Puzzles

Puzzles

Puzzlesnacks

Snack-sized puzzles for beginning and intermediate solvers, from kids to adults. Not too easy, but never too hard, in dozens of different varieties. Available in a number of different ways:

Puzzle Hunts…

for Kids

These mini puzzle hunts are ideal for kids 9 and up. Depending on your child’s solving level of ability, a grown-up might need to provide a nudge or two along the way.

  • Race Around the World: Intended to be a little more introductory, you can probably give this one to kids as young as 8. Originally commissioned by the Trivia Championship of North America.
  • Crime For Breakfast: The puzzle hunt I used to bring with me on school visits — I’ve run this one for thousands of kids around the country. Now it’s been updated and is available for at-home solving.
  • Rise of the Robots: Why are the robots misbehaving?? Solve their six puzzles to figure out the answer.
  • Pirates: Of course we’re going to have an old-fashioned treasure hunt in the mix. Can you figure out what Captain Kidder has hidden?
  • A Boatful of Puzzles: The boat in question is Noah’s Ark, and many of the animals have brought puzzles along to entertain their shipmates.
  • Trick or Treat: The largest hunt in the line-up: ELEVEN interlinked, candy-themed puzzles!
  • Summer Camp Color War: Each of the nine puzzles will give you two answers, for each of the Color War’s two teams.

…and for Adults

Each year I create a team puzzle event for the Wonderful World of Words, a weekend-long celebration of language at the Mohonk Mountain House, a stunningly beautiful resort in New Paltz, NY. I then make my puzzles more widely available.

  • Wild Goose Chase: Originally called “Mo-HONK!” in honor of where it was first presented, this hunt takes the mischievous goose from “Untitled Goose Game” and lets him run amok. Can you catch him?
  • The Amazing Inventions of Eureka K. Jones: The would-be celebrated inventor would like to demonstrate for you his latest brilliant ideas. Brilliant to him, anyway…
  • Into the Words: The Witch of the Woods is feeling a little cranky, and that is bad news for anybody who gets in her way. With the help of some fairy-tale friends, can you figure out how to appease her?
  • The Secret Ingredient: On TV’s hottest cooking show, chefs have to solve a puzzle to figure out the secret ingredient they must include in their dishes.

Charity Projects

  • The Social Distancing Puzzles: Created at the height of the pandemic, these puzzles raised over $20,000 for Feeding America. The set was designed to be solved over Zoom — two solvers (or teams of solvers) receive two slightly different sets of puzzles, and must work together to complete them.

    If you wish to solve this, make sure one person downloads Set A, and the other person downloads Set B. I will ask that you also please make a donation to Feeding America.

  • Puzzles for Democracy: One puzzle for every state plus Washington, D.C., created by dozens of the most adventurous puzzle creators in the country. This set of puzzles raised over $40,000 for Common Cause, a non-profit fighting for voting rights and for our democratic institutions. I organized the project and contributed four puzzles myself.

Other Projects

Click to read about puzzle events I’ve put together for museums and other organizations.

Crosswords

New York Times
I’ve had close to 50 crosswords and variety puzzles in the New York Times.

Crossword Suites
A bunch of crosswords on a particular theme.

Variety Puzzles

I try to bring an original puzzle to each year’s convention of the National Puzzlers’ League. Here are some of my offerings.

A Whole Lot of Other Stuff

  • Puzzled Pint: A monthly puzzle event, held in pubs and bars worldwide, intended to be on the easy side. I’ve created two sets for Puzzle Pint over the years: Circular Reasoning in February 2020 and Shopping Spree in October 2024.

  • Palindrome Practice Hunts: For a few years there, my Mystery Hunt team, Palindrome, made a small “practice hunt” to get our brains lubricated before the main event. Two of these practice hunts are available: Ya Buncha Yo-Yos and Damn This Traffic Jam.