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As the 2025 Calendar will be the first whose puzzles I oversee from beginning to end — from offering my opinion on some of the grids and word-lists entered for these 2023 competitions to the moment when the Calendar is declared complete in early October — I thought it might be helpful to pass on my thoughts to prospective entrants for the WC and RPM competitions.
As a principle, those grids winning the World Championship (in which I will be part of the consultation process) and RPM Trophy (in whose award I shall have no role at all since I too will be entering the competition) will always be included in the following year’s Calendar. Those higher up in the standings will very probably be included; however, there are ways of catching my eye as Editor.
Five key words occur to me: variety, fun, challenge, scale, elegance. Let me take them in turn here.
Variety
Historic events; discoveries in science and technology; landmark publications in the arts; births or deaths of famous people and institutions: such will always be our bread and butter, since they lend themselves to commemorative puzzles. But I would like to welcome grids on other themes also.
When shall we publish the first ever 3D puzzle on pigeon racing? When shall we be entertained by cryptic presentations of economics, farming, dance, millinery or bicycles? My examples are random and purely representative of course, but you get the idea.
Variety in grids is also very much to be welcomed. There are several different shapes now well-established in the 3D canon, but nothing prevents your being inventive — provided the grid works and can be practically represented on what is a 2D page.
As to length of words, variety can be most welcome, though it may involve the solver in a snake-hunt; however, there is also a special elegance in a grid which consists only of seven-, six- or five-letter words without any bars.
Fun
We are to some extent providing temporary relief from an often dark and disturbing world. So nothing too introspective, no tendentious political themes please, and nothing which would offend those whose presuppositions may not be our own. I shall be very happy to receive grids where the discovery of the theme, the thematic entries themselves, the shape and working of the grid, the Easter Eggs (if any) or other devices give a smile or set the famous tea-tray a-swinging.
Challenge
A range of levels of difficulty is needed. Do not fear that your idea is too simple; but also do not be afraid to challenge the solvers. I think it is a good principle that January’s puzzle should not be too hard, while the second half of the year should generally be somewhat harder. However, a saw-tooth profile of difficulty is almost certainly better than a discouraging uphill trudge, so do not hesitate to submit a relatively gentle idea for December or something tough for April! New types of puzzle are welcome also: see Soup's innovative November 2024 puzzle for an example. Remember that of course we want the solver to win; to be variously challenged but not bogged down; to go on looking forward to the next month and year.
Scale
Please bear in mind that as well as fitting the grid onto one page, we also have to fit the clues on to a calendar page. Should you provide a March puzzle with thirty-one entries, I will be disposed to love it from the word go! As a solver I like to get value for my money, but also prefer not to be sent scurrying to the back of the Calendar too often. As a remedy for a sprawling puzzle, see what you can do with unclued items which are of a kind, or Easter Eggs grouped together: last month’s ‘Disney’ puzzle by the amazing Shark is a great example of that kind of condensing.
Elegance
This will be subjective in many cases. However, I think that generally a neat grid preferably without bars, a shape apposite to its theme, a front edge (in cuboid puzzles) which presents real and thematic entries, a use of symmetry where appropriate, will attract me as something I think I would enjoy looking at on my kitchen wall for a month or so.
There are many other possible ways of achieving greater elegance which will occur to the designer, and I do not wish to anticipate here your own future brilliant inventions. Please astonish us!
Good luck!
AGC / Komorník |
