Games World of Puzzles

The Magazine for Creative Minds at Play

Games World of Puzzles2 min read
…from The Editor
It’s early April, and we’re preparing the June issue to go to press. Amid the hustle and bustle, GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES celebrated an important milestone this past weekend: its first year as official sponsor of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournamen
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Games World of Puzzles
Editorial Director Lia Brown Editor in Chief Jennifer Orehowsky Editor Raymond Simon Contributing Editors Scott Appel, Thomas L. McDonald, Andrew Parr, Jonathan Schmalzbach Supporting Players Rachel Garland, Catherine Keeney, Julie Snider, Madison St
Games World of Puzzles2 min read
Mixed Doubles
Each answer in this crossword variation has two clues leading to it, using different meanings of the word. The clues are separated into Across and Down, but are otherwise ordered randomly. When you find two Across or two Down clues that seem to have
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
52-skiddoo
There is one place for each letter of the alphabet in the 26 empty squares of each blank column in the diagram below. Fill in each letter so that a word of at least five letters is formed reading across only. Not all of the letters to the left and ri
Games World of Puzzles2 min readArchitecture
On The Houses
Selling houses can be an up-and-down business: There are busy periods and there are slow periods. During one busy month Randolph managed to sell five of the houses listed by his agency. Each house is a different style (bungalow, Cape Cod, ranch, spli
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Pencil Pointers 1
In this crossword puzzle, the clues appear in the grid itself. Enter the answers in the direction of the pointers. ANSWER, PAGE 70
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
OLD & NEW
Here’s a quiz for solvers of all ages. The answer to each clue is a word, phrase, or name, containing either the word OLD or the word NEW. So, for example, the clue “Kids’ card game” would lead to the answer OLD MAID, while “FDR’s domestic programs”
Games World of Puzzles2 min read
“T” Time
ANSWER, PAGE 70 1 Trade treaty, for example 5 Flooded, as ships’ decks 10 Tiny nuclear energy source 14 Lab gel 15 Spitefully nasty 16 “Nothing” number 17 Having staying power: Hyph. 19 Additionally 20 Transparent 21 Jetty 22 Battle Cry author Uris 2
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Kid Stuff
Can you find 10 differences between these two illustrated scenes? ANSWERS, PAGE 71 Which two images are exactly alike? ANSWER, PAGE 70 2 & 6 ■
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Truth-isms
We've taken common sayings and replaced each word with its initial letter, except that the word “IS” is always shown as “=”. A few visual clues have been included. How many phrases can you identify? ANSWERS, PAGE 71 1. A bird in the hand is worth two
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Quote Boxes
To solve Quote Boxes, drop the letters from each vertical column—not necessarily in the order in which they appear—into the empty squares below them to spell a quotation reading from left to right, line by line. Words may continue from one line to th
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Sevens And Nines
All of the words and phrases listed below contain either seven or nine letters. Fit them all into the grid so that they intersect in standard crossword fashion. When the puzzle is completed correctly, each word will be used exactly once. STARTING HIN
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Tents
Each grid below represents a campground where a bunch of tents are pitched. Every tree has exactly one tent tied to it from a horizontally or vertically adjacent cell. Knowing that two tents can never be adjacent (not even diagonally), and that the n
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
The Spiral
This puzzle turns in two directions. The spiral’s Inward clues yield a sequence of words to be entered counterclockwise in the spaces from 1 to 100. The Outward clues yield a different set of words to be entered clockwise from 100 to 1. Keep track of
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Boxing Match
The object of this solitaire challenge is to guess a word before making six incorrect guesses, as in a familiar childhood game. To begin, choose any letter of the alphabet that you think might appear in word I below. Suppose you pick E. Go to the Let
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Pencil Pointers 2
In this crossword puzzle, the clues appear in the grid itself. Enter the answers in the direction of the pointers. ANSWER, PAGE 73
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Solve Now!
Don’t procrastinate! Save the housework for later and solve this puzzle. All of the words and phrases listed below contain at least one W. They are hidden horizontally, vertically, and diagonally (always in a straight line) in the diagram. Find and c
Games World of Puzzles1 min readForeign Language Studies
Dszquphsbnt!
