Aries Cryptic #35 - "Leap Day" (Contest)

Aries Cryptic #35 - "Leap Day" - PDF | Solution (PDF) | Intro to Cryptics (PDF)

Back this February 29th with a variety cryptic appropriately titled "Leap Day" - and it's a contest! PDF only this month, and all the relevant instructions are included in the PDF. Email me the final three-word phrase by Sunday, March 10th for a chance to win a 3-month Aries Rows Garden subscription. Two winners will be chosen - one for a current non-subscriber, and one for a current subscriber who will receive a 3-month extension to their current subscription.

Speaking of Rows Garden subscriptions, a reminder that subscriptions are always available. The February monthly bundle has also been added to the archive as well.

Happy solving!

3/14/2024 UPDATE: The solution has been posted. Thanks for all who solved! 62 solvers submitted a correct answer, and the two randomly selected solvers who received a three-month Aries Rows Garden subscription were Roman Koshykar and Priscilla Olson. Congrats to both Roman and Priscilla! 

Cryptic #33 - "Let's Bowl!" Contest + ACPT Bundle Special

 Cryptic #33 - "Let's Bowl!" - PDF | Solution

Back with another variety cryptic! This one's called "Let's Bowl", and it's a contest. Two randomly-selected correct submissions will win a two-month Aries subscription/subscription extension. Happy solving! UPDATE 4/14: Congrats to Lisa Chambers and Jack Fidler who were the two randomly-selected solvers who won Aries subscriptions! Thanks to all 78 solvers who submitted a correct answer. The solution PDF is now posted above. 

Also, the Monthly Bundle archives have been updated through March, so scoop those up if you're interested in what you'd get as a subscriber. 

Finally, good luck to all competitors at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament this weekend! To celebrate the occasion, there's a special on a 6-Month Bundle for just $18. This 6-Month subscription gets you a weekly Rows Garden and a weekly Freestyle delivered straight to your inbox - 52 puzzles total. This special runs for a limited time, so if you're not already a subscriber, now is a perfect time!

ACPT Special - $18 6-Month Bundle

Aries Cryptic #32 - "Left Behind" (Contest)

Aries Cryptic #32 - "Left Behind" - PDF | Intro to Cryptics (PDF)  | Solution

Back with another variety cryptic, and it's a contest! There are full instructions on the PDF, and be sure to email your final answer by Thursday, August 12th for a chance to win a two-month Aries subscription. I'll pick both a current subscriber and a non-subscriber as winners, and I'll post the solution once the contest period is over. Special thanks to Neville Fogarty for suggesting this puzzle's title.

UPDATE: Thanks to all 102 solvers to submit a correct answer, and congrats to winners Arnold Reich and Louis Lana! I've added the solution file up top. 

I've updated the monthly bundles through July so be sure to scoop those up if you're not already a subscriber. Speaking of which, subscriptions are always open!

Happy solving!

Hockey Game Solution and Contest winners

Aries Cryptic #31 - Solution (PDF) 

Thanks for all how entered into the Hockey Game contest! There were 83 correct submissions, and the two winners picked at random are Mary Maynard and Gerald Becker. Congrats Mary and Gerald! They've won two-month Aries subscriptions as their prize. See above for a PDF of the solution. 

Speaking of subscriptions, Rows Garden and Freestyle subscriptions are always open! It's been a great start to the new year. Of note the Freestyle difficulty has been bumped up so if you're craving a challenging themeless puzzle be sure to snap up a subscription. 

I've also updated the Monthly Bundles to include the first few months of 2021. If you'd like a taste of what you'd get every week as a subscriber, pick up a monthly bundle or two!

And finally, since January I've been writing a monthly-ish block cryptic for The Browser - click here for subscription details.

Back in a few weeks with this month's variety puzzle - I've got a Twists & Turns lined up! 

