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Jim Hyres author page

23 puzzles by Jim Hyres
with Jeff Chen comments

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Jim Hyres

21 daily crosswords by Jim Hyres

Sun 1/29/2017 HIT THE DECK
PLAYERTOOLBARDEALER
OEUVREVAMOOSEARCADE
TERESASKABANDLITMUS
TWOSTRIPERSERVICEACE
EARMONEYTREEZEN
DYANLOTPOIWESBEST
OBISPUNKUFO
THREEBEARSGIVEMEFIVE
COOLBEANSDAYTRADER
BROELSEELFIRONONO
YAMSTWENTYONEANTS
TAFTSERIFLILT
BARRACKSFACETIME
SIXDEGREESCASHISKING
ATEITANNTAYLORFENDI
YESFOYTEGGFIFIDOG
AUTOMIENSSINS
JACKLONDONELITEEIGHT
AFAROBESETAKINDREI
MEMOLONERSTEADEARN
IWINEXTSSANSBUST

A BLACKJACK game! Er, TWENTY ONE. Curious how they have the same number of letters … there's a crossword theme in there somewhere.

I missed the point of the puzzle in my first look, so here it is: the PLAYER is on the left, while the DEALER is on the right. The PLAYER starts with a TWO and a THREE, and the dealer has an ACE and a FIVE (not sure which is the up card). PLAYER gets a SIX and a JACK and says, I've got TWENTY ONE, I WIN! The DEALER must keep going, getting a KING and then an EIGHT to BUST.

A ton of really nice bonus fill in this one, not surprising given David's skill level with themelesses. It seemed like everywhere I looked, there was a TOOL BAR/VAMOOSE/SKA BAND (great triplet!). DAY TRADER. FACETIME. ANN TAYLOR. CRAYON BOX. I DON'T MIND, no I do not, sir! I was very glad for all of those extras, helping hold my attention.

There were a few ENE, LTR gluey bits, but hardly a thing. Well, DREI / GRAU was pretty crunchy. It's understandable when you constraint the little SE corner on the top and bottom, making it so rigid and inflexible. But just GRAU by itself is pretty hard to take.

Sometimes I wonder if Will would help himself by raising his word count max to 142 (from 140) for a Sunday puzzle. It's so shazbotting hard to make any 140-word 21x21 puzzle, much less a theme-dense one packed with interesting fill. I quite liked the fill today, and the fact that it was at 142 words didn't bug me in the slightest.

Overall, I liked the idea of a blackjack-themed crossword, but I would have liked much more of a "story" reflecting real gameplay. Having the two starting cards be closer together, having the PLAYER fill out his/her set first and only then the DEALER going, somehow hiding the DEALER's down card, etc. So the theme execution didn't work that well for me. But given how nice so much of the fill was, I was still entertained.

