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October 11, 2026 
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In his print introduction for this puzzle, Will Shortz wrote: “Michael Lieberman, of Washington, D.C., is an attorney at Fairmark Partners, an antitrust firm. This is his 29th crossword for The Times. He says he’s a Dodgers fan and likes to construct puzzles while watching baseball, at least during the season. ‘I made this puzzle last October,’ Mike says, ‘which means it probably provided a much-needed distraction from the stress of the playoffs.’”
Puzzles You May Have Missed
Crossplay Tip
Going Exclusive: If you notice you have the last of a particular tile remaining in the game, consider whether you can make a setup play that is exclusive to that tile. Aside from an S for pluralization as a back hook, the A and the P are often good letters for setting up front hooks, as in MORAL to AMORAL or BLAZE to ABLAZE with the A, and RESERVE to PRESERVE with the P. Just make sure to account for blank tiles when inspecting the remaining pool of tiles, as they can be used as any tile.
Connections Quandary
Here’s the hardest category from Thursday, Oct. 8. What connects these four things? See the answer in the P.S.
Strands
Last week’s hardest Strands puzzle was A STAR IS BORN, from Thursday, Oct. 8 — 76.07 percent of solvers were able to complete it.
Last week’s easiest Strands puzzle was COLOR FOR THE CURE, from Wednesday, Oct. 7 — 90.23 percent of solvers were able to complete it.
Strands puzzles last week — from Oct. 2 to 8 — were much harder than those from the week before.
Wordle Weekly Recap
Hardest word: PEEVE, from Saturday, Oct. 3.
Average guesses: 4.61, with 10.03 percent of players solving in three or fewer.
Easiest word: SHACK, from Sunday, Oct. 4.
Average guesses: 4.03, with 31.35 percent of players solving in three or fewer.
The Wordle answers last week — from Oct. 2 to 8 — were roughly equal in difficulty compared to those from the week before.
Spelling Bee Hive
Overall, the Spelling Bee hives last week — from Oct. 2 to 8 — were a little easier than those from the week before. Of our subscribers who played last week, 38.95 percent hit Genius at least once.
Last week’s hardest puzzle: Saturday, Oct. 3, had the hardest pangrams, with only 18.33 percent of users finding at least one.
Saturday’s pangram: BACCHANALIA, BACCHANALIAN
Letter set: I A B C H L N
Relax With Us
There’s this joke from “The Simpsons” I’ve been thinking about where Bart flakes on a tandem bike ride with his mom, opting instead to play a video game titled “Tandem Bike Ride With Your Mom.” (“Enjoy scenery!” he cries, button mashing. “Enjoy! Enjoy!”). It’s not far off from my experience playing “Big Walk,” the acclaimed co-op puzzle game released this year. The name fits. In “Big Walk,” you and a group of friends, all rendered as avatars I can only describe as “ducks in the abstract,” walk through a lush, wide-open natural world, solving puzzles along the way. There’s a lot to love about the game’s design, but I’m struck by how much it feels like taking a relaxing nature hike with friends. The game is drenched in a rich, ambient soundscape of animal calls and woodsy sounds. Its proximity chat system — the volume of players’ voices depends on how close they are to you — encourages frequent communication, lest someone strays from the group (especially at night). There are tools to use and play with: a radio, a set of walkie-talkies, a flare gun my friend will not stop firing at my head. Is the game as soul-nourishing as a walk with your friends in real life? Probably not. But when life scatters your closest pals across the country, sometimes the virtual version is a step in the right direction.
How are we doing?
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P.S. The answer to the Connections Quandary is that they are all words ending in actors named Tom.
