The first crossword puzzle graced the pages of the Sunday New York World on December 21, 1913. The first crossword puzzle was created by Arthur Wynne. After the first issue, it never looked back. It became a weekly feature until it became a craze.

Word puzzles can be traced until the Roman period. Actually, remains of a word squares can be found in the Roman ruins of Pompeii. A word square is composed of words which can be read horizontally and vertically. The words are the same in both directions. But there would be instances where the horizontal word is different. This is referred to as the double word square.

A famous word square was discovered in the Herculaneum ruins in Pompeii. The word square was called Sator Square which is in Latin. It can be predated in the Christian era.

The longest word squares done were composed of nine letters and uses unusual word and proper names. Nobody was able to construct a ten letter word square, whether it is a computer or a person. Word squares were considered to be the forerunners of crossword puzzles.

When crossword puzzle was first published in the New York World, it was initially called “word-cross puzzle”. It is very different from the current puzzles, since there were no black squares. The New York World was the only newspaper back then which started publishing crossword puzzles. It was created by a journalist working for the World. Wynne was inspired by a childhood game in England.

In 1924, a small publishing firm released a collection of the puzzles published in the World. It was published in book form. The book was launched by Simon and Schuster. It sold 36,000 copies after the first printing. They published two more volumes of the book and this signalled the start of the craze over crossword puzzle. Other newspapers eventually picked up the trend and started publishing their own crossword puzzles.

Within the next decade, crossword puzzle became very popular. It seems like every kind of business is using crossword puzzle, it was even given free with items of clothing sold. Its popularity eventually reached and conquered Europe.

The first crossword puzzle appeared in Britain in Pearson’s Magazine in February 1922. It first appeared in Times in February 1930. British crossword puzzle was considered to be more difficult since it is a cryptic puzzle. To solve a cryptic puzzle, answering the clues is not the only thing to do. You would also need to figure out the clue itself.

The crossword puzzles were initially created by hand until a software company was able to develop a program for computers that would be able to create a crossword puzzle. This program was first created by Variety Games Inc. in 1997, the software was called Crossword Weaver and was patented.

Today crosswords are among the most popular word games in history. There are people who make answering crossword puzzles a daily habit while there are some people who are totally obsessed with it. In the United States alone, there were about 40 million people who solve crosswords daily.

Now, there the New York World is no longer around. The initial format of the crossword puzzle transformed to its current form. But Simon & Schuster still publishes book of crossword puzzles. Until now, the crossword puzzle’s popularity still continues.

For some people who are really hooked into solving crossword puzzles, a day would not be complete without solving as many puzzles as possible. Since it has become some sort of addiction to other people, it is best to get tips on how to solve crossword puzzles the easy way to veer them away from pent-up aggression and depression.

Experts say that solving crossword puzzles can drive people crazy. If you are one of those that could not last a day without having to solve as many crossword puzzles but you are having a hard time on it, here are some tips to maintain your sanity:

1. Keep in mind that it is just a game. One of the reasons why people solve crossword puzzles is to exercise their mind and to have fun. It is just unfortunate that some people find it as an addiction and curse themselves if they don’t solve a certain number of puzzles a day. For you not to be affected or depressed so much when you don’t solve the number you are eyeing for, keep in mind that it’s juts a game. If you don’t finish it today, you have the next day or the next after that to finish it. If you have this mindset, it will be easier for you to solve more number of crossword puzzles since you are lifting the pressure on yourself.

2. Solve it one puzzle at a time. Although for some people, bombarding themselves with so many crossword puzzles to be finished at a certain time work to be better solvers, it is not always the healthy way to go about it. It is best to solve it one puzzle at a time so you don’t put too much pressure on yourself in solving an amount that you really can't attain in a specific time frame. It is best to solve only the number of puzzles that you can. Through practice, you will be better and can solve more puzzles in no time.

3. Grab all the available opportunity to play it. Crossword puzzles in newspapers are handy as well as those that are compiled in books. For you to be a better solver, try to solve as many as you can whenever you can and wherever possible. If you are commuting on your way home, you can solve one crossword puzzle. If you are queued in a line for a movie or in a grocery store, you can also solve one. If you are using the computer, you can take some time off and play crossword puzzles online.

4. Start easy. In playing crossword puzzles, it is best to start with easy clues and move on with the more difficult ones. If you do this, it will be easier for you to answer the entire page since you did not get disappointed in answering the first ones.

