Encore (Mind Loft)

About Encore (Mind Loft)

Encore is the long crossword in Mind Loft's word set: nine squares by nine on weekdays, with around twenty-six answers, so it takes a few minutes rather than a few seconds. Clues are short and fair, like Lights out, Cake's top or Honking flock, and the answers are everyday words.

Every grid is fully checked, meaning each letter belongs to both an Across and a Down answer, so a crossing always confirms you. You type to fill, use space to switch direction, tab to jump between clues and enter to check a full grid. When you press Check grid, wrong squares turn red and each failed check counts against you on the leaderboard, which ranks fewest checks and then fastest time. A hint button is there if you need it.

A new grid arrives every day at midnight Eastern, and the Sunday Edition grows to eleven by eleven with around forty-four answers. For a quick solve, Emcee is the five by five version.

How to play Encore (Mind Loft)

1. Open Encore and press Start; the timer begins.
2. Choose a clue from the Across or Down list, or tap a square, and type the answer.
3. Use space to switch direction and tab to move to the next clue.
4. Fill every square and press Check grid; fix any red squares and check again.

Screenshots

Tips

• Because every square is checked, an uncertain answer can always be confirmed by its crossings.
• Start with short three and four letter answers in the corners.
• Check only once the grid is full and you are fairly sure; failed checks count.

Questions