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15x15 grids with the Fewest Blocks in the Modern Era
The most famous, and most controversial, record in Crosswords is the lowest block count.
The quest to use the fewest black squares possible has intrigued many constructors and frustrated
many solvers. The results are sometimes awkward, but at other times are surprisingly eloquent.
Click here to see thumbnails.
Top constructors and grids:
Fri 7/27/2012
P | E | P | C | I | D | | L | A | C | E | R | A | T | E |
A | P | A | S | S | A | G | E | T | O | I | N | D | I | A |
D | I | S | P | U | T | E | D | B | O | R | D | E | R | S |
U | S | T | A | | A | R | I | A | N | E | | L | E | E |
A | T | O | N | E | M | E | N | T | S | | S | A | M | I |
N | E | R | | M | I | N | T | S | | I | C | I | A | N |
| M | A | P | O | N | T | O | | C | R | E | D | I | T |
S | O | L | A | T | E | S | | P | H | O | N | E | N | O |
I | L | E | N | E | S | | S | O | O | N | E | S | T | |
D | O | P | E | D | | D | E | N | S | E | | L | E | T |
E | G | I | S | | C | E | N | T | E | R | L | A | N | E |
W | I | S | | L | E | A | D | I | N | | O | M | A | N |
A | C | T | S | I | N | D | I | F | F | E | R | E | N | T |
Y | A | L | T | A | C | O | N | F | E | R | E | N | C | E |
S | L | E | E | T | I | N | G | | W | A | S | T | E | D |
Fri 8/22/2008
R | U | S | S | I | A | N | L | A | N | G | U | A | G | E |
I | N | T | E | R | L | E | A | G | U | E | P | L | A | Y |
A | S | A | N | A | L | T | E | R | N | A | T | I | V | E |
T | H | R | O | N | E | S | | E | N | R | I | C | O | S |
A | U | E | R | | R | A | G | E | S | | M | A | T | H |
S | T | R | A | G | G | L | E | D | | S | E | N | T | A |
| | | S | L | E | E | T | | V | E | S | T | E | D |
R | I | C | | U | N | S | A | F | E | R | | E | S | E |
E | M | O | T | E | S | | T | I | N | T | O | | | |
P | A | L | O | S | | M | A | R | E | S | N | E | S | T |
I | G | O | R | | C | E | N | T | R | | E | N | T | O |
P | I | S | T | O | L | A | | R | A | D | I | O | E | R |
I | N | S | U | R | A | N | C | E | B | R | O | K | E | R |
N | E | A | R | E | S | T | R | E | L | A | T | I | V | E |
G | R | E | E | N | H | O | U | S | E | G | A | S | E | S |
Sat 8/7/2010
A | S | P | I | R | E | S | | G | A | R | O | T | T | E |
C | U | L | T | U | R | E | V | U | L | T | U | R | E | S |
C | R | E | A | S | E | R | E | S | I | S | T | A | N | T |
U | R | A | L | | M | A | S | T | S | | E | N | Y | A |
S | O | S | | H | I | P | T | O | | K | A | S | E | M |
A | G | E | M | A | T | E | S | | B | I | T | M | A | P |
L | A | T | I | M | E | S | | M | A | D | E | I | R | A |
| T | A | X | E | S | | P | A | R | I | N | G | S | |
T | E | K | E | L | | W | O | N | K | S | | R | E | O |
