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Subscribe to crosswordlinks.substack.com to receive a daily email with all puzzles I know about. Feel free to tweet me @gritzmac if there's anything I'm missingTip JarLast updated 5/2021
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Regular: Daily & Weekly(ish)NotesMonthly/IrregularNotesCryptic/VarietyNotes
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7xwordsTWTFSASUNear daily 2021 project led by Malaika Handa to publish a puzzle for every possible 7x7 grid7xwordsMalaika Handa, site started late 2020. Will have a daily midi in 2021.https://cf.kmbweb.de/Comprehensive cryptic links collection. I don't have the same passion for cryptics as I do for American-style crosswords. This and the link below are more comprehensive for cryptics than this spreadsheet.American Crossword Puzzle TournamentAnnual Tournament coordinated by Will Shortz. Past puzzles available for purchase, though no convenient download.Across to Bear32 2010-2011 puzzles from then-Brown students, including recognizable names Zoe Wheeler, Natan Last, Jonah Kagan, Aimee Lucido
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Another CrosswordMAdam Isaacson. Mon/Tue? I haven't solved many yet.Aaronson.orgAdam Aaronson. Mix of midi and 15x, themed and themeless. Wed-Thu difficultyMokelfishComprehensive cryptic and variety links collectionLollapuzzoolaAnnual tournament coordinated by Brian Cimmet and Patrick Blindauer. Past puzzles largely unavailable.Alex BoisvertA handful of puzzles. I'm not sure the original publish dates.
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Aries Puzzles ($)WSubscription themeless from Andrew J. Ries at Sat/Sat+ difficultyAcross The UniverseDee Williams, perhaps on hiatus1AcrossSUCryptics from a variety of international setters, roughly every two weeks on SundaysBryant Park TournamentAnnual Tournament coordinated by Mike Shenk. Past puzzles available for purchase/made pay what you can during coronavirus pandemic.Alexa ShortbushFrom Greg Johnson. Couple hundred puzzles, but tough to tell when updated
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AtlanticMTWTHFSUMinis M-F, 15x Su at Tue/Wed difficulty. Editor Caleb Madison. Can download .xml (not .puz) through XWord.arctan(x)wordsMChris Adams. Thu-Fri difficulty with occasional themelessesA Cleverly-Titled Logic Puzzle BlogWGrant Fikes, mostly varietyCrosswords LAAnnual Tournament. Past puzzles available for purchase, at one time made free during coronavirus pandemic. Will have to check to see if still in effect.Beekeeper Labs140 puzzles from 2007-2010
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AVCX ($)WSubscription edited by Ben Tausig, occasionally others. Range of difficulty levels, usually midweek. $20/yr. Beyond WordplayQuarterly (?) wordplay/words-minded newsletter, usually with a puzzleA Frame GamesPatrick Berry. Anything here is worth the price.Indie 500Annual tournament. Past puzzles available for purchase, at one time made free during coronavirus pandemic. Will have to check to see if still in effect.Blather Review100+ puzzles from a wide time frame from Robert Jones, who I have not heard of. Haven't solved any yet.
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BEQMTHBrendan Emmett Quigley. M themeless Sa+ difficulty, Thu themed Thu/Thu+Brain CandyAmanda Rafkin. Mix of midis and 15x. Generally a 15x on Sunday, "Theatre Thursday" midiAries ($)TTHAndrew Ries. Subscription Rows Garden on Tuesdays, monthly-ish variety on Thursdays.BoswordsAnnual Tournament expanding to multiple annual online events. Past puzzles available for purchase. Caroline's CrypticsCollections from the Toronto Star available for purchase.
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Bewilderingly ($)MWill Nediger. Thu-level subscription ended March 2020. Free puzzles posted Mondays, have picked up since March.ChrisWordsChris King. Over 100 posted puzzles.Avid PuzzlerMDavid Gold. Some American-style puzzles, but mostly Cryptics. Weekly-ish, on Mondays.Crossword Tournament From Your CouchGroundbreaking online tournament first held 3/2020, with promise of more to come. Most puzzles available for download free.CHESUNSETTED FEB 2020 Consistent difficulty, themes fall into narrower range reflecting the publication. Midweek difficulty.
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Brian GubinTBrian Gubin, even mix of themed/themeless puzzles. Tue difficultyCode.MaiaMcCormick.comMaia McCormick. A few so far, but no schedule.Beneath The SurfaceKyle Dolan. Cryptic and Cryptic-adjacent stuff.CRookedREBOOTED as Hub Crosswords on Patreon. Hex and BEQ in Boston Magazine. Previously available for email subscription, similar vibe to Gaffney's New York Magazine puzzles.
