ND (p) 1:45 ... BT (p) 3:36 ... TO (p) 2:48

Monday, 1/25/10

NYT (p) 2:14 ... LAT (p) 1:59 ... CS (p) 2:14 ... ND (p) 1:45 ... JON (p) 3:02 ... BEQ (p) 5:11

Good news: I caught up with a lot of the weekend's puzzles, and posted decent times even though I'm tired and as rusty as I've ever been. (OK, not so rusty anymore after personal bests on Sun/Mon Newsday.) Bad news: couldn't finish the Saturday Stumper! I gave up after spending 5 minutes trying for a toehold in the NE.

Sunday, 1/24/10

NYT 5:47 ... LAT (p) 5:51 ... MR (p) 6:14 ... BG (p) 8:07 ... ND (p) 4:51 ... CS (p) 2:52 ... Going Too Far (p) 6:40

Still don't know when I'll catch up, since I want to be solving on paper - but I had to see what the NYT's special grid was about.

(Decided to save Merl's puzzle for next week, and solve both halves of the two-parter back-to-back!)

Saturday, 1/23/10

NYT (p) 4:43 ... LAT (p) 3:09 ... CS (p) 2:17 ... ND (p) 15:00 when I gave up ... WSJ Snowflake tba

Alas, I didn't have time to solve today either...

Friday, 1/22/10

NYT (p) 4:26 ... LAT (p) 3:11 ... CS (p) 2:10 ... ND (p) 2:22 ... CHE (p) 2:42 ... BEQ (p) 3:43 ... WSJ (p) 7:33 ... DB (p) 5:58 ... MGWC 5:04

This week I ended up with a day job, a night job, and a sort of unpaid consulting job, and I don't feel like doing the Friday puzzles tonight... I'll hit the weekend bonanza tomorrow night.

Been too busy lately to do any special prep for the ACPT -- and not anxious for a crossword binge anyway -- but after next week things will cool down and I can start ramping it up. Hey, someone's going to beat Tyler (eventually), and it might as well be me, right?

Thursday, 1/21/10

NYT 3:10 ... LAT 1:46 ... CS 1:42 ... ND 1:54 ... FB 6:10

Wednesday, 1/20/10

NYT 2:02 ... LAT 1:43 ... CS 1:39 ... ND 1:44 ... BEQ 2:21

Tuesday, 1/19/10

NYT (p) 2:50 ... LAT (p) 2:25 ... CS (p) 2:22 ... ND (p) 1:55 ... BT 2:33 ... TO 3:23

Monday, 1/18/10

NYT (p) 2:12 ... LAT 1:36 ... CS 1:44 ... ND 1:14 ... JON (p) 3:03 ... BEQ 4:08

Sunday, 1/17/10

NYT (p) 7:50 ... LAT (p) 7:12 ... MR (p) 6:58 ... BG (p) 6:20 ... ND (p) 5:12 ... LATB (p) 6:45 ... CS (p) 3:05 ... Acrostic tba

Saturday, 1/16/10

NYT (p) 6:05* ... LAT (p) 3:16 ... CS (p) 2:14 ... ND (p) 8:01

I ended up with HYSOP and MILAP in the NYT... probably would have figured it out quickly if I had Across Lite telling me there was a mistake.

Friday, 1/15/10

NYT (p) 4:40 ... LAT (p) 2:53 ... CS (p) 3:19 ... ND (p) 3:01 ... CHE (p) 2:57 ... BEQ (p) 3:56 ... WSJ (p) 6:58 ... DB (p) 5:22 ... MGWC 2:56

Solved during breaks at work today... I'll catch up with the rest tomorrow.

Thursday, 1/14/10

NYT 2:56 ... LAT 2:03 ... CS 1:33 ... ND 2:02 ... FB 9:25

Fireball has arrived! It was as tough as I'd been promised...

Wednesday, 1/13/10

NYT 1:51 ... LAT 2:25 ... CS 1:40 ... ND 1:32 ... BEQ 2:51

Tuesday, 1/12/10

NYT 2:00 ... LAT 1:58 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:30 ... BT 2:33 ... TO 2:24

Monday, 1/11/10

NYT 1:45 ... LAT 1:50 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:31 ... JON 2:36 ... BEQ 4:08

Sunday, 1/10/10

NYT 7:32 ... LAT 5:00 ... BG 6:40 ... MR 6:02 ... ND 5:07 ... LATB 5:10 ... CS 2:45 ... Cryptic 10:10

Saturday, 1/9/10

NYT 3:15 ... LAT 2:17 ... CS 1:40 ... ND 4:41

Friday, 1/8/10

NYT 5:15 ... LAT 2:36 ... CS 1:57 ... ND 2:45 ... CHE 2:28 ... BEQ 5:12 ... WSJ 4:53 ... DB 4:44 ... MGWC 5:47

For the first time since I quit the applet in favor of Across Lite, I had an error -- I resisted using the Check button so that my time would be legit, because why is anyone visiting here except to compare times, right? I was sure something was wrong with PIERRE The Unknown Poet, but it turned out instead that LUBINA is not a car. Two bad guesses that stayed in too long: ARRIBA for Speedy Gonzales and SEXY for [Daring...].

afternoon update: In addition to that weird blooper in the CHE puzzle, the NE corner of the (otherwise great) Newsday puzzle is screwed up - Stan seems to have changed the corner, but not the clues!

Thursday, 1/7/10

NYT 3:46 ... LAT 2:05 ... CS 1:48 ... ND 1:35

Wednesday, 1/6/10

NYT 2:32 ... LAT 1:42 ... CS 2:10 ... ND 1:36 ... BEQ 3:20

Tuesday, 1/5/10

NYT 2:01 ... LAT 1:46 ... CS 1:50 ... ND 1:33 ... BT 2:54 ... TO 2:48

Flying back to freezing NYC today!

I'm not going to try estimating the number of crosswords I did in 2009 -- because it would be harder to guess than last year, and because I'm afraid it will approach last year's total. Instead, How I Spent My Winter Vacation: my tally from December 20th to January 5th, not including the daily puzzles. (updated after the 10 hours of travel)

Exactly 4 months of old NYT crosswords (paper)** ... 32 Simon & Schuster (book) ... 13 NY Sun (book) ... 15 Newsday (computer) ... 12 Slate (computer) ... 20 assorted variety puzzles ... 14 straight cryptics ... 7 variety cryptics ... and a suite by Puzzability! You're supposed to sing that last one.

** This is the the only explicit training I'm doing for the ACPT -- printing out every puzzle from 2002 and speed-solving them.

Monday, 1/4/10

NYT 1:37 ... LAT 1:32 ... CS 2:01 ... ND 1:17 ... JON 2:16 ... BEQ 3:57

Sunday, 1/3/10

NYT (p) 8:51 ... LAT 4:56 ... MR (p) 8:00 ... BG (p) 7:18 ... ND 3:55 ... CS 4:58 ... Acrostic 12:20

Dan Naddor's LAT grid made my jaw drop. Eleven theme answers plus crazy corner stacks? I'm glad he had a zillion more puzzles in the LAT queue, but I'm going to be sad all over again when we see his name every week. (For any readers who missed the news)

Saturday, 1/2/10

NYT (p) 7:16 ... LAT (p) 3:07 ... CS 1:51 ... ND 4:50

Friday, 1/1/10

NYT 3:55 ... LAT 2:01 ... CS 1:54 ... ND 2:17 ... BEQ 4:05 ... WSJ 5:41 ... DB 4:35 ... MGWC 5:27

Wow, Twenty-Ten.