Games World of Puzzles

Now that April is here, we can enjoy the longer days and milder weather that we looked forward to all winter. But just because it’s spring doesn’t mean that you can’t make time for puzzles. And, as always, this issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES is pack

Editor in Chief Janis Weiner Senior Editor Jennifer Orehowsky Editor Raymond Simon Contributing Editors Scott Appel, Thomas L. McDonald, Jonathan Schmalzbach Supporting Players Annie Fillenwarth, Joel Nanni, Madison Starr Senior Artists Kevin Boone,

Each of the 14 clues below can be answered by a word, phrase, name, or title containing the word CAT. For example, the clue “Butterfly-to-be” leads to CATERPILLAR, while “Independent oil driller” would be WILDCATTER. Can you identify all the right an

Below are four lists of related words and phrases that have been translated into simple cipher alphabets. The letter substitutions remain constant within any one group of words (for instance, if V represents G in one word, it will represent G in all

The six puzzles on this page are solitaire versions of the classic paper-and-pencil game of Battleships. Each grid represents a section of ocean in which a fleet is hiding. This fleet consists of one battleship (four grid cells in length), two cruise

IN December, Magnus Carlsen of Norway won his fifth consecutive World Chess Championship match, successfully defending the title he has held since 2013. The final three games of the 14-game match were not played, since Carlsen’s four wins and seven d

In these puzzles, point each flashlight in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal direction so that every square is illuminated by at least one flashlight beam. The first puzzle has been solved as an example.

The only clues in this crossword are the letter pairs provided in the grid. Each answer across and down consists of two words that share the letters you’ll enter in the empty squares. In the example below, S, E, and W fill the empty squares to make S

These eight puzzles feature a unique blend of logic and art. The numbers are all you need to determine which squares should be filled in to form a picture. Here’s how it’s done: The numbers outside each row and column tell you how many groups of blac

Each clue in a cryptic crossword has two parts: a definition of the answer and an indication of the answer’s literal makeup via wordplay. Either half may come first; finding the dividing point between the two parts is the key to solving. On page 61,

This is a new Sudoku variant that combines Sudoku and Skyscrapers. Normal Sudoku rules apply; that is, each row, column, and heavily outlined 3×3 square must contain each digit from 1 through 9 exactly once. In these puzzles, each number represents a