Performance Improvement Plans

Constructed by Katja Brinck with the free crossword builder from Amuse Labs

The idea for this puzzle all started Friday night at the 2026 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Friday night kicks off with the opportunity to solve some different puzzles, such as a spiral, cryptic, or a split decisions. I was sitting with some crossword friends, and when the puzzles were being passed out, a particular member of the NYT Games Team was passing puzzles out in my row...and I exclaimed "hey - it's the guy with the Pips!" (IYKYK.) He laughed, as did my seat mate Matt Luter. And I don't quite remember how the conversation continued, but Matt and I then laughed when we realized there was another Pips connection, and when this turned out to be a symmetric, the puzzle had to be made.

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It's the Pears Division!

I recently returned from my first in-person Lollapuzzoola crossword tournament in New York City - this was Lollapuzzoola 18 - "We put the zoo in Lollapuz zoo la!" It was an amazing time connecting with fellow crossword enthusiasts, solving clever and tricky and wonderful puzzles, and getting to see some thrilling competition in the finals. And if you didn't get a chance to go, I highly recommend getting the puzzles to solve at home - you can get them here . While Lollapuzzoola features a few different divisions for competing - express, local, or pairs - there was a new division this year, spun out of a bit from the Fill Me In podcast. The "Pears" division featured competitors Owen Bergstein and Harry Wieand competing and dressed up as pears. This silly bit has inspired my latest blog puzzle - solve with a friend or solo, and enjoy! Made by Katja Brinck with the online cross word creator from Amuse Labs

Family trip fun - crosswords, kites, trains, and more!

Last week we had a family vacation out to the Mendocino Coast, and one of my favorite things was time spent with my niece Liesel constructing a crossword puzzle! I had such a blast teaching her about the art of crossword construction - it was so fun working with her to pick out words for filling the grid and discussing different ideas for clues. I interviewed her about the experience...our crossword puzzle is below - please enjoy! Tell me about yourself My name is Liesel Mullerheim - I am 10 years old, going into 5th grade. I live in Tampa Florida with my mom, dad, and pets - my cat Nate and my fish - I have about 19 of them! My favorite subject in school is math; after school I love doing gymnastics, jujitsu, and piano. And I especially love cats🐱🐱🐱 What do you like about crosswords? I love making them with my aunt Katja and it's so fun to make the clues - the whole process is so fun!! 😁😁 Tell us about your trip to California - what was your favorite thing? It was lots of fu...

A Crossword Mini-festo

For those who are sad about the NYT mini going behind a paywall, never fear there are lots of other crossword options out there for you - including this multi-mini-fest for your solving pleasure. Thank you to my husband Matt for being my test solver! And for even more puzzles, don't forget to check out https://dailycrosswordlinks.com/ ! Constructed by Katja Brinck using the free crossword puzzle generator from Amuse Labs

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