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…

Each answer word 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 clues or two Down clues that seem to have the same answer, add up their clue numbers to determine the place in the grid at which the answer should be entered. For example, if the clue for 1-Across were “Metallic element” and the clue for 17-Across read “Starring role,” the answer would be “lead,” which would go in 18-Across (1 + 17). Note: Tags such as “Hyph.” and “2 wds.” have been omitted. ACROSS 1 Got on a radio talk show 2 Pursue in retaliation 3 Reddish brown hue 4 Scarab, for one 5 Move to a different branch of…

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 which way you’re going, and have many happy returns. INWARD 1-6 It’s a score 7-15 Pass-the-plate part of the service 16-26 Tennessee home of Andrew Johnson 27-31 Snake with a charmed life? 32-35 Complaint 36-40 Kind of length that matters to a photographer 41-49 Reveler’s cry: 2 wds. 50-55 Jellystone Park cub: 2 wds. 56-62 Batter-dipped Japanese dish 63-67 National hero of Spain: 2 wds. 68-70 Green, like new recruits 71-79 Pastrami and salami, for example: 2 wds. 80-85 Renowned tower designer 86-90 Witchy woman 91-100 Sci-fi travel agent? OUTWARD 100-96 Oldish, but not historical 95-92 Brazilian soccer legend 91-83 Symbol on a staff:…

Helter-Skelter is a crossword variation in which the answers interlock in any of eight different directions. To solve, write the answer to each clue starting in its numbered square and proceed in a straight line toward—and if necessary, beyond—the next consecutive number. The first answer, RED FLAG, has been entered in Helter-Skelter #1 as an example. HELTER-SKELTER #1 1 Warning signal: 2 wds. 2 Show off those muscles 3 Oozing class 4 Panache 5 Hersey’s bell town 6 ___ the Lucky Rabbit (early Disney character) 7 Kool-Aid or Tang, e.g.: 2 wds. 8 Some kind of nut 9 Judd, on Taxi 10 Thrill 11 Part of EST 12 Snowboarding event 13 Opposed 14 What stoolies do 15 Nigella of Simply Nigella 16 Trembling trees 17 Philly hoopsters 18 Has life 19 Aquarium favorites 20 Gridiron maneuver: 2 wds. 21 C&W star McEntire 22 Construct HELTER-SKELTER #2 1 Cheap shot: 2 wds. 2 Off one’s rocker 3 Pay…

WHAT’S HAPPENING: GeekGirlCon WHEN: November 16 & 17, 2019 WHERE: Washington State Convention Center; Seattle, WA DETAILS: GeekGirlCon is the first convention to focus on female experiences in geeky environments. The two-day convention in the heart of downtown Seattle draws thousands of self-identified geeks. Despite its female-gendered focus, GeekGirlCon aims to bring all people together, regardless of gender, to “celebrate the role of women in science, technology, media, and gaming; and build the next generation of strong powerful geeks.” FOR MORE INFO: www.geekgirlcon.com WHAT’S HAPPENING: IndieCade WHEN: October 10–12, 2019 WHERE: Santa Monica, CA DETAILS: IndieCade is an international event that celebrates independent games from all over the world. This fun-filled gathering offers attendees the opportunity to play new games, meet with their creators, and participate in networking, social activities, tournaments, and much more. For developers, IndieCade kicks off with…