Niskayuna student designs New York Times crossword puzzle

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NISKAYUNA — A Niskayuna high school senior designed the New York Times crossword puzzle in the paper’s Thursday edition.

Elise Corbin not only created the puzzle for the paper’s Feb. 2 edition, but was interviewed by the publication to discuss her puzzle-making process.

“I’m very curious about the world around me and I enjoy learning about all the little interesting ways in which it works, and I like to think of crossword puzzles as a supplement to that,” Corbin told the New York Times in the interview. “They’re a way for me to take an idea or a concept and have a little fun with it.”

The New York Times has published its daily crossword puzzle since 1942, with the Niskayuna teenager the latest author to plot out a puzzle.

“There are often multiple ways to express ideas in a puzzle, so when I’m not sure exactly how I want to design the theme, I try building multiple different grids and see which one fits the theme best and is easiest to fill and solve,” she told the New York Times about her process.

New York Times: 60 Seconds With Elise Corbin