Thank you for checking out Grid Alchemy! This crossword-construction blog was created with just one goal in mind: Total Cruciverbal Domination!
Kidding. My aspirations are a tad less lofty: looking at the crosswords we love to solve–whether they’re from the NYT, the LA Times, or our favorite indie creator–and trying to figure out what allows them to succeed. Most importantly, what can these puzzles teach us as we embark on our own constructions?
So I want to examine both how and why constructors make decisions about their puzzles. Are there advantages to particular theme answers, and are there drawbacks to certain grid layouts? To be clear: I don’t think that I’ll discover any sort of miracle crossword-creating “Philosopher’s Stone.” But at the very least, I hope we can achieve a deeper understanding of our favorite puzzles, and what makes them tick.
Excelsior!
– Henry