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ClassiCanadian ($)WSubscription from Barb Olson. Tue difficulty. Comedy CrosswordsMatt Berger. Puzzles are built around jokes from late-night TV.BEQ Marching Bands ($)MMarching Bands subscription from BEQ. Gentle variety format if you haven't branched out from American-style crosswordsCrossword Constructor's HandbookFrom Patrick Berry. Comes with 70 puzzles alongside a manual to crossword construction for only 10$
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Clever Name HereMDavid Ritterskamp. Mon difficulty. Weekly-ish. Sometimes a little smaller than 15xCross Angel: Mind FreakJess Goldstein. Site founded Aug 2020.Canadian National Post CrypticSAEmily Cox & Henry Rathvon.CrosSynergyIt's darn tough to find any of these, since publication rights were returned to constructors as I understand, but a few dozen are here, thanks to the WayBack Machine
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Club 72WSAThemelesses from Tim Croce at Sat++ difficultyCrosshareSelf-publishing site with a range of puzzles, featured daily mini.ContingenciesCruciverbalist At LawGood backlog of puzzles from Andy Kravis.
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Crossword Nation ($)TElizabeth Gorski - Tue difficulty. Subscription includes 500 puzzles in archives. $20/yrCrosstalk PuzzlesNick McGuire. I haven't solved many. Somwhere between weekly and monthly frequency.CryptivoreMonthly-ish cryptics from Jeff LevinsonDan Does Not BlogDan Feyer has indicated he'll be uploading scans of archival puzzles in the coming months. One batch of "Something Different"s is already up.
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Crosswords From Outer SpaceMThemeless every other Monday from Mollie Cowger. Thu/Fri difficulty.Crossword DiscordChat server hosting a variety of crossword-related conversations, including a #post-your-puzzles thread. Many users have blogs listed here, others don't.Et Tu EtuiA style all its own. Currently 3x/wkDevil CrossPre-WaPo Evan Birnholz
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Crosswords With FriendsMTWTHFSASUPhone app. Topical themes, Mon-/Mon difficulty. Editors Amy Reynaldo/Trip Payne.Crosswords Club ($)Monthly snail mail subscription - 6 21x/mo. Editor Patti Varol. Almost entirely themeless.FifteensquaredComprehensive Cryptic LinksGeorge Barany and FriendsExtensive archive of puzzles from a variety of constructors, often themed to current events of the time. I haven't solved many.
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CrossworthySUWeekly puzzle from May Huang & Kevin Trickey. Grids are filled by algorithm, clued by hand.Crosswords Were Always CoolJohn O'Leary. Founded Nov 2020.Financial TimesCrypticsGlutton for PunErik Agard. Rare puzzles nowadays, but a couple hundred in site archives.
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Daily BeastMTWTHSUMidis. Consistent difficulty, current events "mini theme." Matt Gaffney. .puz access unknownCruzzlesRicky Cruz. Roughly half themeless, Thu/Fri difficulty.Garden PartyWeekly Rows Gardens from Michael Blake.Graham RosbyLast posted in 2012. Haven't solved any yet.
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Daily PopMTWTHFSASUPhone app. Topical themes, Mon difficulty. Editor Patti Varol. Current MagazineInfrequent puzzles for industry publication from Brian HerrickGarden Party ($)TMichael Blake - Rows Gardens. $25/yrGrids for Good COVID-19/Antiracist charity puzzle pack released July 2020
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Daily PrincetonianTFApparently on hiatus during summer. Wed/Thur difficulty.Datalexic1stEnrique Henestroza Anguiano. Tue difficulty. Previously published midis on 15th of each month, but dialing back. Will likely release midi packs from time to time.Go Away I'm SleepingSporadic crypticsGrowler MagazineDEFUNCT. Monthly puzzles for industry publication from Andrew Ries and Vic Barocas. Not solvable online, difficult to print.
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David Alfred Bywaters Crossword CavalcadeSADavid Alfred Bywaters. Wed difficulty.Dave's No Frills FillNew in spring 2021. Enjoyable themes, Wed difficulty?Harper's ($)Richard Maltby, monthly paywalled cryptic.Hex Cryptic archivesRepository of links to cryptics by Cox/Rathvon.
