Midi Crossword (Los Angeles Times)

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A themed ten-by-ten crossword from the LA Times, between the mini and the full puzzle.

on latimes.com

The Midi Crossword title card from Los Angeles Times Games: the game's small crossword-grid icon beside the words Midi Crossword

The Midi Crossword is the Los Angeles Times' middle-sized daily crossword: a 10x10 grid with around 35 answers and a theme named in its title. It takes longer than a mini but far less time than a full 15x15, and the last two weeks of puzzles stay available.

About Midi Crossword (Los Angeles Times)

The LA Times games page has three daily crosswords, and the Midi sits between them. The Mini is a 5x5 you finish in a minute or two; the Daily Crossword is a full syndicated puzzle. The Midi is a 10x10 grid with roughly 34 to 38 answers, enough room for a real theme: each puzzle has a title such as Flimflam or Plant-Based Foods, and the longer answers play on it.

Each day's grid is new and the same for every solver. The current puzzles are credited to Bart Gold. It runs on the Amuse Labs PuzzleMe player inside latimes.com, with a clue list, check and reveal tools and a timer, and a date picker that keeps about two weeks of past Midis. Signing in to an LA Times account adds streaks and achievements such as speed and record badges.

It suits solvers who find the mini too short and the full crossword too long for a weekday, and anyone who likes working out a theme from a title.

How to play Midi Crossword (Los Angeles Times)

Open the Midi Crossword page on latimes.com/games and press Play.
Read the puzzle's title: it hints at the theme behind the longer answers.
Click a square or clue and type your answers; Tab or the arrow keys move between entries.
Use the crossing letters and the theme to fill the harder answers, with check or reveal if you get stuck.
Pick an earlier date from the list to play a Midi from the last two weeks.

Tips

Solve a few short crossing answers first, then guess the longest themed entry from the title.
The theme answers usually sit in symmetrical spots, so one solved theme entry tells you where the others are.
If you play all three LA Times crosswords, the Midi makes a good warm-up for the full puzzle.