Comments on: Wall Street Journal 2/26/10 (and yet another ACPT wrap-up)

By: Jeffrey

Jeffrey — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:52:37 +0000

Uh-oh.

By: Cheryl Big Sis

Cheryl Big Sis — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 19:49:54 +0000

Hi all! Jeff’s big sis Cheryl here! We’re all stoked and proud, although you know, he was the math geek, I was the puzzle geek!
You all sound like a terrific group.
Perhaps a convention on the west coast some day (??)
Solve on, mighty solvers…..

By: HumbleRookie

HumbleRookie — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:26:53 +0000

Hi Joon! First off, congratulations on your stunning performance! The rest of us you left in the dust are truly in awe! Thanks for your advice, and no, I wouldn’t argue with Dan on anything! Yes, I know about going for the short answers, fill in the blanks, and other “gimmes.” Right now, I’m trying to decide if I skip around too much for my own good, at least in terms of speed. One thing that doesn’t work for me is to stick with a certain section of the grid until I get it. I’d be sitting there totally blank if I did that. If I can’t get some kind of toe-hold immediately, it’s not going to come by sitting and thinking about it. I have to move somewhere else and let the subconscious work on it. After 35 years of teaching piano, about the only thing I’m sure of is that no two brains work in exactly the same way, and no two people memorize in the same way. A technique that’s a lead-pipe cinch for me–and others–will surely bomb with at least one student, sending me right back to the drawing board.

Happy solving, Joon! OH-and if my schedule pans out the way I’m hoping, I’ll be in Boston in April, and able to make the tournament there. Keeping fingers crossed and pencils sharpened…

By: Robert Cronk

Robert Cronk — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 08:34:36 +0000

People, got to say that i looked at some of great matches the past week. But i must say that it isnt said our neighbours will win that easy from the US. Again Canada had some good luck today from Slovakia. The US will be winning sunday with 6-2! Just a word: Yo Crosby! Get a smile on your face man!

By: miguel

miguel — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:42:43 +0000

When they declare Texas a foreign country, I’ll give CrossCan a run for that World trophy.
I look at the top ten finishers in the A Division and wonder what it says that Ellen Ripstien is the meanest person in the bunch and that’s because she once forgot to call her mom on Yom Kippur. I heard Howard once floated through a stop sign making him the most reckless and as for for sloppiest, in the in the third grade, Francis Heaney colored outside the lines on his Happy Father’s Day greeting.

By: Howard B

Howard B — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:09:14 +0000

Time and practice will make you more comfortable with the variety of clues and tricks that you’ll see in all difficulty levels. You’ll also become more familiar with the common answers, unfamiliar names, and things you didn’t know before puzzles.

Once you’ve become familiar with the “language” of the puzzles, then practicing the harder puzzles will give you more of a benefit, and then the tough puzzles will gradually become easier. Note that I didn’t say “easy” ;).

Good luck!

By: joon

joon — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 02:44:13 +0000

ginny, i found that with practice, i got noticeably faster at easy puzzles before tough puzzles. but that came, too, with practice. some of it is mental flexibility with tough clues, some of it is being able to recognize the short and medium-length gimmes that can give you a foothold in an otherwise blank area of the grid, and some of it is just pattern recognition for consonants and vowels.

i used to think that solving lots of hard puzzles was the way to get better at hard puzzles. dan feyer told me that he thinks it’s just solving lots of puzzles, period. i don’t know who’s right, but it’s hard to argue with dan.