Games World of Puzzles February 2020

Let’s celebrate Valentine’s Day by limbering up your brain. All of the words and phrases below either start or end with the letter L (which stands for “love,” of course). Fit them into the grid in crossword style so that each one is used exactly once. Will you lose or luck out? 5 LETTERS ANVIL FOUR-L GMAIL HORAL LET BY LETCH LHASA LMNOP LO-FAT LUNAR LYMPH NOVEL OCTYL O’DOUL OS-CAL SEPAL SIBYL TIROL 6 LETTERS ACETYL CHEVAL DOG OWL DR. PHIL ENSOUL LANDAU LAY LOW LAZULI LEACHY LEMURS LIGNUM LIKELY LIL’ KIM LOLLED LUDWIG LUPINO OSWELL SEAGAL 7 LETTERS HELICAL IMMORAL LAB RATS LASAGNE LEAVE ON LIKEN TO LIVE-INS LOCAL TV LOUELLA LOVE GOD MAD FOOL ORE MILL 8 LETTERS ANISE OIL AT SCHOOL ATYPICAL CAESURAL IN A SHELL LARGE SUM LEONARDO LEOPOLD I LE SECRET LEVERAGE LICORICE LIL’ ROMEO LITURGIC LOBLOLLY LOCKABLE LOOK INTO LOOKS BIG LYNNETTE ANSWERS HINT The first word across is LITURGIC.…

This Valentine’s Day word search will only give you half a heart. Which half? Both! All of the words and phrases listed below contain either LO or VE. Find them all in the grid going horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, always in a straight line. After you’re done, read the leftover letters from left to right and top to bottom to reveal one definition of the word “atrium.” ALOFT APPROVE ARRIVE AVENGE BACK VENT BARLOW BEE VENOM CLOMPS COLOR GUARD ELVEN EMOTIVE FLOE ICE LOL FACE LOOK PALE LOW MARKS LOW-KEYED MOVE ALONG OVEN GLOVES OVERFLOWN PAY ENVELOPE SALOON SEVEN O’CLOCK TRAVELOG ANSWERS The uncircled letters spell ONE HALF OF A HALF OF A HEART.…

WHAT’S HAPPENING: LONDON ANIME & GAMING CON WHEN: February 14–16, 2020 WHERE: The Rocket Complex, London Metropolitan University; London, England DETAILS: Anime, gaming, and cosplay are the stars of this three-day con. Special events include a talent show and a cosplay masquerade. Live bands and parties will add to the fun. Guests of honor for 2020 include Neil Kaplan, the actor best known for voicing Optimus Prime in the TV series Transformers: Robots in Disguise. FOR MORE INFO: winter.londonanimecon.com WHAT’S HAPPENING: AMERICAN CROSSWORD PUZZLE TOURNAMENT WHEN: March 20–22, 2020 WHERE: Stamford Marriott; Stamford, CT DETAILS: It’s time once again for the largest crossword competition in the United States. Heading into its 43rd year, the ACPT is hosted by Will Shortz, the New York Times crossword puzzle editor. With prizes in more than 20 different categories and a grand prize of $5,000,…

Many kids dream of one day being rock stars, spending their days in recording studios and, occasionally, tearing the roof off Madison Square Garden. Others imagine building business empires or ascending to lofty positions of political power. Not me. No, I was going to build my fortune playing games somehow. Clearly, my parents had screwed up in a big way. But how would I do it? As far as I knew, there was no National Pro Monopoly Circuit. Solitaire busking in New York subway stations was hardly lucrative. And yet, I was determined to find a way to avoid real work at all costs. I slapped together poorly constructed prototypes of board games I invented (mercilessly repurposing Risk boards and Parcheesi pawns to fit my requirements), then attempted to shop them…

THINK YOU’VE GOT A SWEET TOOTH TO BE RECKONED WITH? THEN TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF SUGARY TREATS BY TAKING THE TWO-PART TRIVIA QUIZ BELOW. EACH CORRECT ANSWER IS WORTH 1 POINT. PART 1: TRUE OR FALSE? 1. ANDES MINTS WERE SO NAMED BECAUSE THEIR CREATOR WAS BORN NEAR MOUNT ACONCAGUA, WHICH LIES NEAR THE BORDER OF ARGENTINA AND CHILE. 2. NASA FLIGHT CONTROLLERS IN MISSION CONTROL HAVE ADOPTED THE ATOMIC FIREBALL AS THEIR “CONSOLE CANDY OF CHOICE.” 3. ADMIRAL RICHARD BYRD’S EXPEDITIONARY PARTY TO THE SOUTH POLE DURING THE 1930S BROUGHT MORE THAN TWO TONS OF NECCO WAFERS WITH THEM. 4. NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VAN WILDER, A 2002 CAMPUS COMEDY STARRING RYAN REYNOLDS AND TARA REID, INTRODUCED JOLLY RANCHER VODKA SHOOTERS TO THE PUBLIC. 5. THE POPULAR CANDY BAR SNICKERS HAS OCCASIONALLY “STEPPED INTO THE RING” AND…

One of the world’s best board games is also one of its oldest. Backgammon-type boards, dice, and playing pieces, some 5,000 or more years old, have been discovered among the ruins of ancient Sumer and Egypt. The Persians, Greeks, and Romans were enthusiastic players, with the Emperor Claudius authoring a book in 50 A.D. on dice games and installing a board to play tabula (a backgammon precursor) in his royal carriage. The Arab conquest of Persia in the 7th century spread the game throughout the Middle East; it was later brought back to Europe by the Crusaders. It flourished as a favorite gambling game, both for the masses and the aristocrats, in France and England through the Middle Ages and into the 19th century. Many variants of backgammon are still played…