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Fill Me In ContestTBiweekly-ish metas from Brian Cimmet. Grids are Tue difficulty.DonkeyPuzzleTreeMax Carpenter. 36 puzzles, sporadic postingKeynesian CrypticsJack H. KeynesI Dreamed a ThemeKarl Ni and Amanda Chung. Haven't posted in a while, but have gotten a few puzzles into the NYT.
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Fireball ($)WFSubscriptions from Peter Gordon. Fireball Crosswords (W) some metas, some themeless, late-week range of difficulty. Fireball Newsflash (F) every few weeks, current events theme, early-week difficulty.Ella DershowitzPosted a handful of puzzles quickly, and hasn't posted since, though has had a few published.Loplop CrypticsOccasional from George Ho.Nation CrypticSUNSETTED MAR 2020. Now "Out of Left Field Cryptics."
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Half-Baked PuzzlesFWill Eisenberg. Founded Nov 2020 but Will has been around for a bit.gecxwordsRia Dhull. Founded Aug 2020, hasn't posted since September.LovattsNational Puzzler's League Cryptic Crosswords.pdf collection of Kosman/Picciotto cryptics.
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Happy Little PuzzlesMFMatthew Stock. Mondays often Midis; Fridays are 15x at W difficulty. Occasional themelesses tougher.GeneralismsNew April 2021. Mad Dog CrypticsTerry BrennanNew York SunDefunct puzzle edited by Peter Gordon, pre-Fireball. Some puzzles are accessible at this link.
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Inkubator ($)F3x-monthly subscription. "Crossword puzzles by women — cis women, trans women, & woman-aligned constructors." Editors Laura Braunstein, Tracy Bennett, Stella Zawistowski, Juliana Tringali Golden. Range of midweek difficulty. Occasional cryptics, regular themelesses. $30/yr.Grid Pro QuoDavid Harris, sporadic posting. Self-described "nerdy" puzzles. Founded June 2020MagpiePatrick BerryVarious Cryptic/Variety packs available at his site
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JonesinTMatt Jones. Tue/Wed difficulty. .puz from Crossword Fiend.Grid TherapyTrent H. Evans, used to be weekly-ish, may one day be again. Tue-Wed difficulty. Mix of themed/themeless.Mental PlaygroundMWOccasionally also a Sunday cryptic.Patrick BlindauerHalf-dozen puzzle suites available at his site
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LAT MiniMTWTHFSASUElizabeth GorskiGrids These DaysPaolo Pasco. Highly creative, range of difficulty. Branching into some variety formats lately.Monday Fills AcrosticMAcrostics from Dave MurchiePatti VarolProlific editor has 20+ sample puzzles on her site
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Lexicon DevilTHRichard D. Allen. Site founded Sept 2020. Frequent metas.Jack Of All SquaresLyle Broughton. Fun themes, sporadic posting. Tue/Wed difficulty. Check out his youtube!MyCrosswordPuzzles for Change, 20 under 30 Puzzle packs from longer ago - gotta dig up links
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Los Angeles TimesMTWTHFSASUIncreasing difficulty M-Sa, generally in line with NYT, Fri a touch easier. Sat themeless. Editor Rich Norris. .puz from CruciverbJeff's PuzzlesJeff Linder. Weekly-ish? Founded late 2020, Tue/Wed difficulty?National Puzzlers' LeagueQueer Qrosswords and Queer Qrosswords 2Amazing puzzle packs by LGBTQ+ constructors available with donation to LGBTQ+ charity of your choice.
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Luckystreak ($)MAdam Nicolle. Themeless subscription service on Mondays, occasional free puzzles are usually themeless. Jeffrey's Jottings ($) 1?15?Bimonthly puzzle by Jeffrey Harris. Starting at $2/month on Patreon, planning two puzzles each month.New YorkerSUWeekly archival crypticSheffer, JosephSyndicated puzzles under the King Features Syndicate.
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McKinseyTPeter Gordon. Tue difficultyJKL CrosswordsJesse Lansner. Tue difficulty, themes that would fit in nicely in defunct Chronicle of Higher Education puzzle.NewScientistThe Cross NerdPeter Broda, 96 posts.
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MEOWWWeekly meta founded Dec 2020.Just GriddingRachel Fabi and Claire Rimkus. Brand new in May 2021.NewScientist ($)Paywalled cryptics from Sara Goodchild and others.The VultureMore (old) metas from Matt Gaffney.
