Games World of Puzzles October 2019

There’s so much to like about fall, from the beautiful autumn leaves and the thrill of the World Series to the crisp chill in the air and the spooky fun of Halloween.

Our October issue captures some of that excitement, starting with the cover, a radiant image that will warm you up for bigger challenges found inside. It was inspired by “Sunny Sights,” a clever word search from longtime contributor Raymond Young (page 15).

Solvers looking to stretch their mental muscles don’t need to look far. “Test Your Trivia I.Q.” is a challenging test of general knowledge from former editor R. Wayne Schmittberger (page 64). There is also a brand new set of Strimko puzzles from the Grabarchuk Family, which is sure to please fans of logic puzzles (page 54).

Of course, games and puzzles are also meant to amuse. This month’s feature article, “Yahtzee: A Roll of the Dice,” offers an in-depth look at an old family-friendly favorite (page 34). Author Julie Harris examines Yahtzee’s somewhat mysterious origin and also outlines its similarities to earlier roll-and-write pastimes around the globe.

After finishing that piece, you’ll likely want to get back to solving. Fortunately, this issue has plenty of puzzles for you. “Stackoku” (page 30) and CalcuDoku (page 13) are clever variations on Sudoku that are sure to get you firing on all cylinders.

As always, there are lots of great crossword puzzles, including challenging variations like Frank Longo’s brain-twisting “Spiral” (page 19) and Raymond Young’s “The Plus” (page 22).

Finally, we have a Halloween treat for you, Raymond Simon’s “Monster Match” (page 48). Clearly, the author has spent too many bleary-eyed evenings watching Joe Bob Briggs and Svengoolie—and now he wants to inflict that horror on you.

Happy puzzling!