In 2012, a computer program named Dr. Fill placed 141st out of some 660 entries in that year’s American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, a competition for elite crossword puzzle solvers. This year, the ...

Listen to an audio interview with the author here, or sign up for Slate’s free daily podcast on iTunes. When people find out that I write crosswords for a living, they often ask, “Can’t you just write ...

Word puzzles may go the way of chess and Jeopardy! next weekend at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Brooklyn. Human prowess at chess -- with world champion Garry Kasparov as its ...

Another sign of the times! According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures, twice as many Americans now play computer games as do crossword puzzles. But don't underestimate crossword fans. As Steve ...

Crossword constructor Anna Shechtman, 24, sticks out like a worn eraser in a delete-button world. These days, most serious constructors use computer software and word databases to make their puzzles, ...