Matthew Faiella makes his New York Times Crossword debut. I sincerely hope he comes back.
Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky Clues
THURSDAY PUZZLE — Let’s welcome Matthew Faiella, the constructor of today’s puzzle, who has impressed me with the intricacy of his first crossword in The New York Times.
Some people who try crossword construction find it tough to put together a cohesive, entertaining theme. There’s always one entry that just doesn’t work, or one that works but doesn’t have the right letter count to match a would-be symmetrical partner. It can be incredibly frustrating. A lot of people give up and, in some ways, I don’t blame them.
Among the people who don’t give up, there is a subset of constructors who can turn grids into art. I don’t necessarily mean people who make pictures out of the black squares, although those puzzles are fun, too. I’m thinking about the people who can build a grid that not only is delightful to solve but also reveals its secrets little by little until you finish and realize that you’re smiling.
That’s the kind of puzzle that Mr. Faiella has made, and I hope we see another from him soon. No pressure, Mr. Faiella.
Today’s Theme
The first thing you should know is that the word BACK is “written” inside three black squares of this puzzle. You don’t have to write the words and you can’t see them, of course, but you need to keep track of them to make sense of the theme.
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Source: Elections - nytimes.com
