Saturday Workshops
The Saturday workshops are one of the most popular aspects of our Puzzle Fest events. This year, the workshops will be held on Saturday, January 29th in the Program Room of the Morgan Hill Library from 10:30am-5:30pm.
(Subject to change)
| Start | End | Presenter | Topic |
| 10:30am | 11:00am | John Bennett | Pentagrids |
| 11:10am | 11:50pm | Thomas Snyder | How I Solve Puzzles |
| 12:00pm | 12:30pm | Wei-Hwa Huang | Cryptic Crossword Refresher |
| LUNCH BREAK | |||
| 1:45pm | 2:30pm | Kenneth Berniker | The Rules of Crossword Construction, and How They Are Broken |
| 2:45pm | 3:30pm | Mark Diehl | Variations on a Theme |
| 3:45pm | 4:30pm | Tyler Hinman | Diagramless & Acrostic Puzzles |
| 4:45pm | 5:30pm | Guda Venkatesh | The Future of Puzzles in the Digital Age |
-- plus workshops for kids in the Teen Study Room
2pm Sudoku for Kids Dave Holmstrom
4pm Word Puzzles for Kids Dave Holmstrom
Pentagrids
John Bennett
Pentagrid Puzzles were created by John Bennett in October 2009 while doodling at a restaurant. They are a cross between pentomino puzzles and the color-square game. Solving the puzzles requires both deductive logic and visual-spatial reasoning. In this workshop, you will be introduced to the rules of the puzzle, try a few puzzles, and
explore different strategies that can be used to solve them. The first volume of the puzzles is available now and the second volume is on the way.
John Bennett is a middle school and high school math teacher in the Bay Area and a homeschooling father of three kids (soon to be 4). He uses logic puzzles and strategy games in the classroom (and at home) to supplement the traditional mathematics curriculum. He created Pentagrid Puzzles in 2009 and self-published his first volume in 2010. Please visit pentagridpuzzles.com for more information or email John at iwannabigbrain@gmail.com.
How I Solve Puzzles
Thomas Snyder
Follow along with Dr. Sudoku himself, world champion puzzle competitor and creator Thomas Snyder, as he solves puzzles on the big screen giving tips and explaining his approaches to Sudoku, common Sudoku variants like Killer Sudoku, and other logic puzzles.Thomas Snyder is a two-time World Sudoku Champion and five-time US Puzzle Champion, as well as the author of several books of puzzles including TomTom Puzzles. His puzzles are hand-crafted, with artistic themes, serving as a kind of “cure for the common sudoku.” Each week he posts a new puzzle on his blog, The Art of Puzzles. Away from puzzles, Thomas is currently a postdoctoral researcher in Bioengineering at Stanford University and aspires to develop technologies that can transform medicine from treating disease to preventing its occurrence.
Cryptic Crossword Refresher
Wei-Hwa Huang
Whether you just need to brush up on cryptic clue types before the bonus round in Sunday's tournament or are completely baffled by these challenging puzzles, this workshop will help you learn some tips and tricks for solving these popular puzzles. Cryptic crosswords involve learning more rules compared to ordinary straight crosswords, and the deciphering of the solution requires working out the straight definition as well as the wordplay involved in the clues.Wei-Hwa Huang is an award-winning American puzzler, author of puzzle books, and member of the US Team for the World Puzzle Federation.
Lunch Break
Explore downtown Morgan Hill for many lunch options. Maps and suggestions will be provided.
The Rules of Crossword Construction, and How They Are Broken
Kenneth Berniker
Kenneth J. Berniker is a physician, writer, editor, and avid bridge player. His crossword puzzles have appeared in the New York Times, LA Times, Games magazine, and elsewhere. He aimed for the top with his first attempt at constructing a puzzle for publication, but promptly violated a fundamental rule of crossword construction, so the subject of "crossword puzzle rules" holds special interest for him.
Variations on a Theme
Mark Diehl
Join cruciverbalist and lexicographer Mark Diehl for a riff on the different types of themes commonly found in crossword puzzles.Mark Diehl is a full-time dentist with the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto for the past 33 years. When time allows he constructs crosswords for The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other venues including Silicon Valley Puzzle Fest. Along with Kevin McCann, Mark co-authored the 800+ page 21st Century Crossword Puzzle Dictionary in
2009.
Diagramless & Acrostic Puzzles
Tyler Hinman
In diagramless crossword puzzles, you not only have to decipher the clue, but figure out where to put the answer. Acrostic puzzles (or acrostics for short) are similar to crossword puzzles, but thought by many to be quite a bit more challenging since the clues can be a bit more vague, playful or just downright obscure than clues one might find in an average crossword puzzle. Five-time American Crossword Puzzle Tournament champion Tyler Hinman will share tips and tricks for solving these puzzles.Tyler Hinman was one of the featured players in the award-winning 2006 documentary film Wordplay, the film that inspired Puzzle Fest. In addition to his solving prowess, Tyler has created original puzzles for publications including The New York Times and The Onion. He is also a contributor to the CrosSynergy Syndicate.
The Future of Crosswords in the Digital Age
Guda Venkatesh
When they're presented on computers, crossword puzzles aren't constrained by paper size and paper's two-dimensionality. What changes will the digital age bring to crossword puzzles and solvers? Come join in an interesting discussion on the future of puzzles in a world of mobile devices, social networks, and other new ways of creating and enjoying the puzzles we love.
Guda Venkatesh is the founder of Literate Software (maker of Across Lite). You can learn more about it at www.litsoft.com.
Sudoku for Kids
Dave Holmstrom
Kids of all ages will enjoy this workshop, aimed at introducing Sudoku to novices and improving the skills of Sudoku beginners. The workshop will start with a pre-test, so that kids can be grouped together and taught at their level. Presented by Dave Holmstrom, an educator with the American Institute of Mathematics. Dave also runs Morgan Hill
Game Nights the last Wednesday of each month (unless otherwise specified) in the El Toro Room at the Morgan Hill Community Center.
Word Puzzles for Kids
Dave Holmstrom
This year's tournament will feature a variety of word puzzles for kids (in addition to one round of crosswords). Come learn about the different kinds of puzzles that will be used as well as other types that may tickle your brain.