5. Look for the favorite words of the author. In solving crossword puzzles written by a single author, it will be inevitable for the writer to use a common word in all of the puzzles. This word is referred to as the "favorite word" which oftentimes appear in almost all puzzles. If you were able to guess or find out the author's favorite word, it will be easy for you to start solving any of his or her puzzles.

How many times did we give up on crossword puzzles just because we cannot get the words right? There are people who keeps on answering crossword puzzles even if it would take them days, weeks and even months, just to finish them. How we wish we can finish more than one crossword puzzle.

Here are some tips we could use to solve crossword puzzles, fast.

• Never give up. That is the most crucial thing to remember. If you are having difficulties with a crossword, figure it out. Do not just throw it away and hate crosswords forever and curse people who can actually answer them.

• Do the easy crosswords first on your first try. There are newspapers whose crosswords become more difficult as the week progressed. So start with the Monday crossword (sometimes, easiest). You can buy a book. Just make sure that it is within your level.

• You can start with fill-in-the-blanks clues since they are sometimes easier to figure out. Work across and down together. Do not do them separately since they are totally related to each other. Also, it would become easier for you since there are already letters serving as additional clues.

• Boosting your vocabulary will help you solve the puzzle. People would carry pocket sized dictionary or thesaurus with them so they can easily identify the words.

• Answer those clues that you are sure about. After answering them, return again to the first clue. Since there are already words pencilled in the puzzle, there are additional letter clues that can help you remember the answer.

• Pay attention with the theme. Some crosswords would have the theme as the title. The theme can help you a lot with identifying the words. Sometimes the theme is not written as the title, it can be the longest word in the puzzle.

• Think outside the box. Crosswords make you think creatively and imaginatively. Answers are not literal.

• Ask for help. Do not be afraid in asking your friend, family or even the neighbour when answering crosswords.

What if you have encountered a clue ending with a question mark? Question mark clues are usually a pun or metaphor. In crossword, it the question is straightforward, then the answer could be a little difficult to figure out. While, trickier questions have easier answers.

Also take not of the tenses used in the clues. The tense used in the clues will require the same tense in the answer. Plural clues also have plural answers. Just remember that not all plural words end with an “S”. The answer will also reflect proper nouns. Words with capital letters are always proper nouns.

Improve your vocabulary and basic knowledge. You can watch trivial game shows and enhance your reading. Also there is a crossword dictionary. This would greatly help you. Just like any other sport, hobby or talent, proficiency improves through practice. So do not be afraid to take on crossword puzzles. Practice answering until you get familiar with it.

There would be moments when you will feel extreme frustration and anger for not getting or understanding any clues. If you have reached that point, then breathe for a while. Put down the crossword and get some fresh air. Drink coffee or tea. Eat lunch. Do something that would make you full refreshed. Sometimes just seeing something aside from the crossword puzzle, will make it easier for you to finish the entire thing.

If you’re familiar with crossword puzzles, then you know that a typical puzzle consists of white and black boxes. The white boxes would be where you will place the words that are hinted in the clues. But aside from the puzzle boxes you see in newspapers and other publications, there are other major variations of crosswords, some of which you might not have even encountered before.

Let’s go regional first. The American-style of crosswords is quite different from the British and Australian puzzles. For one, the American crosswords usually have word combinations were the letters eventually “check” each other. So if you figure out most of the across or down words, you’ll find that the answers for one direction is also basically filled out. Not like the American style, British and Australian crossword puzzles have the white boxes positioned in such a way that half or less of the letters check each other out. In a way, the latter two can be more difficult solve.

Another popular crossword in the UK is the cryptic crossword. This one can actually be more challenging. The reason is that the clues themselves are sort of little puzzles. So you actually try to solve the clues themselves before you get to the crossword.

Code breakers and code crackers are other names for a kind of crossword called cipher. Cipher crosswords are very different from cryptic puzzles. You see in cryptic puzzles, the clues are puzzles themselves but in cipher crosswords, the clues for the white boxes are replaced with number 1 to 26 which serves as a cipher for the letters of the alphabet. Numbers correspond to one letter and when filled out, the boxes should contain valid words. If you look at it, the cipher crossword puzzles seem to be closer to being codes than being puzzles.