A | M | E | S | | C | A | L | L | S | | M | A | N | N |
B | O | A | | L | A | L | L | Y | | M | A | T | T | E |
I | T | S | A | L | U | L | U | | W | I | R | I | E | R |
T | H | E | R | O | S | E | T | T | A | S | T | O | N | E |
H | E | A | R | S | A | Y | E | V | I | D | E | N | C | E |
A | R | T | S | A | L | E | | S | T | O | S | S | E | L |
Fri 3/15/2013
E | G | O | T | I | S | T | | O | N | M | E | R | I | T |
L | O | V | E | M | E | O | R | L | E | A | V | E | M | E |
A | V | E | R | A | G | E | A | M | E | R | I | C | A | N |
S | E | R | A | | M | A | N | O | R | | L | A | G | O |
T | R | E | | H | E | R | D | S | | H | O | P | I | N |
I | N | S | T | A | N | T | S | | F | A | M | I | N | E |
N | O | T | W | I | T | H | | M | U | L | E | T | A | S |
| R | I | O | T | S | | P | I | N | E | N | U | T | |
M | C | M | I | I | | G | U | N | K | Y | | L | I | C |
E | L | A | N | | A | R | E | A | S | | P | A | V | E |
N | I | T | | B | L | O | B | S | | R | A | T | E | L |
I | N | I | M | I | C | A | L | | S | E | R | I | N | E |
S | T | O | O | D | O | N | O | N | E | S | T | O | E | S |
C | O | N | N | I | V | E | S | A | G | A | I | N | S | T |
I | N | S | A | N | E | R | | M | A | T | I | S | S | E |
Fri 3/11/2005
B | E | A | T | S | A | D | E | A | D | H | O | R | S | E |
E | T | H | N | O | C | E | N | T | R | I | C | I | T | Y |
E | V | E | N | I | N | G | T | H | E | S | C | O | R | E |
T | O | A | | E | E | R | I | E | S | T | | R | E | L |
L | I | D | A | | D | A | C | E | S | | K | I | W | I |
E | L | O | R | O | | D | E | L | E | G | A | T | E | D |
S | A | F | A | R | I | E | D | | D | E | B | A | R | S |
| | | B | E | N | D | | N | U | M | B | | | |
D | O | R | I | A | N | | T | O | P | M | A | S | T | S |
A | N | E | C | D | O | T | A | L | | A | L | P | H | A |
M | E | G | A | | C | U | B | I | T | | A | U | E | R |
A | C | A | | B | E | R | A | T | E | R | | N | R | A |
G | E | T | S | O | N | E | S | I | R | I | S | H | U | P |
E | N | T | E | N | T | E | C | O | R | D | I | A | L | E |
S | T | A | R | S | I | N | O | N | E | S | E | Y | E | S |
Blocks | Date | Author |
17 | Fri Jul 27, 2012 | Joe Krozel |
18 | Fri Aug 22, 2008 | Kevin G. Der |
18 | Sat Aug 7, 2010 | Joe Krozel |
18 | Fri Mar 15, 2013 | Joe Krozel |
19 | Fri Mar 11, 2005 | Manny Nosowsky |
19 | Sat Mar 28, 2009 | Joe Krozel |
19 | Fri Sep 4, 2009 | Joe Krozel |
19 | Fri Feb 5, 2010 | Joe Krozel |
19 | Sat Jan 7, 2012 | Joe Krozel |
19 | Fri Apr 24, 2015 | Joe Krozel |
20 | Fri Jan 19, 2001 | Joe DiPietro |
20 | Fri Jul 30, 2010 | Kevin G. Der |
21 | Fri Jul 24, 1998 | Manny Nosowsky |
21 | Fri Jan 7, 2000 | Manny Nosowsky |
21 | Sat Oct 7, 2000 | Chuck Menning |
