MADness—the Blog

Gram Crackers
Cracker Pack #5

Gram Crackers are crosswords puzzles on a smaller scale, with a twist.  Each first Monday of the month, a new pack of puzzles goes live.  You can find out more, and download puzzles, new and old, at the MAD Puzzles page.

Gram Crackers
Cracker Pack #4

    

Gram Crackers
Cracker Pack #3

Hey, it’s the first Monday of the month, meaning:  another set of Gram Crackers is here!  Find the “cracker pack” on the MAD Puzzles page.  Enjoy!

I will have more to say later, but for now I’ll just point you to the MAD Puzzles page for the latest and greatest—new crossword puzzles called Gram Crackers.  Enjoy!

UPDATE (Tues.):

An étude is an instrumental composition, usually of short duration, usually of considerable complexity, often used for teaching or practicing musical technique.  From the French for “study,” the word is well-known to anyone who does crosswords.  It seems to me a fair term to describe the idea behind Gram Crackers (though don’t expect the virtuosity of a Chopin or Lizst, okay?).

Gram Crackers are intended to be lighter fare.  They’re smaller puzzles, ones you should be able to polish off more quickly than your average end-of-week themeless.  That’s not to say they are easy.  The cluing will tend to be on the tough side, and I’ve tossed in a twist or two to add to the challenge.  No puzzle, no matter how small, should be too easy, right?

For a constructor, working on a smaller scale presents certain constraints.  Except for the size and shape of the grid, I’ll stay with the usual conventions—rotational symmetry, no two-letter words, etc.  The challenge, as always, will be to fill the grid as interestingly as possible, and keep the crud to a minimum.  I’ll also aim to add variety to grid designs, and see what the limits are.

Till now, I’ve posted puzzles here without a schedule, but beginning with Gram Crackers I’ll publish on a more regular basis.  Look for new ones on the MAD Puzzles page the first Monday of every month.  That will be my schedule for the rest of this year and through next year.  At that point I’ll see if the idea still has legs, or if it’s time to try something new.

Gram Crackers, by the way, come in a pack of two.  Here’s hoping you can’t have just one.

Étude, Op. 10, No. 1
Frédéric Chopin
Vladimir Ashkenazy