John Kugelman author page
5 puzzles by John Kugelman
with Editor comments
John Kugelman, of Gainesville, Va., is a software engineer and musician.
| U | N | D | R | E | S | S | E | S | M | A | J | O | R | S | I | N | |||||
| P | A | R | I | S | T | E | X | A | S | T | I | M | E | L | A | P | S | E | |||
| D | O | U | B | L | E | C | L | I | C | K | S | E | C | O | N | D | M | A | T | E | |
| O | H | M | S | R | A | D | I | O | S | P | E | A | K | C | O | D | |||||
| A | L | E | X | D | E | E | D | K | I | T | E | ||||||||||
| I | T | S | A | B | E | T | E | B | I | L | L | E | Y | E | M | A | S | K | S | ||
| R | A | P | D | U | O | O | N | E | A | F | T | E | R | A | N | O | T | H | E | R | |
| A | L | I | S | T | C | L | O | N | K | U | M | P | S | O | P | T | |||||
| N | O | R | P | O | L | A | S | F | A | R | A | S | O | U | T | T | A | ||||
| N | I | G | H | T | B | I | R | D | I | P | O | O | H | H | |||||||
| T | H | I | S | B | E | A | R | S | R | E | P | E | A | T | I | N | G | ||||
| E | N | D | N | Y | U | R | A | G | E | R | O | O | M | S | |||||||
| B | A | S | E | D | L | E | G | L | I | F | T | A | R | O | I | C | E | ||||
| A | C | T | A | I | D | E | O | U | T | D | O | I | F | N | O | T | |||||
| T | H | E | M | U | M | M | Y | R | E | T | U | R | N | S | A | L | L | O | W | S | |
| H | E | A | R | T | I | E | S | V | A | L | E | T | C | L | E | A | R | L | Y | ||
| D | I | E | D | C | E | N | T | M | A | T | S | ||||||||||
| E | L | I | S | T | A | R | K | I | L | L | E | R | G | A | S | P | |||||
| B | A | C | K | U | P | C | O | P | Y | P | A | I | R | O | F | P | A | N | T | S | |
| B | R | A | I | N | D | U | M | P | M | A | L | L | S | A | N | T | A | S | |||
| S | A | M | A | D | A | M | S | R | E | S | U | R | G | E | N | T |
John Kugelman, of Gainesville, Va., is a software engineer and musician.
His puzzles often have a playful sense of humor to them, a style he attributes to his crossword constructing "North Star," the great Patrick Berry. About Patrick, he writes "He doesn't have a flashy gimmick behind every puzzle; it's just how well he pulls off the simple themes." This puzzle likewise has a simple concept, pulled off quite cleverly.
| A | M | B | I | G | O | N | G | D | A | N | G | C | V | S | ||||||
| C | O | I | N | S | A | W | O | R | D | I | G | O | R | S | L | I | T | |||
| K | N | O | C | K | O | N | W | O | O | D | S | O | M | E | T | O | R | O | ||
| N | A | I | L | S | A | R | I | A | L | S | E | N | E | G | A | L | ||||
| F | I | S | T | K | N | I | T | T | I | N | G | N | E | E | D | L | E | |||
| C | E | C | E | G | R | A | S | S | R | K | O | S | L | A | V | |||||
| U | M | A | M | O | O | N | P | I | E | T | I | N | S | N | I | C | ||||
| B | U | R | N | A | F | T | E | R | R | E | A | D | I | N | G | A | C | D | C | |
| A | R | M | A | N | I | S | E | A | R | L | S | O | O | T | I | E | R | |||
| R | A | S | C | P | U | S | F | A | T | L | E | N | O | |||||||
| A | R | C | H | A | E | O | L | O | G | I | C | A | L | D | I | G | ||||
| D | I | A | L | D | O | T | N | A | V | E | O | F | T | |||||||
| P | O | R | T | E | N | D | S | I | R | E | S | C | O | U | R | G | E | |||
| D | O | P | E | B | L | A | S | T | F | R | O | M | T | H | E | P | A | S | T | |
| F | R | O | S | C | E | N | E | R | Y | O | A | T | S | D | U | A | ||||
| B | R | A | H | N | E | O | A | D | O | B | E | W | I | I | S | |||||
| P | U | T | D | O | W | N | O | N | P | A | P | E | R | F | O | O | T | |||
| E | S | C | A | P | E | E | I | S | L | A | M | A | W | I | N | G | ||||
| A | T | O | M | I | V | A | N | F | R | E | N | C | H | R | O | A | S | T | ||
| R | E | D | S | R | E | N | T | T | A | B | L | E | S | U | G | A | R | |||
| T | R | E | D | R | N | O | N | A | S | T | T | A | X | I |
John Kugelman is a software engineer and musician from Gainesville, Va.
