I’d interned with Will Shortz the previous three summers, and was about to start working as his full-time assistant, so he recommended that I make it. He wanted something free and easy for visitors to the app to play and, in consultation with Will Shortz, they came up with a daily 5x5 crossword. The Mini was the brainchild of Matt Hural, a former Games team director at The Times. Games and puzzles that involve mental dexterity, strategic planning and creativity tend to be my favorites. I like the way it sharpens my mind, and the fact that there are endless chances to improve and learn. My favorite game is chess, which was my lifelong passion before I got into crosswords. I only considered myself a professional at this once I was hired at The Times in 2014. Amy bought me Crossword Compiler (a crossword-making software) as a birthday gift that year, and I was off to the races. In my sophomore year of high school, I would doodle little crosswords in my notebooks, and progressed to making a few full-size puzzles for my dad and my aunt Amy to solve. He used to print out the puzzle for me to take on my train ride to school, and I got hooked on crossword solving. My dad was a regular New York Times Crossword solver, completing the puzzle each day with his morning coffee. Now I know.) How did you get into making puzzles? When did you consider yourself a “professional” puzzle or game maker? I failed miserably, only getting a few answers per puzzle and was perplexed at how anyone could know Elvis Presley’s middle name or the name of an extinct New Zealand bird. My mom bought me a book of New York Times Monday puzzles for the plane. My first memory of solving crosswords was during a trip to Israel when I was in seventh grade. What is your first memory of solving a puzzle? Who were you solving with? When was your first New York Times puzzle published? The Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |