Games World of Puzzles April 2016

As you flip through this issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES, you’ll notice features on Scrabble, chess, and vintage board games—some by authors new to these pages. We’re excited that a whole new crop of clever puzzle mavens want to contribute to the magazine and we’re delighted to share their work with you.

Let’s start with “Your Word Against Mine: Scrabble Happenings, Puzzles, and Tips” by top-ranked player Scott Appel, According to the results of our December 2014 survey, many of you love Scrabble. If you’d like to improve your game and have fun at the same time, Scott is the go-to-guy. As the title suggests, he offers tips and exercises that will teach you to think like a Scrabble pro.

If you enjoy chess, try “Sole Survivor,” a game played on a chessboard and following the rules of chess, by Dennis Shasha. Dennis’s long and distinguished resumé includes writing puzzle columns for Scientific American and Dr. Dobb’s Journal. We are thrilled that he is now contributing his fiendishly fun brainteasers to GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES.

Regular contributor Jonathan Schmalzbach returns with a nostalgic piece called “This Old Game.” Jonathan took a deep dive into his personal collection of vintage board games and came up with The Crosby Derby, a 1947 horse-racing game capitalizing on both the popularity of horse racing and of Bing Crosby, the biggest star of the era.

We’d also like to remind all of you crossword lovers that the 2016 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is fast approaching. Directed by Will Shortz and held from April 1 to 3, the 39th annual tournament offers a chance for the crossword community to gather in a relaxed and congenial atmosphere. This year’s tournament will feature a film tribute to beloved constructor and ACPT regular Merl Reagle, who passed away last August. Other important members of the crossword community whom we lost during the past year—Henry Hook, Leslie Billig, and six-time ACPT champion Doug Hoylman—will also be honored. For more information about the ACPT, go to www.crosswordtournament.com.

And finally, a correction: Regrettably, our overzealous editing introduced some errors into David Kwong’s crossword puzzle “Numbers Game,” which appeared on page 52 of the January issue. These errors related to the theme and detracted from David’s crossword constructing, which we think is great. We won’t give away too much in case you’d like to try the corrected puzzle. It can be found on our website, www.gamesmagazine-online.com, or you may email us at [email protected] to request a print copy of the corrected puzzle.

Now dig in and start solving!