GOING WITH THE FLOW
by Sam Bellotto Jr.
One of the hallmarks of a first-rate crossword is what we call an "open" grid design. That is, the flow of white squares from anywhere on the diagram to anywhere else is smooth and unbroken. The opposite, where the diagram is split into two, three or more mini-puzzles connected to each other by a single crossing square, always used to be frowned upon, if not forbidden.
   Until recently. I've noticed that puzzle editors, who should know better, are allowing split or partially-closed diagrams to see print with more frequency.
   The problem is that they do not afford the solver the ability to fill-in the easier regions of the grid and thus gain letters to help them solve the more difficult regions. Nothing is more frustrating than expending great effort to complete one-third of the crossword only to discover that the remaining portion is as white and unblemished as new-fallen snow. It makes you want to throw down your newspaper in disgust and thoroughly ruins your cup of cocoa.
   Whenever I encounter one of these beasts, I think of it not so much as a traditional crossword puzzle but as an aggregate of mini word blocks. I solve each nearly self-contained block in a different color ink. (Who uses pencil? I haven't used pencil to solve a crossword since I was in eighth grade.) A rainbow-hued solution may seem silly, but it looks nice.
   An even greater sin is when the island of squares is small, say six by four, and the constructor has gone to excessive lengths to clue the entries with rarely used synonyms or deceptive wordplay. You can think of at least two possible answers for every across and down, and could probably complete the section quite easily ... if you only had one or two blankety-blank letters! The result is that you are stumped not so much due to the puzzle maker's skill or your lack of same, but because of uncrackable ambiguity. That is simply not playing fair.
   My theory is that these split diagram puzzles are the result of using crossword generation software, the kind that do the fills for you from a large database of words. These products really are no good at all when it comes to making a quality American-style puzzle with an open grid design. But they excel at producing small word blocks. Consequently, if you setup the grid in the first place as two, three or more isolated sections joined to the whole by a single square, these puzzle generators will be able to churn out a finished diagram for you while you catch up on the latest installment of "Survivor."
   In a very real sense, if this is the only way you can construct a crossword, you should find another line of work. Crosswords may not be oil paintings, or Tony Award winning dramas, or Top 40 hits, but they are creative endeavors.  Charlatans who approach puzzlemaking like turning out cuckoo clocks on an assembly line are doing nobody any favors, not skilled constructors, and certainly not the solvers who keep us all in business. —January 21, 2006 

 

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