Puzzle Notes

Dear Friends:

This week Kameron Austin Collins brings "AVCX Themeless #27," a challenging themeless at 5/5 difficulty!

Speaking of Kameron, he was (very very deservedly) named to join the rotation of the sparkling-new New Yorker weekly themeless crossword, which launched just a few weeks ago. Also in the rotation are (friends of the AVCX all, and several sometime-contributors) Liz Gorski, Anna Shechtman, Natan Last, and Patrick Berry. It's an incomparable group, and a great new puzzle outlet.

Last week's meta by Francis Heaney (for the puzzle "Power Grid") got 323 submissions, which is a new record! Congrats to all who submitted. I'd say the number of entrants is cause for giving away three prizes rather than two. So Matthew Perez-Stable, Cathy Bublitz, and David Bardolph each win a three-month subscription extension, plus the opportunity to give a free three-month subscription to a somehow-not-yet-subscribed friend. "Power Grid" has now been reviewed at Crossword Fiend, so you can read the explanation for the meta if needed.

Be well,

Ben and the AVCX crew

avxwords.com // @avcxword