Helen Chen author page
1 puzzle by Helen Chen
with Jeff Chen comments
See the 6 answer words debuted by Helen Chen.
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Given how much confusion the most recent card puzzle generated — 5000 views of our explanation, plus countless questions about how to type in the "right" answers — what a relief that today's was much simpler. ACE (11) + TWO + ACE (1) + SEVEN = BLACKJACK.
If that had been the only level of theme, I'd have been disappointed, given how many "hidden number" puzzles there have been (including an amazing 2020 addition). Great thinking to incorporate an extra layer, employing four theme phrases that are all related to BLACKJACK. FACE CARDS was particularly strong, since they're an integral part of BLACKJACK lingo.
Neat that PLACES A BET and BREAKS EVEN can also relate to BLACKJACK.
AMOUNT WON isn't nearly in-the-language. NET WORTH or GENIUS AT WORK (clued to a card counter) might have been better.
Amazing gridwork for a debut. Using a central 9 (BLACKJACK) is usually a huge challenge for a new constructor, and it becomes even more difficult when you weave in a pair of long Downs (CHEEKBONE and TEA KETTLE). Such VELVETY results all over! The one ding, ARY, was due to those long Downs constraining the CHEEKBONE / BLACKJACK / FACECARDS region, but it's a great trade-off, considering how clean the rest of the grid is.
TWENTY ONE is magical. It's in the Fibonacci sequence, it's the total number of pips on a six-sided die, and it has the curious property of being 210 in base three (2*9 + 1*3 + 0*1 = 21). Helen almost pulled-off her own magic trick — if I'd had to work harder to figure out the concept, with BLACKJACK coming at the end instead of the middle, she could have been a genius at work.