Puzzles in the News | StickyPuzzles Puzzles in the news =================== A hand-picked roundup of the most interesting news, trends, and talking points in puzzles, games, and brain teasers. All tags Accessibility AI Books Copyright & Legal Crosswords Education Health History Lifestyle Media People & Personality Puzzle Launches Puzzle Products Research Paper Science Social Media & Influencers Solving Strategies Sticky Puzzle Sudoku Technology The business of Puzzles Travel - [ ![Digital Marmalade - Linkedin](https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E12AQHIvoWBsKyISQ/article-cover_image-shrink_720_1280/B4EaAPTHdiG8AQ-/0/1786963064975?e=1788998400&v=beta&t=cVlEyUGuEty9dKfvs1Xpa6vb2d-rQ7_CsKgITcjq1e8) - Sticky Puzzle ### Weekly Roundup: The value is moving beyond the puzzle August 2026 | Digital Marmalade - Linkedin A few developments stood out this week, and there is a common thread running through them. Publishers are becoming more sophisticated about how they use puzzles, while researchers are starting to look beyond simply creating them and towards what solving behaviour can tell us. Read Article ](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/value-moving-beyond-puzzle-tony-brennand-hzije/) - [ ![Emma Kilbride - Vineyard Gazette |Image Credit - Hailey McLaughlin](https://vineyardgazette.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_img_feature/public/article-assets/main-photos/2026/hm_nyt_games_joel_fagliano_wyan_liu_sam_ezersky_12-nytgames-12.jpg?itok=cazeB) - Media ### NYT Puzzle Makers Give a Peek Behind the Popular Games August 2026 | Emma Kilbride - Vineyard Gazette |Image Credit - Hailey McLaughlin Millions of people spend a bit of each day with Wyna Liu, Joel Fagliano and Sam Ezersky. For some, these meetings take place upon waking, or arriving at work. Others seek them out at the stroke of midnight. If this were a puzzle, its solution would be that Ms. Liu, Mr. Fagliano and Mr. Ezersky are daily puzzle editors at the New York Times. The trio delve into how they make puzzles Read Article ](https://vineyardgazette.com/news/2026/08/18/nyt-puzzle-makers-give-peek-behind-popular-games) - [ ![Digital Marmalade - Linkedin](https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/v2/D4E12AQEQbueV_LhapA/article-cover_image-shrink_720_1280/B4EZ_7xUFpKcAQ-/0/1786635436678?e=1788998400&v=beta&t=Y5RuVXN6xUcmbNf22L6GGS9Ny0JEBT3FHqh4dE8h8ow) - The business of Puzzles - Sticky Puzzle ### Weekly Round Up: Puzzles are becoming audience platforms August 2026 | Digital Marmalade - Linkedin A weekly look at what is changing across digital puzzles, publishing, AI and audience engagement, and what it means for publishers, platforms and brands. Read Article ](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/puzzles-becoming-audience-platforms-tony-brennand-uaghe/?trackingId=3nClG5R8T2WdCpCAp%2F92IQ%3D%3D) - [ ![Lancashire Telegraph - PA](https://www.stickypuzzles.com/news/tv-gameshow-based-on-wordle-to-be-launched/thumbnail) - The business of Puzzles - Media - Puzzle Launches ### TV gameshow based on Wordle to be launched May 2026 | Lancashire Telegraph - PA A new TV gameshow based on the word game Wordle is to be launched and will be presented by US news anchor Savannah Guthrie. NBC said the primetime gameshow will challenge players to solve five-letter word puzzles and go head-to-head in the Wordle arena, where they will play for a cash prize. Read Article ](https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/leisure/national/26097378.tv-gameshow-based-wordle-launched/) - [ ![RNZ - Esther Zweifel | Image Creit - RNZ](https://media.rnztools.nz/rnz/image/upload/s--4snW7g5E--/t_kt-lifestyle-article-photo/w_1920/f_auto/q_auto:eco/4JPRS8A_crossword_jpg) - Solving Strategies ### How to solve a cryptic crossword April 2026 | RNZ - Esther Zweifel | Image Creit - RNZ Cryptic crosswords might seem like gibberish at first glance, but there is method to the madness, with patterns that you can learn to identify to break down the puzzles. Steve Godsiff, a teacher from Timaru, has been doing cryptic crosswords for 30 years, and now retired, they’re part of his morning ritual. Read Article ](https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/screens/games/how-to-solve-a-cryptic-crossword) - [ ![Britannica - Tommy Conroy](https://www.stickypuzzles.com/news/will-we-ever-run-out-of-sudoku-puzzles/thumbnail) - Sudoku - Solving Strategies ### Will We Ever Run Out of Sudoku Puzzles? April 2026 | Britannica - Tommy Conroy Realistically, no! There are 6,670,903,752,021,072,936,960 possible solvable Sudoku grids that yield a unique result (that’s 6 sextillion, 670 quintillion, 903 quadrillion, 752 trillion, 21 billion, 