It was important to me to publicize the play I’m directing in as many unusual ways as I could, so I’m trying my hand at puzzle construction. Our show is called Sherlock’s Last Case, and it’s a non-canonical adventure from the annals of Sherlock Holmes. It occurred to me that what Mr Holmes did best was solve puzzles.
Now, I’ve been a cruciverbalist for as long as I can remember, meaning I love crossword puzzles. When I was a kid I created crosswords for fun, but they were never the symmetric square variety so familiar from your daily newspaper–because it turns out those are really, really hard to devise. Perhaps my adult brain would be up for the challenge? When the idea for a puzzle contest grew in my noggin, I resloved to start it off with a real, honest to Will Shortz, legitimate crossword puzzle, then progress through a series of word games, once per week till opening week. John Munn, the artistic manager of Lakewood Playhouse (and Dr Watson in our production), thought this was a marvelous idea, and he signed on immediately. The winner gets free tickets to opening night, plus a laurel and hearty handshake. Or something like that. Anyway, here’s the contest:
Baker Street Irregulars Conundrum of Clues
Solve each week’s puzzle, and it’ll generate a one-word clue related to Sherlock Holmes. Once you have all the weekly clues, the final puzzle will show you how to use them to generate the single-word solution to the contest. Give it a shot! It’s my first time attempting such a thing, so I’m curious what word puzzle fans like myself will make of it.
Best of luck!
Update: The second week’s puzzle has been posted. It’s a wordoku!
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