IMPORTANT NOTE: As of January 2015 MGWCC is a subscribers-only crossword. The cost is $26 per year, and you can subscribe (or get a free trial month first) here:
LAST WEEK’S RESULTS:
Title: “Cold Open”
Instructions: This week’s contest answer is a city in the news.
Answer: MILAN
Unintentionally tough Week 1, with about 8% of solvers missing it. I intended it to be a gimme — five Olympic host cities filled the grid, each clued by the year(s) it hosted and whether it was a (S)ummer or (W)inter games. Their first letters spell MILAN, which was recently awarded the 2026 Winter Games (along with the town of Cortina d’Ampezzo).
Why did it play so tough? Maybe the awarding of the games isn’t that huge of news, plus some solvers were looking for a (nonexistent, it turns out) pattern in the years and just submitted one of the two upcoming hosts, TOKYO (2020) or BEIJING (2022). The title may also have been less helpful than I intended: Cold = Winter Games and Open = first letter of each theme entries, but in retrospect that’s maybe not useful information.
Evad writes:
Did you consider sneaking OSLO in towards the bottom?
I did not! But wish I had.
This week’s winner, whose name was chosen at random from the 544 correct entries received, is R.A. In addition to a MGWCC pen, pencil, and notepad set, R.A. will also receive a signed copy of Eric Berlin’s new book Puzzlesnacks. I received my copy last week and it’s a lot of fun! Like solving your way through an issue of GAMES Magazine back in the day. Next week’s winner will receive the same.
JUNE WINNERS:
Congratulations to the following 12 winners, whose names were chosen at random from the 127 solvers who sent in the correct contest answer to all four of June’s challenges (ALPHA-BITS, THE DEPARTED, PRELIMINARY, FOURS). Each will receive a MGWCC pen, pencil, and notepad set:
Adam Doctoroff — Brookline, Mass.
Chuck Glew — Chicago, Ill.
C.Y. Hollander — New York City, N.Y.
D.H.
Lance Keigwin — Monterey, Calif.
Andy Keller — Apple Valley, Minn.
Playethic — Indianapolis, Ind.
A.M.
John L. Wilson — Shoreview, Minn.
D.S.
David Stein — Silver Srping, Md.
Maggie Wittlin — Lincoln, Neb.
Congratulations to our twelve winners, and to everyone who went 4-for-four in June.
MINOR NEW AL FILE CHANGE, PART 2:
OK, we’re putting the instructions in the copyright line of the .puz file this week instead of with the title. I’m told this will make everyone happy (people who print the puzzle out from the AL file + people who solve without instructions in the early weeks). I’m here to serve.
THIS WEEK’S INSTRUCTIONS:
This week’s contest answer is a two-word phrase.
Solve well, and be not led astray by words intended to deceive.