Other crosswords include the diagramless and the fill-in crosswords. The former consists of finding out the answers to the clues and at the same time the location where they will place the answers on the puzzle grid. In this kind of puzzle, the clue numbers and black squares are not indicated. So this means, you have to see how your answers can be grouped together to produce additional answers from the clues provided. Meanwhile the latter one, the fill-in crosswords, consists of a list of words and a puzzle grid. The objective is to find how you can fit all the listed words on the grid in such a way that all the resulting words from each intersection are valid.

The cross numbers is another variation but as the name imply, the clues and answers are related to numerical values. The clues can be a mathematical formula where the answer to it is the one you will place in the boxes of the puzzle grid. Some questions or clues may refer to a year of an event or an important date. Whatever the clues are, numbers are usually the answers and depending on the difficulty, the intersections of the numbers can be valid entries as well.

There maybe other variations out there, but what were mentioned are the major kinds. Other crosswords might be just derivatives of those puzzles above. You can check all them out or just focus on the traditional one instead. But to add to the challenge, most people will try out different kinds of crosswords just to test their skills. Just remember to have fun.

Crossword puzzles have been used with children to improve their language and thinking skills. There are a lot of benefits among children like improved spelling, vocabulary, grammar skills, and even comprehension. It can even develop a lot or personalities like self-respect, overcoming challenges and developing patience among children. But how does it work for adults?

As people grow older, not only is it the physical body that we need to maintain and keep healthy. We also have to maintain and make sure our mind and spirit are healthy. Running and exercise is important for the body. Thinking and mental exercise is important for the brain. Keeping the mind active and alert can ward off dementia. Dementia is described as a decline on the brain’s function because of disease or just aging.

Mental exercises, like crossword puzzle, can be challenging. Questions are different from each other, daily there are different crosswords to answer. The mind functions and reacts differently for each question, making it function efficiently while answering the puzzle.

In the United States, a study which took 21 years showed that seniors who answers crossword puzzle four days a week has lower risk of dementia compared to those who are answering crosswords once a week. Seniors can develop their:

• Memory
• Attention
• Language
• Problem solving
• Remembering people’s names
• Remembering simple tasks and things, like time and channel for favourite shows

Forgetfulness and depression comes along with old age. There would be times you would be extremely sad since elderly cannot perform tasks that they used to perform. Also, numbers are showing that most people lose their memories. About 75 percent of senior citizens have memory-related problems.

You can also do crossword puzzles while drinking a cup of coffee or tea. By the way, coffee research showed that they can help revive the memory of the elderly who are 65 years and above. Coffee is best drank mornings and evenings.

Depression can also be addressed by having friends and family members over to do crossword puzzles. There are crossword clubs which you can join. Not only do crossword puzzles help the elders to expand their vocabulary, it would also help them be mentally alert. Both young and old can enjoy crossword puzzles.

Because of these reasons, there are brain exercise programs promoting the revitalization of our mental processes. There are brain training which are said to help seniors and adults who have memory problems. These brain trainings would claim they are a great help in fighting off Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. These brain training exercises are sold commercially. Actually their market is getting big fast. In 2005, their market was only worth $2 million dollars. Currently, it is hitting the &225 million mark.

Dr. Peter J. Snyder of Lifespan Affiliated Hospitals in Providence, Rhode Island, said in that answering crossword puzzles is probably just as effective or more effective than these commercial and formal brain training. You do not have to spend a lot of money by getting people to assist you in brain training. You can do it on your own.

Professionals like Dr. Snyder cited that participating in social and intellectual processes and activities, like playing with grandchildren, going out in senior get-togethers or luncheons, and doing crossword puzzles can help improve memory and brain function. The best thing is that these things that you can do are free.

Everything has there own conventions. Rules or guidelines are there to help maintain quality and ensure a uniform standard which becomes the basis of evaluation which promotes, eventually, further improvement or development. You might ask why the serious tone. We’re talking about crossword puzzles and the first few sentences you read are about rules and standards like I was talking about ISO standards that need to be followed. You have to pardon me for the seemingly out of place and an over reaction of an introduction. I was so accustomed at enjoying crossword puzzles that it never occurred to be that there are actually rules in making a crossword.