Below are seven messages—pithy sayings, fascinating facts, and a cartoon gag—that have been translated into simple cipher alphabets. Letter substitutions remain constant throughout any one cipher, but change from one cipher to the next; the level of
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Themeless Special
ANSWER, PAGE 78 1 Doesn’t use efficiently 7 Shiny finish 14 Some shells 17 Performances before joining a club 18 Window part 19 Rant nonstop 20 “Planet ___” (1995 Radiohead single) 22 Canadian’s “Z” 23 Hair untanglers 28 House Party actress Campbell
Games World of Puzzles2 min read
Siamese Twins
This puzzle gives you two grids for the price of one. And two sets of clues to go with them, so you can work both crosswords at the same time. What’s the catch? Each clue number is followed by two different clues to two different answers. The puzzle
Games World of Puzzles4 min read
Wild Cards
Many well-known companies, past and present, are named after the real-life business partners who founded them. See if you can fill in the blanks below to complete the corporate collaborations. May you do Wells…and Fargo! 1. Procter & ________ 2. Merc
Games World of Puzzles1 min readMathematics
Art On The Square
This is the easiest way we know of to create art without the benefit of formal training. All you have to do is copy each square in the proper place in the empty grid, following the coordinates. The square marked A3, for example, should be drawn in th
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Battleships
WWW.CONCEPTISPUZZLES.COM The six puzzles on this page are solitaire versions of the classic paper-and-pencil game of Battleships. Each grid represents a section of ocean in which a fleet is hiding. This fleet consists of one battleship (four grid cel
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Code Crosswords
In the puzzles below, the numbers in the grid squares stand for letters of the alphabet; your task is to crack the code. Once you’ve figured out the letter that matches a certain number, place that letter in every square containing the same number an
Games World of Puzzles4 min read
A Or B?
In each pair of statements that follow, one is true and one is false. Can you determine which is which? ANSWERS, PAGE 75 1 A. From north to south, the Baltic countries are Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. B. From north to south, the Baltic countries a
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
What’re The Odds?
We’ve taken the odd-positioned letters in the 9-letter words below and scrambled them into new words. Can you restore each 9-letter word by replacing the missing letters? ANSWERS, PAGE 73 1. ABHORRENT 2. TOUCHDOWN 3. SUPERHERO 4. YARDSTICK 5. BOYFRIE
Games World of Puzzles2 min read
One, Two, Three
Solve this puzzle as you would a regular crossword, except that each space may hold one, two, or three letters. The number of letters in a space is for you to determine, using logic and the crossing of words. The answer to 1-Across, S-CA-RES, has bee
Games World of Puzzles2 min read
Discovering Japanese Logic Puzzles
Heyawake is certainly one of the more abstract Japanese logic puzzles I have encountered. Unlike Caves and Akari, where relatable objects are the subjects of the puzzle, Heyawake simply involves shading grid squares to satisfy a set of criteria. I ch
Games World of Puzzles8 min readSecurity
Mary, Queen of Codes
Chances are good that you have heard of Mary, Queen of Scots, even if you’re not entirely sure why you’ve heard of her. Also known as Mary Stuart, she lived from 1542 to 1587. Hers was a unique and legendary life—she was Queen of Scotland, Queen Cons
Games World of Puzzles3 min read
Grids for Kids
You don’t have to be a parent to enjoy Grids for Kids, a recent packet of 25 crossword puzzles supporting youth charities. But it doesn’t hurt. In fact, solving with a seven-year-old might help you answer “Foot fingers” (4 letters) a lot quicker than
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Coded Crisscross 2023
FIRST PRIZE $100 5 RUNNER-UP PRIZES: A ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES As in Code Crosswords (see page 28), each number in the grid stands for a particular letter of the alphabet everywhere that number appears. The three unshaded hori
Games World of Puzzles5 min read
Ten CHESS VARIANTS
Countless chess variants have been invented, some using boards that are larger or smaller, hexagonal, round, or even 3D. For many of these games, additional pieces are needed. The games described here, by contrast, can all be played with a standard c
Games World of Puzzles2 min read
Growth Chart
ANSWER, PAGE 74 1 Relatives that sound like bugs 6 Steak-certifying org. 10 "A Million ___ to Die in the West" (2014 MacFarlane comedy) 14 "Bleep ___" (stereotypical robot sounds) 15 How couples come, with "in" 16 [Light bulb!] 17 Inflection point in
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Paint By Numbers
FROM OCTOBER This contest puzzle challenged all takers to solve a Paint by Numbers puzzle that was potentially a bit tougher—and certainly a bit different—than your run-of-the-mill Paint by Numbers puzzle. The contest instructions promised that once
Games World of Puzzles3 min read
Electronic Game Reviews
ADVENTURE RPG POKÉMON LEGENDS: ARCEUS NINTENDO SWITCH: $60 AGE RANGE: 11+ PLAY TIME: 20+ HOURS PLAYERS: 1 Despite rarely deviating from its original design, the Pokémon franchise has become a recognizable icon of not just Nintendo, but of gaming as a