72 million, 936 thousand, 960 in case you were wondering). That’s way more than the number of stars in the universe. Read Article ](https://www.britannica.com/story/will-we-ever-run-out-of-sudoku-puzzles) - [ ![Eonline - Gabrielle Chung | Image - NY Times](https://www.stickypuzzles.com/news/a-new-york-times-magazine-sunday-crossword-error-causes-first-ever-unsolvable-puzzle/thumbnail) - Media - Crosswords - Solving Strategies ### A New York Times Magazine Sunday Crossword Error Causes First-Ever Unsolvable Puzzle April 2026 | Eonline - Gabrielle Chung | Image - NY Times A misprint in the April 19 issue of New York Times Magazine rendered the publication's crossword unsolvable for the first time in its 84-year history. The puzzle—created by Michael Lieberman and titled "Nuclear Fusion"—was published in the April 19 issue of the New York Times Magazine without a clue for 5-across. Read Article ](https://www.eonline.com/news/1431212/new-york-times-sunday-crossword-mistake) - [ ![Streamline](https://www.stickypuzzles.com/news/decoding-the-grid-how-daily-puzzles-reshape-our-digital-attention/thumbnail) - Health ### Decoding the Grid: How Daily Puzzles Reshape Our Digital Attention April 2026 | Streamline As millions rush to solve today`s NYT Mini Crossword, a deeper trend emerges: the gamification of the morning routine. We investigate the brain chemistry. Read Article ](https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/news/decoding-the-grid-how-daily-puzzles-reshape-our-digital-attention) - [ ![Inpublishing - Peter Stirling | Image Credit - Ashkan Forouzani (Unsplash0.](https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/images/articles/main/ashkan-forouzani-m0l9nbcivuk-unsplash-cropped-30185.webp) - The business of Puzzles - Media - People & Personality ### Puzzle strategies: 5 minutes with… Peter Stirling April 2026 | Inpublishing - Peter Stirling | Image Credit - Ashkan Forouzani (Unsplash0. Puzzles has long been part of the newspaper offering, but its usage has grown considerably. We grab five minutes with Peter Stirling, head of puzzles at PA Media, to find out why and what publishers need to know when planning their puzzles strategy. Read Article ](https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/puzzle-strategies-5-minutes-with-peter-stirling-25849) - [ ![Guardian - Joseph de Weck](https://www.stickypuzzles.com/news/weve-gone-mad-for-puzzles-this-makes-sense-its-reassuring-to-have-answers-in-these-perplexing-times/thumbnail) - Lifestyle ### We’ve gone mad for puzzles. This makes sense – it’s reassuring to have answers in these perplexing times April 2026 | Guardian - Joseph de Weck aybe you’ve noticed it too. Everyone seems to have become fixated on puzzle games. In the morning, over coffee, I play Word Wheel on the Guardian app. Over lunch, colleagues compare notes on Tradle, the game where you guess a country from its exports. Which place exports about 45% fish and 50% crustaceans? Greenland. Another friend can’t fall asleep without her nightly Sudoku ritual Read Article ](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/06/puzzles-reassuring-answers-perplexing-times) - [ ![Very Well mind - Mark Stibich](https://www.stickypuzzles.com/news/9-best-brain-games-to-keep-your-mind-sharp/thumbnail) - Health - Lifestyle ### 9 Best Brain Games to Keep Your Mind Sharp April 2026 | Very Well mind - Mark Stibich The best brain games are activities that challenge memory, focus, and problem-solving while still being enjoyable enough to play regularly. Popular options include classics like Sudoku and crossword puzzles, as well as digital games like Wordle and Lumosity. These games can help strengthen skills such as attention, processing speed, and verbal reasoning. Read Article ](https://www.verywellmind.com/top-websites-and-games-for-brain-exercise-2224140) - [ ![Xwords4All - A blog about digital puzzles](https://xwords4all.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/methode_times_prod_web_bin_b49524e9-7dca-4958-907d-19fde311801a.jpg) - Sticky Puzzle - Crosswords - People & Personality - History ### Crossword Creators: Richard Rogan – The Pioneer of Modern Times Cryptics April 2026 | Xwords4All - A blog about digital puzzles After exploring the enigmatic crossword creators from across the globe, we turn our focus to the UK and delve into the life of Richard Rogan, the illustrious editor of The Times Crossword. Rogan, celebrated for his clever wordplay and innovative contributions, transformed the world of British crosswords with his unique style and editorial acumen Read Article ](https://xwords4all.wordpress.com/2024/06/07/crossword-creators-series-p12-richard-rogan-the-pioneer-of-modern-times-cryptics/)