In the game of Scrabble, each of the common letters A, E, I, O, R, S and T is worth only one point. The rarer letters J and Q are each worth ten points. The daily crossword puzzle always includes several of each of those seven common letters. Puzzles seldom contain words with a J, Q or X. Scrabble players have a good incentive to form words with high-value letters---namely, they want to win the game. Crossword makers have no such incentive---they're just trying to fill a grid with legitimate words. Thus, I was impressed with today's puzzle because it included every letter of the alphabet except V. I wonder if Gareth Bain realized he used 25 letters. Probably not, or he would certainly have come up with a word that included a V so all 26 letters of the alphabet appeared.
For the second time in a week, the puzzle has 42 black squares. Thirty-two used to be standard, then 36. Forty-two is too many---the grids are starting to look like checkerboards!