Games World of Puzzles4 min read
Tabletop Game Reviews
DEDUCTION PAINT THE ROSES NORTH STAR GAME STUDIO: $40 AGE RANGE: 11+ PLAY TIME: 45–60 MIN. PLAYERS: 2–5 The only thing the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland loves more than having her garden laid out properly is chopping off heads. Getting her
Games World of Puzzles3 min read
The Flintstones Game
On a recent excursion to a consignment shop, I picked up The Flintstones Game, hoping to rekindle the joy that watching hundreds of hours of the cartoon brought me as a kid. The game also piqued my interest because it was made in 1961 by Transogram,
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Dominoku
All the domino tiles from 0-0 to 6-6 shown here have been randomly placed (horizontally or vertically) onto the larger box. Your task is to show where the edges of all the tiles are—and there’s only one way to do it. You’ll use all the tiles and none
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Split Decisions®
The only clues in this crossword are the letter pairs provided in the grid. Each answer across and down consists of two words that share the letters you’ll enter in the empty squares. In the example below, S, E, and W fill the empty squares to make S
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Double Cross
Answer the clues on the numbered dashes, one letter per dash. Then transfer the letters on the dashes to the correspondingly numbered squares in the puzzle grid to reveal a quotation reading from left to right. (Black squares separate words.) When yo
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Vectrix
In each puzzle below, your goal is to connect every circle to an arrowhead in order to create an arrow consisting of a path of straight lines. Each line segment must connect to the arrowhead on the correct side—that is, on the opposite side of where
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Repeato
In this puzzle you control a robot that needs to be moved from its start position to the end position (red ×) by writing the most economical code possible. That is, the shortest sequence of commands which, when followed repeatedly, will bring the bot
Games World of Puzzles3 min read
Cryptic Crossword 1
Each clue in a cryptic crossword has two parts: a definition of the answer and an indication of the answer’s literal makeup via wordplay. Either half may come first; finding the dividing point between the two parts is the key to solving. On page 61,
Games World of Puzzles2 min read
Paint By Numbers
These nine puzzles feature a unique blend of logic and art. The numbers are all you need to determine which squares should be filled in to form a picture. Here’s how it’s done: The numbers outside each row and column tell you how many groups of black
Games World of Puzzles3 min read
Cryptic Crossword 2
Anagrams: The answer appears in anagrammed form, preceded or followed by a word or phrase that suggests the mixing, as in Changing times for ITEMS. Deletions: Deletions come in three varieties: beheadments, curtailments, and internal deletions. The c
Games World of Puzzles3 min read
Six Of One, Half A Dozen Of Another
In this variety cryptic, each 3-Down, of which there are six, is an example of 41-Across. The remaining unclued entries are, in a different way, six more examples. ANSWERS, PAGE 79 1 New Year’s Day, the debut of Scott Joplin (5) 5 A number of fuels e
Games World of Puzzles3 min read
Two In One
In this variety cryptic, all clue answers are too long for the spaces provided in the diagram. To make them fit, solvers will have to put two letters in some of the squares. Whenever two words cross on a two-letter square, both letters naturally appe
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Crossword Sudoku
Crossword Sudoku is like traditional sudoku, except that numbers are replaced by letters. To solve each puzzle, place the indicated words in the colored boxes and then solve the sudoku so that there are no repeated letters in any row, column or 2×3 r
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Family Reunions
Change each group of 10 words below into a “family” of different words (words or proper names that have something in common) by dropping one letter from each word and then rearranging the remaining letters. For example, given the entries HAUNT, HAIRD
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
6’s Mixes
Scramble each 6-letter word into a 2-word phrase with three letters in each word. How many phrases can you identify? ANSWERS, PAGE 80 1. TIC TAC 2. BIG BEN 3. RED SEA 4. YOU BET 5. HOT TUB 6. TEA SET 7. OLD AGE 8. DRY ICE 9. RED INK 10. LAB RAT 11. R
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
Love CRYPTOGRAMS?
Subscribe Now! THIS CRYPTOGRAM MAGAZINE OFFERS 300 CRYPTOGRAMS IN EVERY ISSUE AS WELL AS CRYPTO-CLANS, CODE CROSSWORDS, AND OTHER VARIETY CODE PUZZLES. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! www.kappapuzzles.com ■
Games World of Puzzles6 min read
The World’s Most Ornery Crossword
The crossword on this and the next two pages has two independent sets of clues: “Hard” and “Easy.” First, fold this page back on the dashed line so the clues below face the solving grid on page 69. If you use only the Hard Clues (appearing below and
Games World of Puzzles1 min read
COLLeCTOr’S ITeM!
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