Wed 9/2/2009
ABBADIRTFAX
CARUSOINAWHILE
ADORERSCHAEFER
REWOVECASCTRS
REOPENSHH
CLEANSERVIEWED
HEISTANNEXHAR
AVGHOCOTTEGO
NEHDREADHEELS
TETRADNETSALES
HAYANSWER
SSNSSROONHIRE
CHOPSUEYASASON
OUTSHINEMERMAN
TEEATADTYRA
Tue 1/27/2009
CAPPTEASETFSU
ALOUACTONEITS
MILLEBORNESRYE
ANKLESAIRTASER
YEARNEDAGENT
ASTORIROBOT
DOWNYZALESOKS
ERIKDEMOSTRIP
MSNBENINMANES
SODDEDSEDAN
BELIERAGTOPS
PROWLCARBORROW
EARJASONBOURNE
SINATTLEEMIZE
ODERESEEDSNIP
Tue 5/29/2007
LASSODADSHOT
YALTAMUSICOLA
CHARTTOPPERPIN
REBAADESITSOK
ADSPACEEPIC
BELLBOTTOMS
SACHETERNHTML
OBOESBARMECCA
ALDASERMISHIT
KEEPANEYEON
NELLMUDBATH
PRADOIMITALVA
RIMNONETHELESS
ICEZOOMSBERET
XESOHNOWROTE
Tue 3/28/2006
REPOTISTSPSAT
AREASBEETACTI
JACKHAMMERTRIM
ASKSININITIATE
RUGSCANT
EMBITTERTRACTS
LARKSTABLEHAH
TREEMONEYSPUR
OLAMANTASHAPE
NODEALOUTMODED
BASISTWA
DOORKNOBISHTAR
ELANGREENHOUSE
FIREETALERROL
TODDRANKDAFFY
Wed 3/22/2006
SPADEFLEWPSIS
KOREALAVAAONE
ICEBREAKERNUDE
POSTDATERETRIM
RTSJANGAS
CACTUSSANDER
BLOOMLAITMACH
ELLSTELLYBPOE
RIDEAPTSPEEVE
TABKEYMORSEL
STUYEWDAT
TARGETKEROSENE
PEKEHEAVYMETAL
ABELALTOAETNA
TOYSTMENCREAM
Tue 2/28/2006
MASSEJFKASSAD
GRIMMAAAALERO
MRNICEGUYHERTZ
LEARNOFEVIE
MELEESSOAPIER
ERASINDPREC
SETSEEITTREAD
ACTTRICEPSAGE
STILELEROYCOP
CELLYAPAERO
PRESAGEAIMSAT
AIWAALBERTO
SLOBSCENTERICE
TERREITDMADAM
ASKEWDASSLOTS
Sat 1/7/2006
OCTANTSSTEREOS
PLATOONSERGEANT
PORTRAITPAINTER
OOZEDVATSTYLI
STANBEGINSOAP
EINTELECOMUNE
RETOOLEDMITRED
HHOURSINGH
BOEINGAUNTIEEM
ORASALINESARI
TIPISARRESRAS
ANERARIOMATSU
NOMOREILOVEYOUS
ICANTSAYFORSURE
CONSISTSWEATED
Mon 10/31/2005
HANGEPSOMIHOP
ONEAPOPPAGULL
STARICEINURGE
SITBACKANDRELAX
LPSKEYES
MIMEOPODLSATS
EWEREFMISCUE
DOWNFORTHECOUNT
INLAIDHAGREA
ATSIXREDBLAST
LIMEDOOO
COMETOTERMSWITH
AXEDLIVENEDAM
SEMITRINININO
KNOTSELESDOGS
Tue 6/28/2005
OTBSBEADALCOA
NOONALLIGIRLS
TWOEGGSOVEREASY
ANEARTOTEZEE
PERKINSTHERENT
ELENAETE
FOURLEAFCLOVERS
GUSFOOGUT
SIXFIGUREINCOME
UNOEUBIE
TORNADORECROOM
ELISOPSHENNA
EIGHTTRACKTAPES
MVIIIALAILOGO
SEDERHERDSTAN
Fri 6/3/2005
SCOTCAPRAACTS
ARCOOLEANFLUE
DEEPLOOSETANG
DELICOUNTERRAM
EPOCHSALEWIFE
RSTASISMANIN
REMOLDWEST
LIEDUNDEROATH
TINTMOANER
OMITSSONSASP
RATECAPCESSNA
OBIIDLECHATTER
NEARLATHEARES
TATEINNERGAZE
ONESBEARSEYED
Mon 5/9/2005
FSTOPOTTERSIG
OHARACHINOHOR
POLARICECAPONE
SPECTRUMBIGWIG
LIARFLEABAG
LLBEANSEESTO
OILLITERTEARS
ONUSSONARSTOW
TEETHADLIBEVA
BOARDSFLORET
SNOOZESALOU
PANDASEVENTUAL
RMNROLLERDERBY
EEEDREAREASEL
ESTSTONYSTATE
Sat 3/19/2005
BALTICSTRAFES
AMARNAJEREMIAH
HOTELSIGUESSSO
