Will Nediger author page

Will Nediger is a professional crossword constructor from London, Ontario. This is his 47th puzzle in The Times since 2006. He likes puzzles that violate standard crossword rules and conventions, as a way of making solvers think about the reasons behind those rules.

This puzzle's subject is a philosophical conundrum that, in case you're interested, is explained in more detail on Wikipedia.

Will Nediger, of London, Ontario, is a professional crossword constructor. This is his 46th puzzle for The Times.

A typical Sunday crossword has 140 answers, but this one has only 136, affording some longer "fill" outside of the theme. Occasionally, as here, constructors include things personal to them in their grids. Will writes, "As a parent of two young kids, 49-Down next to 50-Down really resonates with me."

Brooke Husic is a postdoctoral fellow in biophysics at Princeton. Will Nediger is a professional crossword constructor in London, Ontario. They are both regular crossword contributors to The Times.

This unthemed puzzle has 120 answers (versus the usual 138-140 in a typical themed Sunday), affording longer and fresher vocabulary. Seventeen answers, or about 14% of the entire grid, have never appeared in a Times crossword before.

Will Nediger is a professional crossword constructor from London, Ontario. He contributes regularly to The New Yorker, The Times and other outlets.

He says, "I enjoy architecturally challenging constructions — like this puzzle, which was tricky to create, because the theme content had to be placed in a specific order."

Matthew Stock works for a math education nonprofit in East St. Louis, Ill. Will Nediger, of London, Ontario, is a professional crossword constructor. As fans of each other's work, they connected via the online "puzzleverse." They still have not met or even spoken together over video.

The original idea for this puzzle was Matthew's. Together they developed the theme via Twitter direct messages, then exchanged grids back and forth until they got one they were both happy with.

Nancy Stark, of New York City, is a writer, lyricist and former editor for the Literary Guild book club. Will Nediger, of London, Ontario, is a professional crossword constructor.

Nancy thought of this puzzle's theme (at 4:00 a.m. one night when she couldn't sleep), they brainstormed examples of it, Will constructed the grid and they both wrote the clues. This is their sixth collaboration for The Times.

Dick Shlakman, who's turning 82 next Sunday, is a retired lawyer and corporate executive from Plano, Tex. Will Nediger, 31, is a professional crossword constructor from London, Ont. Dick saw Will's offer of crossword mentorship on Facebook and reached out for his help. They've now made several puzzles together. "I come up with a theme idea that I think is absolutely perfect," Dick says, "and Will shows me the error of my ways — then suggests how to take that idea and make it ideal."

This is Dick's third crossword for The Times and Will's 37th.

Nancy Stark, of New York City, is a writer, lyricist and former editor for the Literary Guild book club. Will Nediger, of London, Ontario, is a professional crossword constructor. They met through a notice that a friend posted for Nancy on Facebook seeking a collaborator. Nancy came up with this puzzle's theme and wrote most of the clues. Will did the grid.

This is their third collaboration for The Times, but their first Sunday together.

Will Nediger, of London, Ontario, is a professional crossword constructor and writer of trivia questions. He's a regular contributor to National Academic Quiz Tournaments, which supplies questions for quiz-bowl tournaments at the middle-school, high-school and college levels.

Since 2000, Will has had more Sunday crosswords in The Times (14, including today's) than any other Canadian.

Will Nediger, of London, Ontario, is a professional crossword constructor and writer of trivia questions. Since early May he has edited a free weekly online crossword for Spyscape, a spy museum in New York City.

Besides an unusual theme and a more wide-open construction than usual, this puzzle has some particularly fresh, imaginative cluing, including 40-Across, 100-Across (which made us smile) and 50-Down.

Will Nediger, of London, Ontario, has a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Michigan. These days he makes his living by constructing crosswords and writing trivia questions. His quiz bowl team won the 2016 ACF Nationals and the 2017 Intercollegiate Championship Tournament.

The reason for this puzzle's unusual grid pattern with left/right symmetry will soon be clear.