Games World of Puzzles April 2021

Welcome to the April issue! We know the weather varies wildly this time of year, depending on where you live. For some of you, the cold winter lingers; for others, the harsh weather is easing up. Either way, this month’s articles and puzzles will provide plenty of much-needed diversion. Our color section begins with a review of the recent Netflix miniseries The Queen’s Gambit, written by former GAMES editor in chief R. Wayne Schmittberger (page 33). What makes Schmittberger’s review special is his firsthand experience as a chess player during the time period in which the series is set. Even if you’ve already tuned in to The Queen’s Gambit, this one is worth a read. The series has proven wildly popular; back in November—one month after it was released—Netflix reported that…

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 Movie promo 2 Make certain 3 Elapsed, as an opportunity 4 Like lavender vis-à-vis purple 5 Less gradual, as an incline 6 Third-year student 7 Warm up…

There is one place for each letter of the alphabet in the 26 empty squares of each blank column in the diagram below. Fill in each letter so that a word of at least five letters is formed reading across only. Not all of the letters to the left and right of the empty box are used; it’s up to you to determine which ones are needed to complete familiar words. Some letters may fit in more than one of the empty squares to complete words, but we only came up with one arrangement that would complete a word in each row. Maybe you’ll find a better solution. Proper names are not allowed. 52-SKIDDOO…

ACROSS 1 Stock up on 6 Tried to beat a tag 10 Corrosive substance 14 Olympic gymnast Comaneci 15 ___-mutuel betting 16 Perform eye surgery, maybe 17 Hinged parts of tables: 2 wds. 19 “You said it!” 20 Target of a whisper 21 Smart TV brand 22 ___ Company (old sitcom) 24 Metallic playing marble 27 Oven setting 28 Tellers’ workplaces: 2 wds. 32 Capacitance unit 35 5K or marathon 36 Northern seabird 37 Do as you’re told 38 Reznor of Nine Inch Nails 40 iPhone voice assistant 41 Roy G. ___ (rainbow mnemonic) 42 Fabled septet 43 Fortune-telling deck 44 Ship passenger’s luggage: 2 wds. 48 How a recluse lives 49 Skilled craftsperson 53 Spanish dessert wine 55 Poke fun at 56 MLB or NBA player 57 App-based ride-sharing service 58 Local, as political support 62 Like some mattresses 63 Roof overhang 64 Hair-raising 65 Come clean, with “up” 66 Used Grecian Formula on, say 67 Kennel Club category DOWN 1 World’s longest mountain range 2 French Revolution leader 3…

COLORFUL CROSSWORD Solve these crossword clues by naming the color of each object. For example if the clue was “A stop sign,” the answer would be RED. When the crossword is complete, unscramble the seven letters in the shaded boxes to spell the name of something else that is colorful. ACROSS 1. Cookie Monster 2. A pumpkin 5. A flamingo 6. A sunflower 7. Chocolate milk 9. A shamrock 10. Rudolph’s nose DOWN 1. Some piano keys 3. A foggy morning 4. A dime 5. An eggplant 8. Marshmallows 9. An Olympic first place medal KID STUFF: COLORFUL CROSSWORD The letters in the shaded boxes spell RAINBOW…

Here are two puzzles for the price of one. First, carefully and completely shade in the boxes indicated for each row. Then find a path from the dot in the upper left corner to the X in the lower right corner using the maze that you just created. Happy puzzling! Row 1: B, I, M, Q Row 2: B, D, E, F, G, I, K, O, Q, S Row 3: G, H I, K, L, M, O, Q, S Row 4: B, C, D, E, M, O, S Row 5: B, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, M, O, P, Q, R, S Row 6: B, C, G, K, M, R Row 7: E, G, I, J, K, M, N, O, P, R, T Row 8: A, B, C, D, E, G, M, R Row 9: E, G,…