Aries Cryptic #31 - Hockey Game

 Aries Cryptic #31 - "Hockey Game" - PDF | Introduction to Cryptics (PDF) | Solution (PDF)

Back with a variety cryptic this month! This cryptic is titled "Hockey Game," and it's inspired by the "medley"-style cryptics that I primarily associate with the great Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon. If you're interested in some of Hex's medleys, here's one from 1983 and another from 2006.  These kinds of variety cryptics tend to play pretty tough, so get ready for a real workout!

It was fun to conceptualize a puzzle around hockey, which I love but aside from Bobby Orr gets pretty short shrift in puzzles. I get it - it's a niche sport and so I tend not to reference hockey all that much in my work. And if you're not a hockey fan, don't worry - there's no obscure hockey knowledge required to solve this puzzle. As always, hope you enjoy! 

"High Times" Solution

Aries Cryptic #30 - "High Times" - Solution (PDF)  

Thanks for everyone who submitted an answer to the "High Times" cryptic contest! There were 103 entrants to this contest, and the randomly-selected winners of two-month subscriptions were Becky Anderson and Jason Taniguchi. Congrats to Becky and Jason! See above for the solution, and look forward to more cryptic contests in the future. 

The November bundles are now posted, so hop on over to the archive and scoop up a bundle or two. Or better yet, become a subscriber! Subscriptions are always open, so if you're a fan of Rows Gardens or Freestyle puzzles - or both - consider becoming an Aries subscriber. 

I'll be back in a few weeks with this month's variety puzzle.

Aries Cryptic #30 - "High Times" (Contest)

Aries Cryptic #30 "High Times" - PDF | Solution | Intro to Cryptics Guide (PDF)

Happy Thanksgiving! We're still celebrating the tenth anniversary here at Aries Puzzles, so here's a special variety cryptic for you, titled "High Times." 

Happy solving!

Aries Cryptic #27 - "Night Moves"

Aries Cryptic #27 - "Night Moves" - PDF | Solution | Intro to Cryptics Guide (PDF)

This month's cryptic is a variety cryptic - and it's a contest! Email me the two-word phrase as described in the puzzle's instructions by Sunday, June 28th for a chance to win a two-month Aries subscription. For this contest, I'll be picking two winners - a current Aries subscriber, who will receive a two-month extension to their subscription, as well as a non-subscriber who will receive a two-month Aries subscription of their choice. PDF only for this puzzle.

Happy solving!

Aries Cryptic #12 - "Entertainment Options"

Variety cryptic time! This is a 12x11 puzzle titled "Entertainment Options." No PUZ file this week; instead, I've prepared two PDF versions of the puzzle - an Easier version with standard cryptic enumerations, and a Harder version that only gives general notations like (2 wds.) or (Hyph.) when applicable. I'd recommend solving the Easier version if you're newer at variety cryptics. If you're a veteran to these, solve the Harder version.

Cryptic #12 - PDF (HARDER)

Cryptic #12 - PDF (EASIER)

Cryptic #12 - SOLUTION

Intro to Cryptics - PDF

Congrats to Dan Feyer on a record-setting eighth win at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament! I'll go ahead and crown Dan as "speed solver of the decade." Eight ACPT titles in the 2010s ain't too shabby. What will the 2020s hold?

Happy solving!

-Andrew

Aries Cryptic #3

Back again with the first variety Aries Cryptic, titled "Slasher Film." This puzzle is PDF-only, and is offered in two versions: one with full enumerations, and one with no Down enumerations, which is a more challenging version. If you're an experienced cryptic solver like myself, I'd recommend solving the harder version. If you're newer to cryptics, or especially if you're new to variety cryptics, I'd recommend solving with the full enumerations. Hope you enjoy!

Aries Cryptic #3 - Harder version (no Down enumerations) - PDF

Aries Cryptic #3 - Full enumerations - PDF

Aries Cryptic #3 - Solution - PDF

Intro to Cryptics - PDF

P.S. Thanks for the feedback regarding the split six-letter answer in last week's grid. I'll avoid splitting them in the future; ultimately I just think it will be easier (and will save future confusion) to use three-letter entries in cryptics. I'll keep those to a minimum - zero ideally, and two at most in a grid.