Mini Crossword (Times of India)

The Mini Crossword is the quick companion to the full crossword in TOI Games, the Times of India's puzzle section. The grid is five squares by five, with black squares in a pattern that changes from day to day, so a puzzle has between four and six answers of four or five letters. A solve usually takes a few minutes.

You pick a clue from the Across or Down list, or on a phone from the clue bar above the on-screen keyboard, and type your answer into the highlighted squares. The clues are a mix of plain definitions and fill-in-the-blank phrases. A timer counts up from the moment the puzzle opens, and a pause button stops it.

If you are stuck, you can reveal a single letter, which adds five seconds to your time, or reveal the whole puzzle for a larger penalty counted on the empty and wrong squares. An Auto Check box marks correct letters and mistakes as you type. When the grid is full you press Submit.

The puzzle plays free in the browser without signing in, on a desktop and on a phone. It sits on the Times of India news site, which carries advertising. It suits solvers who want a short daily habit and newcomers who find a full grid too much.