ARENASGADSSER
MINDLESSLYMIST
ASEAREASCELIA
STDLOEWELLEN
JALAPENOS
BEENEUNCSISP
BUSEDOZZIENEO
IGORRAZORSHARP
CABBIRLCHALET
ABEBEAMELANINA
ROSETTESEVENER
BOOLEANDESERT
Thu 1/27/2005
CURDSHARPJAZZ
ULEECANEROBOE
ETDSODDFELLOWS
BERKELEYCALLIT
ARIRDSDILATES
LIBRASLANA
LOBOFANCLUB
ROULETTETABLE
NEEDLESEATA
NMEXBARCAR
OPENTOESENKIA
MINIONACIDCELL
EVENSTEVENAYES
GOREOWINGGERE
ATORNESTSESSA
Mon 10/11/2004
DISCSMASHASPS
UTAHESTEESPAM
COMEONDOWNSINE
AMOONPLUNGE
BUTTERSCAIRO
ATHENSBARTERED
DOERNORTHSSE
EPAGOODBYEOPS
GINOBOESALIA
GASMASKSMARVEL
WIPESFORREST
CREMESEATME
HEROSURVEYSAYS
IBISEASELTRAY
NASADRESSSKYS
Tue 6/29/2004
ATBATGOLFSICE
MOOLAAWEEKSOD
BRAINFREEZEOLD
ESTGIRDSTOSAY
ROSELLEACDC
MELTEDCHEESE
WHAMSAIRYLID
ROBEMASSEDELI
AUSSALEAISLE
PRETTYPLEASE
NORASCHMEAR
GOTTATOPICLSU
APEFLORIDAKEYS
ZEEEAGLENONET
ELSSTAYSSPATS
Mon 4/5/2004
JAMSMAYORSELF
OBOEAREWETRIO
TENCOMMANDMENTS
STOOLIEDAVIES
NEEDEDREESE
EGADSXEDIN
CLUEPAPUANMBA
HUNDREDACREWOOD
OTTUSENETHAZE
GLOPSHITON
FAIRETEAMUP
ACCORDGALLOPS
THOUSANDISLANDS
EONSFEINTSCAT
DOSETONGSHESS
Wed 1/28/2004
MAKEALOOFIHOP
AVIVMELBANUDE
GARAGESALESMOG
MIOSISORATORS
ALVINIGNITER
VOLTAGESPIKE
APSEELMESSAY
ALPMILITIATRE
REESEEATSSTS
PACKAGESTORE
TENANTSARISE
ANALYSTEZINES
MITTMIDDLEAGES
OTOEERROLLODE
KERRNESTSSTYX
Mon 4/28/2003
ADEPTAMISPSST
PAYEETORIAHOY
ONEAMBOARDWALK
PARKPLACEANGIE
LATHENE
FABLESSNIDEST
ERLETOPPLEPHI
READINGRAILROAD
MANSALONSACME
IRKSOMETITHES
ABESTEN
SCALASHORTLINE
LUXURYTAXRACER
OBITALLIAMOCO
EASEKOLNYANKS
Thu 4/3/2003
ISLESNATCHTAJ
BOASTEMORYALA
MUSTACHIOEDMOW
SPHEROIDPROBES
ERRSBEANO
BREMENPASTEUPS
LOXDECAYEARLY
AGHAAEIOULIEN
NEARSDRUNKNBC
CRUMPLESRECESS
SOLOSGOTO
METRICPROTRACT
ARICAULIFLOWER
ZOOELTONENOLA
EONREEDSSALTY
Mon 12/16/2002
LASANGLERSTUB
ISPTIRADEPERU
ELLONEIDAHANG
SEISMOGRAPHER
TENPINSERIAL
OPTICRAMPENTA
CAVEMENTOW
SIZELIMITATIONS
ESOMISREAD
ELOPETHONESTS
RETORTAGATHA
SIGHSOFRELIEF
NOUNATTAINLYE
EXITNUTLETTVS
BYTEKNOLLSSET

2 Variety puzzles by Jim Hyres

Sun 7/12/2009
ARENAREVS
NODICEBIRCH
YOULLBESORRYHMS
SUBMITSAMOAN
ADESWETRAG
LARGERTHANLIFE
IMUSRAYSNUN
SEENBEARVAST
TONGUETWISTER
YARNTASSTATA
ERAUTESQUIT
STIRSUPTROUBLE
MINUETSOME
SELDOMONEIDA
TRERUNNINGARISK
ERIESONESET
DKNYGAMES
Sun 8/27/2006
FAST
ADMALOOFKIA
BREASTBONEANDY
RETIREENITTEES
ENDSITSYNCBERLE
AHEMSTHIGHMASTER
LUCATRAESP
ROOAIRYARIA
CHICKENFEED
TOCKSOILEBB
ASHDRYSILE
WINGTIPSHOETUNER
OLIOSATOZJORDAN
MINNLEAMARKETS
BAJALEGWARMERS
CALSPIESSLY
SEEK
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