Yes, believe it or not, that small square of entertainment that you fill out in your daily newspaper does follow certain guidelines during the creation process. Although, it appears that the guidelines may differ depending on the editor of the entertainment section or the editor of the newspaper. For example, some newspapers will require crossword puzzle submissions to be of a symmetrical nature. This basically means you will get the same pattern from the crossword grid when you view it upside-down. But make no mistake, the symmetry is purely the reference for patterns only and does not really affect the answers in the puzzle.

Despite having no standardized guidelines for making crosswords, there are some well accepted rules that most papers follow.

One guideline that seems to be followed by conventional puzzle makers pertains to the use of black squares. Traditionally, only 16% of the squares in a crossword puzzle grid should be black ones. But today, editors and even the target audience frown upon a crossword puzzle with too many black squares clump together. Today the idea is to create a puzzle with as few black squares as possible. It is also now strongly suggested that puzzle solvers can go from one corner of the grid to another.

The minimum length of an answer in a crossword should be less than three letters. Two-letter words should be avoided. You should take care of not accidentally creating two-letter words from the intersecting words. When selecting words for the grid, you get the longest one and make sure that the across and down boxes are symmetrical. I do maintain that this practice is a personal reference. There are several crossword puzzles out there that are not symmetrical in any way. So it would be your decision if you want to publish an asymmetrical crossword grid.

Other guidelines include not repeating words in the grid. This is something that a puzzle maker should do. In the first place, there’s no need to repeat a word in grid since there are a lot of word or terms out there that can be used in a decent crossword. Repeating word entries is inexcusable. Also, inventing your words to accommodate a word resulting from intersecting answers is never allowed. Often, editors will require puzzle makers to produce their set of references for the answers they placed inside the crossword. Also, wrong spellings and punctuations in both the answers and clues are unacceptable.

Speaking of clues, you need to write concise clues. Avoid writing questions as clues. Such practice is often avoided unless absolutely necessary. When writing the actual clues, be sure that you follow proper grammar rules. The first word of each clue should be capitalized as well as proper nouns and names.

When making your own crossword, do not forget for whom you are creating the puzzle. Coordinate with them closely to see if they still have other specific rules and guidelines.

Crossword puzzles not only entertain you but can also increase the potential of your brain. Like any other mind games, crossword puzzles helps your brain to develop and enhance memory, concentration, and the thought process.

There are studies showing that consistent brain activity would keep your brain healthy and would ensure that your brain would function well as age affects our bodies. There are brain exercises that can be done to keep the brain functioning well. When strengthening the brain functions, the nerve cells in the brain needs to be strengthened too.

Using crossword puzzles and number puzzles help the brain to get stimulated. When done frequently, this would improve the brain’s functions. These kind of puzzles provide the brain with enough intensity that would strengthen and energize the nerve cells in the brain. You have to make sure that the brain gets stimulated with the right amount of time and intensity. Such practices can definitely be beneficial in the long run.

Even if you perform the same task everyday, like redoing a jigsaw puzzle that you have jus completed the other day, it would still be brain stimulation. Another thing about answering puzzles like crosswords and sudoku, you can track your improvement. Of course, the first time you try it, your performance may be a bit slow. But as you get used to it and able to adapt some techniques, then there would be changes on how you answer. When doing sudoku, you can test this by measuring the time while answering the puzzle.

Not only do crossword puzzles enhance the brain functions, but they can also help improve vocabulary. There would be instances where the crossword puzzles will ask about questions which are totally new to you.

Keeping your brain working can be done by answering puzzles that you see every morning with the local newspaper. If somebody is still using or answering the puzzles, then there are online games and websites which you can check. You can even print some puzzles to keep you in company for the next few days.

If you are somebody who does not feel enjoying crossword on your own, then there are crossword clubs that you can join. You can enter these groups. You can learn a lot from them and at the same time they can also learn something from you. Crossword clubs or organizations can be found in small or big groups.

When entering or joining any crossword group. You are still required to provide membership fees. It could be expensive, it can also be cheap. This depends on the size and difficulty of the crossword puzzle.

Crossword clubs can meet over coffee, they can also meet in a member’s home. The venues for meetings and socialization are important. These venues ca open or sometimes even close your brain to close down.

Crossword puzzles are not just adult games. Children can participate and answer their own crossword puzzles. They can also form their own club, children can set-up an organization in schools whose objective is to make sure that those who are playing crosswords can learn and impart their knowledge with thee groups.

Similar to improving your physical health through mobility and exercise, answering crossword puzzles also make sure that your mind is constantly being used and is purring nicely.