21 | Sat Jul 12, 2003 | Manny Nosowsky |
21 | Fri Aug 20, 2004 | Harvey Estes |
21 | Fri Feb 11, 2005 | Manny Nosowsky |
21 | Fri Jun 17, 2005 | Manny Nosowsky |
21 | Fri Aug 12, 2005 | Manny Nosowsky |
21 | Sat Jan 7, 2006 | Jim Hyres |
21 | Fri Feb 3, 2006 | Manny Nosowsky |
21 | Fri Feb 15, 2008 | Patrick Berry |
21 | Fri Apr 11, 2008 | Manny Nosowsky |
21 | Fri Aug 7, 2009 | Manny Nosowsky |
21 | Sat Oct 6, 2012 | Steve Salitan |
21 | Fri Mar 22, 2013 | Tim Croce |
21 | Fri Jan 31, 2014 | Chris A. McGlothlin |
21 | Sat Jan 8, 2022 | Freddie Cheng |
21 | Sat May 6, 2023 | Carter Cobb |
22 | Fri Jan 10, 2003 | Manny Nosowsky |
22 | Sat Mar 27, 2004 | Sherry O. Blackard |
22 | Sat Sep 28, 2013 | Joe Krozel |
22 | Sat Dec 3, 2016 | Jason Flinn |
22 | Sat Aug 19, 2017 | Mark Diehl |
22 | Sat Jun 23, 2018 | Byron Walden |
23 | Sat Mar 29, 2003 | Michael Shteyman |
23 | Fri Jun 25, 2004 | Manny Nosowsky |
23 | Fri Oct 22, 2004 | Patrick Berry |
23 | Sat Sep 24, 2005 | Byron Walden |
23 | Sat Oct 8, 2005 | Byron Walden |
23 | Sat Mar 25, 2006 | Byron Walden |
23 | Fri Feb 1, 2008 | Doug Peterson |
23 | Sat Aug 29, 2009 | Doug Peterson |
23 | Sat Feb 7, 2015 | Byron Walden |
23 | Sat Oct 17, 2015 | Timothy Polin |
23 | Sat Sep 24, 2016 | Mary Lou Guizzo |
23 | Sat Sep 23, 2023 | Robert Charlton |
23 | Sat Dec 23, 2023 | Will Nediger |
24 | Sat Jan 23, 1999 | Frank Longo |
24 | Sat Oct 9, 1999 | Manny Nosowsky |
24 | Fri Feb 18, 2000 | Manny Nosowsky |
24 | Sat Oct 21, 2000 | Bob Klahn |
24 | Sat Nov 25, 2000 | Patrick D. Berry |
24 | Sat Dec 23, 2000 | Bob Klahn |
24 | Fri Oct 18, 2002 | Manny Nosowsky |
24 | Fri Jun 27, 2003 | Manny Nosowsky |
24 | Fri Jun 4, 2004 | Sherry O. Blackard |
24 | Fri Dec 24, 2004 | Sherry O. Blackard |
24 | Fri Jan 14, 2005 | Manny Nosowsky |
24 | Sat Feb 5, 2005 | Sherry O. Blackard |
24 | Sat Aug 27, 2005 | Byron Walden |
24 | Sat Apr 8, 2006 | Patrick Berry |
24 | Sat May 6, 2006 | James E. Buell |
24 | Sat Jul 29, 2006 | Bob Klahn |
24 | Fri Nov 3, 2006 | Manny Nosowsky |
24 | Sat Nov 25, 2006 | Sherry O. Blackard |
24 | Sat Mar 17, 2007 | John Farmer |
24 | Sat Apr 14, 2007 | Sherry O. Blackard |
24 | Sat Dec 29, 2007 | Bob Klahn |
24 | Sat Oct 18, 2008 | Brad Wilber |
24 | Sat Nov 22, 2008 | Frank Longo |
24 | Sat Apr 18, 2009 | Byron Walden |
24 | Fri Jun 5, 2009 | Martin Ashwood-Smith |
24 | Sat May 8, 2010 | Mark Diehl |
24 | Sat Aug 6, 2011 | Joe Krozel |
24 | Sat May 31, 2014 | John Lampkin |
24 | Sat May 16, 2015 | Byron Walden |
24 | Sat Oct 15, 2016 | Mark Diehl |
24 | Sat Mar 17, 2018 | Roland Huget |
24 | Sat Mar 24, 2018 | Byron Walden |
24 | Sat Jun 9, 2018 | Roland Huget |
24 | Sat Feb 15, 2020 | Randolph Ross |
24 | Sat Mar 30, 2024 | Blake Slonecker |