April 6, 2026 - "Stroke of Genius" - Zoey Foley, edited by Jess Shulman

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Puzzle Notes

Dear friends:

Today we have a treat for you: the first installment from roster member Zoey Foley. It's a delightful 11x9 puzzle titled "Stroke of Genius," with just enough trickiness to tickle your brain cells. We think you'll get a kick out of it. NOTE: To solve this puzzle digitally, we recommend the Crossword Nexus Solver or the Puzzazz app. And the PDF is a great analog option, as always.

Zoey Foley is a data analyst who recently moved to Denver, CO, after living in Harrogate, England, for seven years. She loves puzzle hunts, and has contributed non-crossword puzzles to venues like Puzzled Pint, DASH, and National Puzzlers' League conventions. Some of her older puzzles can be found on her occasionally-updated website, enigmatwist.com. She also enjoys doing stand-up comedy and has started to learn how to juggle.

Zoey says: "This puzzle began with one of its pop culture entries, but I couldn't decide how best to include it in the grid. My indecision spiraled into a full-blown theme. Coincidentally, this puzzle's publication date is exactly 17 years since my last professionally published crossword. A lot has happened since then (see 20-Across, e.g.), so I'm thrilled to restart my crossword career with this Lil AVCX puzzle!"

Solve this puzzle online! (AVCX login credentials required)

Headed to your inbox tomorrow from Lil AVCX: A fab puzzle by roster member Faren Roth.

Happy solving,

Your friends at Lil AVCX

avxwords.com | @avcxword | @lilavcx | @avcxtrivia