Will Shortz
NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz has appeared on Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987. He's also the crossword editor of The New York Times, the former editor of Games magazine, and the founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (since 1978).
Will sold his first puzzle professionally when he was 14 — to Venture, a denominational youth magazine. At 16 he became a regular contributor to Dell puzzle publications. He is the only person in the world to hold a college degree in Enigmatology, the study of puzzles, which he earned from Indiana University in 1974.
Born in 1952 and raised on an Arabian horse farm in Indiana, Will now lives near New York City in a Tudor-style house filled with books and Arts and Crafts furniture. When he's not at work, he enjoys bicycling, movies, reading, travel, and collecting antique puzzle books and magazines.
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Kathy McDonough of Clarksville, Tenn., plays this week's puzzle with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Will Shortz, The New York Times crossword editor and Weekend Edition puzzlemaster. -
Mark Mezak of San Francisco plays this week's head-scratcher with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Will Shortz, The New York Times crossword editor and Weekend Edition Puzzlemaster. -
For this challenge, shift one letter to spell another word. NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro and The New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz play this week's puzzle with Danny May of Penfield, N.Y.
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Every five-letter answer in this week's puzzle must complete a compound word or a familiar two-word phrase. -
In this week's puzzle, we'll give you a category. Every answer must start with each of the letters C-O-M-B-S. -
Change a letter in each word to make two new words. The letter you change must be in the same position in each word. And the letter you change each of them to will be the same letter of the alphabet. -
For every word provided (all starting with the letter "W"), give a proverb or saying that contains that word. -
Every answer is the name of a famous, one-named singer like Madonna or Beyoncé. Identify each one from its anagram, to which one extra letter is added. The singers are a mix of past and present. -
Each word provided is an anagram of something you might see in a kitchen. For example, "skin" is an anagram of "sink."
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In this week's puzzle, every answer is the name of an Academy Award winner or nominee for best picture. Using a given anagram, decipher the title of the film. The films will go from oldest to newest.