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Merl Reagle's Sunday CrosswordsSUArchival 21x puzzles by late Merl Reagle. Kate Schmate CrosswordsKate Leiserson. Brand new in May 2021.Out of Left Field Cryptic ($)THWeekly from Joshua Kosman & Henri Picciotto starting at $3/mo on PatreonTheresa's Cryptic Crosswords
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MGWCC ($)FMeta subscription from Matt Gaffney. Puzzles midweek difficulty, metas increase in complexity throughout month. $3/mo on Patreon.Knotty GridsAam Levine, sporadic, frequently metas.Outside The Box ($)MTjoon pahk - biweekly M variety puzzles, weekly T Rows Gardens. Variety subscription $15/yr, Rows Garden $20/yr, bundle for $30/year Todd McClarySome "Unthemely" archives available, though roughly 80 from this site and its forebears are dead dropbox links.
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Monday FillsMDave Murchie. Ranges from Wed-Fri difficulty, themeless every five weeks. Biweekly acrostics also available.knxwordsKunal Nabar. New in 2021.Panda MagazineTrip PayneVariety of puzzle types created 2007-2013
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Morning BrewFMonday difficulty level. .puz files not postedLegs CrossedAllegra Kuney. Thu/Fri difficulty.Private EyeVisual ThesaurusA couple years' worth of monthly BEQ puzzles.
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Muggle Meta MondaysMWeekly meta from rotating constructors.LEOHandful of puzzles by Trip Payne, but new posts lately have been word searches.Puzzle Tome1Monthly Cryptic.Will JohnstonAccompanies the VERY useful Will Johnston's Puzzle Pointers Page. Themed puzzles linked in the cell to the left, themeless linked in this cell.
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New York MagazineM21x consistent with LAT/NYT Sunday. Matt Gaffney. .puz through XWord.Lex FriedmanPuzzleCrypt archivesWomen of Letters18 puzzles from women constructors available with donation to women-centric charity of your choice.
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New York Times ($)MTWTHFSASUIncreasing difficulty M-Sa, Su is 21x and roughly Wed. difficulty. Su-Th themed, F-Sa themeless. 26 years of archives, weekly variety puzzles, daily mini. Editor Will Shortz. $40/yrLogodaedalyQuarterly (?) newsletter, includes puzzles from Francis Heaney.PuzzlesnacksMonthly variety from Eric Berlin.
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NewsdayMTWTHFSASUM-F increasing difficulty, early week very accessible. Sat "Stumper" themeless at Sat+++ difficulty. Sun very accessible for new solvers. More topical than wordplay themes. Editor Stanley Newman. .puz through XWord solving software.M & M CrosswordsVarying frequency of minis and midis from Martina Waluk.Puzzling StackExchange
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NYT MiniMTWTHFSASUJoel FaglianoMatt JacksonHasn't posted since early 2020.r/crosswords
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Pandora's Blocks Weekly Meta CrosswordSUWeekly meta from Will Pfadenhauer, Brian MacDonald, Emma Oxford, Dani Raymond. On hiatus to Jan 2020Max PuzzlesFrequent midis with weekly-ish 15x. Redhead64's Obscure Puzzle BlogMRyan Faley. Weekly variety puzzle.
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Premier CrosswordSUFrank Longo 21x. Easier than NYT Sun.McAvoy-Bickford CrosswordsBenjamin McAvoy-Bickford. Only a few so far. Wed difficulty.Split Decisions
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QVXwordzMTHQuiara Vasquez. Trends to the very difficult.McGrids17Ryan McCarty. Likes to play with assymmetry, wide open grids. Sat difficulty.Sydney Morning Herald
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Rossword PuzzlesSURoss Trudeau, usually 15x at Wed difficulty. Frequent collaborations.MirthwrightFounded Dec 2020The Browser ($)SAWeekly cryptic included in $5/mo newsletter subscription. Editor Dan Feyer. Construction team Nate Cardin, Sara Goodchild, Will Nediger, Paolo Pasco, Andrew Ries and Stella Zawistowski.
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Southern CrosswordsSUWeekly puzzle from Australian constructor currently on hiatus in Dec 2020. Occasional variety puzzles.Muller Monthly Music MetaTPete Muller, annual music-themed meta suite published in monthly installments. Midweek difficulty? Range of meta difficulty.The Browser ($)Weekly Cryptic from rotating cast of setters, edited by Dan Feyer. Trends a tough easier than Cox/Rathvon or Out of Left Field.
