The New York Times’ Strands puzzle for January 31st (#699) centers around sports-related terms, specifically those used in games like baseball, tennis, and volleyball.
Зміст
Understanding the Puzzle’s Logic
Strands requires players to identify hidden words within a grid, with the goal being to uncover a central “spangram” – a theme word that spans the entire board. The puzzle provides hints as you find words of four or more letters, revealing theme-related terms progressively.
Key Words and Hints
To solve today’s puzzle, consider these hints:
- The overarching theme is “part of the game.”
- A key clue to unlock more hints: “Throw it over here.”
Solution Breakdown
The words needed to complete the puzzle are:
- BASE
- FOOT
- BASKET
- PADDLE
- PICKLE
- RACQUET
- VOLLEY
The spangram, which completes the puzzle, is HAVEABALL. This word is located starting with the letter ‘H’ five rows down on the far left, winding across the grid.
Why This Matters
The Strands puzzle has become a popular daily challenge due to its unique word-finding mechanic. Unlike traditional crossword puzzles, Strands emphasizes pattern recognition and a bit of luck in finding the initial words to unlock further clues. This puzzle continues that trend with a straightforward theme that, once recognized, makes the rest of the solution relatively accessible.