Despite only starting to make puzzles in 2023, he is The New York Times' most-published Sunday crossword constructor this year (with three). As a lifelong puzzle solver, he doesn't know why it took him so long to discover crossword construction — "I wish I'd thought of it 20 years ago!".
| P | R | O | B | B | U | S | E | S | A | G | A | S | P | P | E | D | I | |||
| D | O | V | E | A | M | U | S | T | J | E | L | L | O | O | N | E | S | |||
| F | U | E | L | S | S | P | E | C | U | L | A | T | I | O | N | O | P | A | L | |
| S | T | R | I | P | E | S | A | P | E | X | P | I | L | L | A | G | E | |||
| E | A | T | S | P | O | T | W | I | S | E | A | S | S | E | S | |||||
| H | O | L | D | S | W | A | T | E | R | G | I | L | S | I | R | S | ||||
| E | L | O | M | O | N | O | H | O | L | L | A | L | E | A | D | S | ||||
| W | I | S | P | S | G | O | E | S | A | L | L | I | N | A | S | N | E | R | ||
| E | V | E | L | F | U | D | G | E | S | F | A | C | T | S | O | T | T | O | ||
| D | E | T | A | I | L | S | G | A | P | S | I | S | U | Z | U | |||||
| R | O | N | C | O | Y | O | N | H | U | T | P | E | R | M | S | |||||
| T | E | A | M | O | A | M | I | S | P | E | N | C | A | P | S | |||||
| M | E | N | S | T | A | K | E | S | O | R | D | E | R | S | E | S | A | U | ||
| G | R | E | E | D | D | O | N | T | S | T | A | R | E | T | S | A | R | S | ||
| M | A | U | V | E | D | O | R | I | S | A | P | B | S | L | E | I | ||||
| R | I | C | H | N | O | N | S | E | T | S | A | T | E | A | S | E | ||||
| H | E | A | D | C | A | N | O | N | R | I | C | O | S | O | N | |||||
| O | N | L | E | A | V | E | F | O | N | Z | I | Q | R | A | N | G | E | |||
| V | O | N | N | E | X | C | H | A | N | G | E | S | N | U | M | B | E | R | S | |
| E | L | E | C | T | U | P | A | C | I | M | A | G | E | L | E | A | P | |||
| R | A | T | E | O | S | A | G | E | T | A | X | E | S | E | D | D | Y |
John Kugelman, of Gainesville, Va., is a software engineer and musician. This is his third crossword for The Times — all Sundays.
Crossword construction and music "tickle all the same brain cells," he says, as each is "half-creative and half-technical". He adds: "Sundays are like the progressive rock of crosswords. I love 20-minute songs, and I love 21x21 grids."
