Bank Deposits #1

Banking Deposits #1 - Standard (PDF) | Harder (PDF) | Solution (PDF)

This month's variety puzzle is the exciting debut of a brand-new format called Bank Deposits! Inspired by letter banks, this puzzle type is an interesting twist on the "rows and regions" style of variety crosswords. There is a final answer to arrive at, as fully explained in the instructions. There are two difficulty levels offered: Standard, which discloses enumerations for the Rows answers, and Harder, which only provides notations such as "2 words" and "Hyph." According to test solvers, the Harder version put up a decent amount of resistance, so try the Standard version unless you're looking for an extra-spicy challenge. PDF only for this "maiden voyage" of this format.

When it comes to new formats, solver feedback is especially appreciated. I'd love to hear if you loved this, hated it, or somewhere in between, as that gives me a good idea of whether this format is something worth further exploration. Don't hesitate to leave a comment below or send me an email. Hope you enjoy solving!

On the Rows Garden front, the first two Six Packs this year have been released to a good response from solvers, and work on the next Six Pack is well underway. If you're late to the Rows Garden party that's been going on here since 2014, now is great time to get caught up. For the first time, I'm running a special on the Full Archive, which includes all 468 subscriber puzzles released since 2014. Save $50 and scoop up the Full Archive for $199, the lowest-ever per-puzzle price that I've offered. This offer will be available for a limited time only, so jump on it now before it goes away! 

Aries Rows Garden - FULL ARCHIVE   $249  $199

Full Bundle 2014-2025 (468 puzzles) $199.00 USD

PDF Difficulty Level

Hardest Harder Easier Easiest

 

Aries Six Pack #6

I'm happy to announce that Six Pack #6 is now available to purchase!

By now, you probably know the drill, but just in case you are new here: Six Pack #6 includes six never-before-published Rows Gardens in PDF form in four levels of difficulty, a set of solutions, and RGZ files for digital solving. The PDF layout is exactly the same as it has been since 2019, so long-time solvers will be very familiar with how these puzzles look as well as how they solve. In order to maintain continuity with the overall Aries Rows Garden series, the puzzles in this pack are officially classified as Year 13, Puzzles 7 through 13.

Order Six Pack #6 for just $6 using the Paypal applet below. If you'd like to discuss payment options other than Paypal, just send me an email. If you've already preordered the Six Packs in 2026, you will be automatically emailed all puzzles, so no further payment is necessary.

The Paypal applet also allows you to purchase Six Pack #5, released in March of this year. For many more Rows Garden Six Pack and bundles available for purchase, head over to the Rows Garden Archive. 

Happy solving!

Please note: Paypal orders are fulfilled manually. While the vast majority of purchases are fulfilled in under an hour, please allow up to 8 hours to receive an email with the puzzles that you purchased. Your patience is appreciated!

2026 Aries Rows Garden Six Packs

#6 - Summer 2026 $6.00 USD #5 - Spring 2026 $6.00 USD

Marching Bands #10

Aries Marching Bands #10 - PDF | JPZ | Solution (PDF)

Back with another Marching Bands this month. The strength of a Marching Bands puzzle depends mainly on the ability to get longish entries among the Bands. This puzzle has 24 total Band entries, a low that I've hit a few times, and I do think those grids are my favorite among MBs. Always a fun challenge to write one of these. As is standard, I've got the puzzle available in both PDF and JPZ formats. To solve digitally, first download the JPZ file, then head over to Crossword Nexus, select the file, and have at it. Either way you solve, hope you enjoy!

On the Rows Garden front, the second Six Pack of 2026 is just on the horizon, to be officially released this Friday, June 26. This latest Six Pack came together very nicely and I'm excited to have solvers get their hands on it. Stay tuned for more details.

Happy solving,

-Andrew

Twists & Turns #14

Twists & Turns #14 - Harder (PDF) | Standard (PDF) | Standard (JPZ) | Solution (PDF)

Back with another Twists & Turns puzzle! T&Ts continue to be as fun of a challenge to write as when I developed the format back in 2019. I'm finding the sweet spot is about 35 to 38 Turn answers, as a word count in that range that means there are enough long Turns to keep things interesting. As always, two difficulty levels are offered in PDF format, with a JPZ in Standard difficulty only. To solve digitally, first download the JPZ file, then upload it over at Crossword Nexus. However you solve, hope you enjoy!

The next Rows Garden Six Pack is on track for a June 26 release. A reminder that the Rows Garden Archive is always open, with puzzles available for purchase dating back from 2014. 

Last but certainly not least, the New York Times recently ran a nice obituary for crossword writer Manny Nosowsky, who passed away last week at the age of 94. As a young crossword solver, the first byline that I became excited to see was Manny's, and in particular I adored his themeless puzzles. Back in 2017 I co-dedicated The Stagger Sessions to Manny and was fortunate to exchange a few emails with him at that time. He's one of the very best to have ever written crossword puzzles, full stop. Rest in peace to a puzzling legend.