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September 13, 2026 
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In his print introduction for today’s puzzle, Will Shortz wrote: “Frank S. David is a biotech consultant and professor at Tufts University, in Medford, Mass. His son, Henry Lin-David, is a writer in Pittsburgh. The two started brainstorming theme entries for this puzzle over the winter holidays two years ago. The 4 x 4 block of squares in the center looks like it’s cut off from the rest of the grid. But everything is connected, as you’ll see.” For more insight into this puzzle, read the Wordplay column.
Puzzles You May Have Missed
Crossplay Tip
Fork the board: If you want to avoid having the board closed down in a way that makes scoring difficult, you can “fork” the board by playing a word that opens up multiple areas at once. For instance, if you play NAIVEST to start a game, the V “forks” the board into two halves, since there are no two-letter “V” words to allow your opponent to make a parallel play that gums up the board. In contrast, opening with VAINEST may lead to your opponent’s parallel play of something like MATE (also making MI, AN, TE, ES). Note how the board is already getting blocked up, after just two turns! If you are behind in a game, forking the board may allow you to keep scoring opportunities open while you plot your comeback.
Connections Quandary
Here’s the hardest category from Sunday, Sept. 6. What connects these four things? See the answer in the P.S.
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Strands
Last week’s hardest Strands puzzle was OVER AND OUT(SIDE), from Wednesday, Sept. 9 — 82.58 percent of solvers were able to complete it.
Last week’s easiest Strands puzzle was IT’S A DEAL, from Monday, Sept. 7 — 90.15 percent of solvers were able to complete it.
Strands puzzles last week — from Sept. 4 to Sept. 10 — were slightly easier than those from the week before.
Wordle Weekly Recap
Hardest word: BEIGE, from Sunday, Sept. 6.
Average guesses: 4.44, with 15.78 percent of players solving in three or fewer.
Easiest word: BLIND, from Monday, Sept. 7.
Average guesses: 3.88, with 37.77 percent of players solving in three or fewer.
The Wordle answers last week — from Sept. 4 to Sept. 10 — were about the same level of difficulty than those from the week before.
Spelling Bee Hive
Overall, the Spelling Bee hives last week — from Sept. 4 to Sept. 10 — were harder than those from the week before. Of our subscribers who played last week, 36.45 percent hit Genius at least once.
Last week’s hardest puzzle: Saturday, Sept. 5 had the hardest pangram, with only 17.47 percent of users finding it.
Saturday’s pangram: NICKNAMING
Letter set: M A C G I K N
Relax With Us
This weekend, I’m thinking about my nose.
Several years ago, I was listening to an episode of the “Articles of Interest” podcast on perfume, and it made me realize that I’d been completely ignoring my sense of smell. But I wasn’t alone; a 2021 Times article referred to olfaction as “our most neglected sense.” Since then, I’ve been fascinated by everything that fragrance can teach us: how it can trigger intense memories, fears and delights. The first chapter of Ed Yong’s fantastic book “An Immense World” explores the many ways animals learn through smell. (And carry their own scents: Did you know that crested auklets — goofy, weirdo, adorable seabirds — smell like tangerines??) Scientists are still discovering new things about our noses.
So, this week I invite you to tap into your own olfactory world. Go smell some perfumes and see what feelings they spur in you, what images they pull from your imagination. I recently smelled one called “Scorpio Rising” by Eris Parfums and was transported to a cool, foggy hike in Muir Woods in November, feeling a breeze off the ocean hit my face. Another one called “Chergui” by Serge Lutens made me feel as if I was flirting with someone in a library full of old books. It’s taken me years to be able to put words to the nuances of scents, but my advice for you is simply this: Make it up, until it’s real.
