WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH CROSSWORD QUICK PUZZLES?
Or, what is a quick crossword puzzle?
As you look over yourpuzzlesource.com, you will notice we feature something called Quick Puzzles. You probably haven’t heard the term before or maybe have never worked a crossword with only a 9×9 or 10×10 grid either, so you might be wondering, what is a crossword Quick Puzzle?
We’re glad you asked. Following are some facts about Quick Puzzles in Q and A format.
Q. What are Quick Puzzles?
A. Quick Puzzles are short form, compact crossword puzzles, specially designed to be played on hand-held devices. A huge benefit to folks with less time during the work week to devote to puzzling. When I say short form, I mean crosswords that are 9×9, 10×10, or 11×11 in size, rather than the standard 15×15 sized by puzzle grid you see in the crosswords published in the in daily newspapers and on some other puzzle web sites.
Q. Why do you create Quick Puzzles?
A. We think that people in today’s hectic digital world will continue to enjoy crosswords as they always have; but, to be blunt, the standard 15×15 crossword is a bit too large for a hand-held mobile device. The grid squares are tiny and the solver has a lot of “fat finger” errors when working the puzzle. On the contrary, as you can see, Quick Puzzles fit a mobile screen nicely –they are “right-sized” for mobile devices. Quick Puzzles, we believe, solve an emerging need of crossword solvers who want to get their puzzle challenge on the go, on a hand-held mobile device.
Q. Are Quick Puzzles as good as larger 15×15 crosswords?
A. Yes. We believe the quality of the puzzles is the same, and that the only differences are the size of the crossword grid and, concomitantly, the number of words to figure out. A Quick Puzzle is made up of roughly 30 across and down words combined for a 9×9 and 38 -44 for a 10×10 or 11×11, versus around 75-78 words per puzzle for a typical 15×15 crossword.
And, let me ask: If you only have 10 or 15 minutes to work on a crossword, wouldn’t you be more satisfied to work a puzzle you’ll likely will be able to solve in that time? If your answer is yes, then Quick Puzzles are what you want and, in that sense, are better than 1515s.
Q. Are Quick Puzzles the same quality as their larger, more time consuming bigger brothers the 15×15 and 21×21 crosswords?
A. Definitely. I use the same skills, and I apply the same rules to create Quick Puzzles as I do for 15×15 puzzles. And, I know of which I speak as I have created scores of 15x15s, including a half dozen that have been published in the New York Times. And, just like the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times 15×15 daily crosswords, our daily Quick Puzzles have 9, 10, or 11-letter theme words in each puzzle.
Q. As a puzzle solver, aren’t I being cheated by not having the 75+ words to figure out that is the 15×15 standard?
A. No, not if one doesn’t have half an hour or more to dedicate to solving the puzzle and has to work it on his or her hand-held.
Q. Sounds like you guys don’t like 15x15s. Is that true?
A. Just the opposite. We love 15x15s just as much as Quick Puzzles. In fact, as you can see on our web site, https://yourpuzzlesource.com, we feature 15x15s along with Quick Puzzles and Sudoku puzzles. 15×15 puzzles fit better on a laptop or tablet screen, and are better suited for weekends, when one has more time to enjoy the puzzle solving experience. In short, we see the 15x15s as a reasonable alternative in those circumstances.
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