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SporcleSUWeekly Mon difficulty or so. Editor unknown.Neville FogartyNeville has posted occasionally lately. Mix of varieties.The Crossword Centre
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SpyscapeFEspionage-themed puzzles, edited Will Nediger. Wed difficult. .puz file unknown.Norah's PuzzlesNorah Sharpe. New in 2021. Wed-Fri difficulty?The GuardianWeekday Cryptics
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Square PursuitWAlternating themed (Wed difficulty) and themelesses (Thu/Fri) from Steve Mossberg.NYT bonus ($)1stMonthly by Fred PiscopThe Independent
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Haymarket SquaresFAriel S. Regular minis, periodic larger puzzles.Odd Bear PuzzlesJosh Audibert. Daily Minis, new in 2021.The Telegraph
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The HUB Crossword ($)SU21x Subscription from Brendan Emmett Quigley, Emily Cox, Henry Rathvon. Starts at $3/mo on Patreon, bonus puzzles in higher tiers.PGWCCTPreviously weekly, now sporadic, meta from Peter Washington. Late-week fill difficulty, range of meta difficulty. The Times (UK)
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The New YorkerMWFSUM/W/F themelesses in decreasing difficulty - roughly Sat/Thu/Tue-Wed. Archival cryptics on Sun. .puz access unknown.Pocket SquaresJasper Davidoff. Tue difficulty.Tortoiseshell StudioVariety Patreon subscription from Nathan Curtis.
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The WeekFCurrent events puzzle from Matt Gaffney. Tue difficulty. .puz file unknown.Provincetown IndependentSophia Maymudes, roughly monthly.Wall Street Journal VarietySAWeekly variety from Mike Shenk, Patrick Berry, Cox/Rathvon.
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Tough As NailsWBiweekly themelesses from Stella Zawistowski. Sat+ difficultyPun Of A KindMike Graczyk, founded Dec 2020.
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Trash Panda PuzzlesTFJason "Jac: Crabtree. Tuesday Midis, Friday 15s. Tue/Wed difficulty?Puzzles That Need A Home8th18th28thBrian Thomas, frequently themeless at late-week difficulty.
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Universal CrosswordMTWTHFSASUShallower difficulty increase, all themed. Additional Su 21x. Generally easier than NYT, especially weekend. Editor David Steinberg. .puz through Crossword Fiend.Q&AQuinn Abarr. Don't have a good sense yet.
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Universal SundaySUEditor David Steinberg. 21x. Significantly easier than NYT Sun.r/CrosswordCrossword community on Reddit has a number of folks who post occasional puzzles. Some have their own blogs represented here.
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USA TodayMTWTHFSASUConsistent M/T difficulty, all themed. Editor Erik Agard. .puz through XWordSanne's PuzzlesPosted one puzzle in Oct 2020. TBD.
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VoxMTWTHFSAM-F midis consistent difficulty, Sa 15x T difficulty. Closed constructor set: Juliana Tringali Golden, Patrick Blindauer, Adesina O. Koiki, Will Nediger, and Andrew J. Ries. .puz access unknown.Shrink-Wrapped Puzzles"Tim Othy". Wed difficulty.
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Wall Street JournalMTWTHFSADifficulty increases M-Th, A day tougher than NYT with exception of weekly Meta puzzle on Fri. Sat 21x. All themed, weekly variety on Sat. Editor Mike Shenk. .puz from Crossword Fiend.Sid's GridsSid Sivakumar. Frequent guest/collab puzzles, range in difficulty
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Washington ExaminerFWeekly-ish by Brendan Emmett Quigley, sometimes paywalled. Tue difficulty.StarchwordsStarchy Grant. Established Dec 2020.
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Washington PostSUEvan Birnholz 21x. Difficulty on par with NYT Sun. Metas and themelesses not uncommon,The JuggernautMonthly-ish puzzle edited by Sid Sivakumar for Desi-focused publication.
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Words XingTFBrendan Sullivan. Math infused puzzles, usually midis. Wed/Thu difficulty.WordGarblerChris Piuma. Site founded Aug 2020. Likes to push the envelope format-wise. .puz files not posted.
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World of CrosswordsFirst Sunday of each month. Haven't solved any yet.
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xwords by a ladee27thBrooke Husic. Monthly themelesses and occasional demi puzzles with choose-your-own adventure hard (Fri) and extra hard (Sat-Sat+) clue sets
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Yes!Monthly puzzle by Patrick Blindauer. Tue difficulty.
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