| V | O | R | T | E | X | E | S | D | I | S | C | I | P | L | E | |||||
| I | N | A | I | L | E | D | I | T | P | I | N | O | T | N | O | I | R | |||
| S | U | P | E | R | D | U | P | E | R | J | U | N | K | D | R | A | W | E | R | |
| A | S | T | R | O | S | E | E | P | A | G | E | P | E | N | S | |||||
| A | Y | E | R | D | E | F | Q | U | E | E | R | |||||||||
| A | L | E | C | W | A | N | D | E | R | A | R | O | U | N | D | T | O | W | N | |
| S | U | N | K | S | T | O | R | E | R | E | M | A | I | N | F | O | O | |||
| P | R | O | S | T | F | B | O | M | B | B | E | S | T | A | C | T | O | R | ||
| I | C | K | A | L | I | E | N | O | M | A | N | I | A | W | E | S | ||||
| C | H | I | C | K | E | N | T | E | N | D | E | R | S | S | T | R | O | D | E | |
| L | E | A | K | E | Y | E | M | A | I | D | ||||||||||
| P | I | P | E | I | N | F | L | I | C | K | E | R | O | F | L | I | G | H | T | |
| E | L | E | A | A | C | E | L | A | L | A | P | E | L | E | A | R | ||||
| C | U | R | R | I | C | U | L | A | M | E | S | S | I | S | E | I | Z | E | ||
| A | V | E | C | A | R | E | S | S | N | I | T | E | R | A | C | E | S | |||
| N | U | M | B | E | R | O | F | T | H | E | B | E | A | S | T | T | O | S | S | |
| P | E | T | E | R | A | S | L | T | E | E | N | |||||||||
| V | O | T | E | T | I | M | C | O | O | K | R | O | B | I | N | |||||
| A | N | O | F | F | E | R | Y | O | U | C | A | N | T | R | E | F | U | S | E | |
| S | T | R | E | A | M | E | R | S | R | O | B | O | C | A | L | L | S | |||
| T | O | Y | D | R | I | V | E | W | H | I | T | T | L | E | S |
John Kugelman is a software engineer and musician from Gainesville, Va. He has worked in cybersecurity for many years. John says, "I like anything that's complicated and puzzle-y. Any engineering problem is fascinating to me."
(And what is crossword construction, after all, but the engineering of words?) This is John's second crossword for The Times — both Sundays.
| A | S | P | C | A | C | A | R | B | I | S | S | A | E | M | I | T | S | |||
| C | H | A | U | T | A | U | Q | U | A | B | E | A | U | N | O | L | A | N | ||
| M | I | S | T | E | R | B | U | N | N | Y | M | A | G | S | D | O | L | M | A | |
| E | V | S | M | E | A | N | I | E | L | E | T | G | O | B | A | G | ||||
| F | O | B | E | S | T | E | E | R | E | F | U | E | L | S | ||||||
| W | E | A | R | A | B | L | E | T | H | I | N | G | T | O | T | A | S | T | E | |
| E | V | I | L | L | A | U | G | H | T | S | O | A | N | A | ||||||
| E | E | L | E | T | R | E | R | B | I | R | U | N | E | O | S | U | ||||
| G | E | E | K | S | B | E | A | R | I | N | G | G | R | I | F | T | S | |||
| S | A | T | O | N | T | A | X | M | E | N | G | R | A | N | T | E | E | |||
| C | L | O | T | H | A | S | H | U | P | S | Y | D | E | A | R | |||||
| O | P | T | I | M | A | L | A | U | N | T | I | E | D | U | N | K | S | |||
| W | H | E | N | I | T | P | A | I | N | S | I | T | R | O | A | R | S | |||
| L | A | D | S | E | E | R | T | A | T | D | K | N | Y | U | T | E | ||||
| I | S | R | E | P | I | J | U | L | I | E | N | N | E | D | ||||||
| T | H | R | E | E | M | A | R | E | S | Q | U | E | A | L | S | A | D | A | Y | |
| W | E | E | K | D | A | Y | O | D | E | U | M | T | E | E | ||||||
| Y | E | S | A | D | R | A | G | W | I | P | E | R | S | R | Y | E | ||||
| A | T | T | I | C | T | H | R | O | N | E | S | S | T | O | W | A | W | A | Y | |
| T | H | E | E | U | L | E | A | R | R | O | S | E | P | A | R | A | D | E | ||
| T | E | R | R | E | E | M | M | A | O | N | E | S | D | R | Y | A | D |
John Kugelman is a software engineer and musician from Gainesville, Va. His father, who turns 80 this year, is a sounding board for John's puzzle ideas and John finds that brainstorming with him is a great way to stay connected. "Every time I see him we throw around all kinds of wordplay, just spitballing and letting our minds roam."
This is John's first crossword for The Times. It grew out of 38-Across.