Will Shortz Will Shortz has been the puzzle master for NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987.
Will Shortz
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Will Shortz

Donald Christensen/Courtesy American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
Will Shortz
Donald Christensen/Courtesy American Crossword Puzzle Tournament

Will Shortz

Puzzlemaster, Weekend Edition Sunday

NPR's Puzzlemaster Will Shortz has appeared on Weekend Edition Sunday since the program's start in 1987. He's also the crossword editor of The New York Times, the former editor of Games magazine, and the founder and director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (since 1978).

Will sold his first puzzle professionally when he was 14 — to Venture, a denominational youth magazine. At 16 he became a regular contributor to Dell puzzle publications. He is the only person in the world to hold a college degree in Enigmatology, the study of puzzles, which he earned from Indiana University in 1974.

Born in 1952 and raised on an Arabian horse farm in Indiana, Will now lives near New York City in a Tudor-style house filled with books and Arts and Crafts furniture. When he's not at work, he enjoys bicycling, movies, reading, travel, and collecting antique puzzle books and magazines.

Story Archive

Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: A playful 'P' syllable challenge

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Sunday

Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Word pairs that start and end the same

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Summer movie blockbusters

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Friday

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Sunday Puzzle: State That Capitol

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Saturday

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Sunday Puzzle: Net Worth

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Second in Line

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Name these iconic U.S. summer vacation destinations!

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Complete the compound with these animal connections!

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Six-letter words with four vowels and two consonants

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: April showers bring May flowers

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Rearrange and match the clues

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Now that's a SMART puzzle

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: A puzzle for the guest Puzzlemaster, (G)reg (P)liska

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Idioms for the eclipse

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: In like a lion and out like lamb

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: A puzzle for the Puzzlemaster

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Beware the Ides of March

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Can you guess the body part with these clues?

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: [MO]untain [HO]use getaway

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Hidden Figures in Two-Word Phrases

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: P is for President

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: You'd better sit down for this one

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Sunday

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Sunday Puzzle: Inside the Country

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