Kreuzworträtsel (NZZ)

About Kreuzworträtsel (NZZ)

The Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the Zurich daily, runs a free games page whose crossword is renewed every day, with no sign-up, no deadline and nothing to print. The page is run for the paper by kr3m, whose mark appears beside the puzzles.

It is a Swedish-style crossword, the kind German speakers call a Schwedenrätsel. There are no clue lists: each clue sits in a grey square of the grid, such as Gipfel der Berner Alpen im Wallis or Nebenfluss der Aare, with an arrow showing the direction of its answer. Some squares are circled and numbered, and their letters, read in order, give the Lösung, the day's solution word. You click a square or move the cursor and type, and the game marks your progress as you go.

The NZZ says many of the questions are about Switzerland, so locals have an edge. The page also points to a second daily puzzle, an AI-generated crossword built from NZZ articles that appears at 10 a.m.

It suits German speakers who like an arrow-word crossword and a bit of Swiss general knowledge.

How to play Kreuzworträtsel (NZZ)

1. Open the NZZ Kreuzworträtsel page; no sign-up is needed.
2. Click an empty square or move the cursor to it.
3. Read the clue in the grey square next to it and follow its arrow.
4. Type the answer; crossing answers share letters.
5. Collect the circled letters in order to find the solution word.

Screenshots

Tips

• Start with clues about Switzerland if you know them; they are frequent here.
• Fill in short answers first: abbreviations and two-letter words unlock long ones.
• Keep an eye on the circled squares; the solution word can help with the last gaps.

Questions