The SDMB Crossword Tourney

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

The SDMB Crossword Tournament will begin Monday, February 7, and go for the entire week. The crossword we will use is at Yahoo The NY Times crossword online requires you to pay.

**Rules are: **

Do a crossword each day.

Either post or email me your time and the number you got wrong, if any. You’ll need a stopwatch of something, since the yahoo puzzle doesn’t have a timer.

Your results must be in by midnight Pacific time each day to count. I’ll summarize each day.

At the end of the week, I’ll post two score sheets - one by total time, and one by position each day.

Since we’re all dopers here, we trust you to give accurate times. Anyone being way off might well show up.

You can use research material, if you need to, since that will slow you down enough to be unlikely to win. Anyhow, the fun of crosswords is actually finishing it and learning new things.

You can do the puzzle online, or print it and do it. Your choice.

Prize: If you should happen to defeat the Iron Chef, then the glory … oh, wrong contest. I think a sig proclaiming your skill would be okay.

Please don’t comment on puzzles in this thread. I’ll open a new one when I collect the result from Monday. Please don’t comment on the current day’s puzzle without using a spoiler box, at least.

Mods: I think this is the right place for this, since this comes from the crossword thread. If it gets moved, at least the link will be there.

Puzzle away, everyone!!!

2

ahem the Yahoo link doesn’t work for me…it says http://games.yahoo.com/games/gen/cwpuz/puz_050207.html is not a valid link :frowning:

3

I’m getting the same thing. Is it a Yahoo! prob or just us morans?

4

Sabotage.We can’t join in so they win.Not fair!

5

Try this
Don’t forget to wear a fez and know the secret handshake.

6

Shirley, what happens when you try to click on any of the crosswords on that link you gave?

7

Fez.Check
Handshake.Check
Entrance granted?No dammit

8

Puny mortals!

[sub]fnord[/sub]

9

Just when I had an hour to kill at work…

They’re all working except the 2 latest ones.

10

While we’re waiting for the link…

I will now reveal the best kept secret of puzzle solving.

On a commuter train to NYC some years ago, I was seated next to a suit, briefcase at his feet and the Monday Times in his hands.

He squared his jaw, opened to the puzzle page and stared at the grid like he was analyzing Einstein’s paper on relativity. For at least 5 very long minutes, his pencil didn’t move.

I tried to look straight ahead, and put this whole thing out of my mind. I mean this was Monday, and the puzzle on that day, as everyone knows is idiot level. You know, entertaining, usually, but not the least bit challenging.

Finally, I could stand it no longer and quietly asked, “Stuck?”

He turned to me, wide-eyed and replied “Oh, no,” and somewhat conspiratorially added, “I’m looking for the pattern.”

“Pattern?” I asked, trying to hide my incredulity.

“Oh yes, it’s there,” he said with the certitude of a Manson family member. “A friend of mine told me you don’t need to know what the answers are. All you have to do is find the pattern of the words and you can work the whole thing out.”

I swear to God this is true.

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No, no, no!! :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Not that it’s true! But that it happened. That guy is still etched in my memory. Nattily dressed, wire-rimmed glasses, shoes brightly shined. New and expensive briefcase.

But totally, utterly, delusional. :eek:

12

Often that is the case. Lots of puzzles have themes.

People have occasionally made similar remarks to me too - because I generally work the puzzle in sections, so I’ll usually not write anything for several minutes, then fill in a whole bunch of answers.

13

It’s still not working, right? Or is my computer sucky?

14

I couldn’t get it to work, either.

15

Of course there are themes. Everyone knows that.

But do you think you could properly solve even a Monday puzzle by ignoring the clues and putting in words that simply fit the blanks?

That’s what the crazy commuter advocated.

16

Hey!
What gives?

When I first did the link supplied, I could get the crossword puzzle.

Now I can’t.

Somehow, Twickster fnord is to blame.
I know it.

17

I get the puzzle home page at
http://games.yahoo.com/games/cw.hf2k
The Saturday puzzle works okay, and the url for the Monday puzzle looks well formed. Maybe this is a problem from starting this the day after the Superbowl. :slight_smile:

I sent them a bug report. Stand by everyone.

Well, I suppose I don’t have to worry about bumping this thread. :o

18

I’m looking at Saturday’s puzzle (which does work for me) there is a clock on the puzzle. Doesn’t it work? If not, why do we need our own stopwatch?
Do we count wrongs by using the “Reveal All” button?

Also, Saturday doesn’t look that bad. Does this puzzle work like the NYT where it gets progressively more difficult during the week (Monday is very easy, Saturday is the opposite)?

19

I couldn’t get the puzzle with Netscape. Then tried with IE. Still no go.

Life’s a bitch. :slight_smile:

20

Actually, life is good.

The Patriots won again.