Reflecting On A Cryptic; Best Workout Puzzles of 2021

This last Thursday, I had the honor of having one of my cryptic crosswords solved by British YouTuber DB Puzzles. The puzzle here; DB's solve here. (Be sure to check out some of the other setters showcased on his channel – you just might discover a new favorite.) 

Now if the stats on my Crosshare page are anything to go by, this was my toughest cryptic so far; out of the 16 people who finished the grid, only one managed to do so without hitting "reveal". I haven't been setting cryptics for very long, and occasionally I do worry that a clue will be too difficult, or contain an element that's too obscure, to unravel. It was nice to see that DB managed to fill in most of the grid in just a handful of minutes, only cheating on one answer. 

I still think I could have made the puzzle a bit more approachable, which, in this case, would have meant toning down the references to pop culture.

Now, as promised Monday, a collection of some of my best Workout puzzles of 2021: 

PDF with solutions 

Enjoy! See you next week.

– Hoyt

WEEKLY WORKOUT for March 21; More to Come

This week, the spotlight shines on nurikabe, another Nikoli specialty. This is the first time I have constructed these puzzles and I'm quite happy with how they turned out. Bon appétit.

Weekly Workout PDF

As some of you already know, the Weekly Workout has been something I've been producing for my local library for the past nine months. Throughout the week, I will be compiling some of my favorite creations over the past nine months. The collection will be posted on Saturday. Logic puzzles of the Nikoli variety will be the main focus, but puzzles of all kinds will be included. Stay tuned, and happy puzzling, as always.

–Hoyt

The Weekly Workout

Greetings, fellow solvers!

I mentioned yesterday that I planned to post some more puzzles here today. What I have for you are a couple of puzzles from this week's "Workout" — a one-page weekly that I put together for our local library. 

This week's selection: hitori (a Japanese logic puzzle that I love to construct) and some rebuses with a twist. Link to the PDF

Hope you enjoy.

–Hoyt

Hey everybody! New puzzle!

DIFFICULTY: 2.5 / 5

PDF / Across Lite / Solve online

Solution and notes for Saturday's puzzle

New puzzle for a very special occasion. Thanks to my friends Sasha and Mark for test-solving.

I expected to have another set of puzzles for you today, but I've taken on a lot this week and haven't been able to get to that, so those puzzles will be posted here tomorrow. Until then —happy Monday.

–Hoyt

The First Official Puzzle Of This Page

DIFFICULTY: 4/5, with a slightly unconventional theme

PDF / Across Lite / Online

If you're here from Crosshare — welcome! Glad you made it. I'll be posting variety puzzles (especially logic puzzles, such as sudoku variants) on this page, along with the crosswords I usually post on Crosshare.

If you're a new solver — greetings! I'm bad with introductions, so I'll let this crossword do the talking for me.

I'll be back Monday with a new crossword, the solution to this one, and some construction notes.

Thanks as always to Ariel Haymarket for test solving.

–Hoyt