Will Shortz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Will Shortz
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Shortz in March 2023
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| Born |
William F. Shortz
August 26, 1952 Crawfordsville, Indiana, U.S.
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| Other names | The Puzzlemaster |
| Education | Indiana University Bloomington (B.A.) University of Virginia (J.D.) |
| Occupation | Crossword editor Table tennis center owner |
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Notable credit(s)
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New York Times puzzle editor (since 1993), NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday puzzlemaster (since 1987) |
William F. Shortz (born August 26, 1952) is an American puzzle expert and crossword editor. He is best known as the crossword editor for The New York Times. He also hosts a puzzle segment on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday.
Shortz created the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. This is the oldest and largest crossword competition in the United States.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Will Shortz was born on August 26, 1952. He grew up on an Arabian horse farm in Crawfordsville, Indiana. From a young age, he loved puzzles. When he was 13, he asked a famous puzzle author for advice on a puzzle career. By age 16, Shortz was already creating crossword puzzles for magazines.
Shortz went to Indiana University. In 1974, he earned a special degree in enigmatology. This is the study of puzzles. He is the only person known to have a college degree in this field. He designed his own courses to learn about the history of American word puzzles. He also earned a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1977. However, he chose to work with puzzles instead of becoming a lawyer.
Shortz has written or edited over 100 books about puzzles. He also owns a huge collection of puzzle books and magazines. This collection has more than 20,000 items. Some of them date back to 1545. It is said to be the world's largest private puzzle library.
Career in Puzzles
Shortz started his career at Penny Press Magazines. Then he worked at Games magazine for 15 years. He was even the editor there for a while.
In 1978, Shortz started the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. He has been in charge of it ever since. In 1992, he also founded the World Puzzle Championship. He helps lead the U.S. Puzzle Team too.
Since 1987, Shortz has been the puzzle master on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday. He hosts a segment called the Sunday Puzzle. In this game, the show's host and a listener work together to solve a puzzle.
In October 1993, Shortz became the crossword editor for The New York Times. He was the fourth person to hold this important job. In 2009, he helped bring the KenKen puzzle to The New York Times. He also helped create a puzzle publication called Will Shortz' WordPlay.
Besides his puzzle work, Shortz is a very good table tennis player. Since 2009, he has co-owned the Westchester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville, New York. He has played table tennis every day for many years.
Challenges and Discussions
Throughout his career, some of Shortz's puzzle choices have caused discussions. Sometimes, people have felt that certain words or clues were not appropriate. Shortz has sometimes apologized for these decisions.
In 2020, many puzzle creators and solvers wrote a letter to The New York Times. They asked the newspaper to address issues of fairness in its puzzles. They wanted to make sure puzzles were welcoming to everyone.
Honors and Awards
- On May 3, 2008, Shortz gave a speech at his old university, Indiana University. He talked about choosing a career you enjoy.
- In May 2010, he received an honorary degree from Wabash College.
- In 2012, he won the Sam Loyd Award. This award recognized his efforts to make mechanical puzzles more popular.
- In May 2016, he gave a speech at the University of Virginia Law School.
- In May 2018, he received another honorary degree from Indiana University.
Personal Life
Will Shortz lives in Pleasantville, New York. He often works from his home. He is a big fan of table tennis. In May 2011, he opened a large table tennis club in Pleasantville with a friend. He once set a goal to play table tennis every day for a year. He ended up playing for over 10 years straight!
In his free time, Shortz enjoys riding his bike, reading, and traveling. He also loves collecting old puzzle books.
In February 2024, Shortz had a stroke. He received medical care and began rehabilitation. By April 2024, he had returned home and continued therapy. While he was recovering, another editor, Joel Fagliano, helped with The New York Times crossword. Shortz returned to editing the crossword on December 30, 2024. As of July 2025, he is still doing therapy.
