For close to three decades, Will Shortz has been a crossword Editor. Some folks refer to him as the “Puzzlemaster”. On 3rd March 2024, Mr. Shortz recorded a message about his health on the NPR Sunday edition. Shortz suffered a stroke and has been in rehabilitation since 2nd Feb. The message also read, “I’m making progress and looking forward to coming back with new puzzles”.
After Will Shortz’s message, Ayesha Rascoe shared a clip about his condition on the puzzle segment. Crossword lovers started to send their messages expressing love. Many wished him a quick recovery. Over the years, Shortz had been presenting on-air puzzles where the contestants play at home.
Pliska also wished Mr. Shortz a quick recovery and stated the team was looking forward to having him in the show. One of the fans wrote “Will Shorts and Ayesha have been good friends while playing puzzle on air. I look forward to playing with Mr. Shorts again.” The spokesman of the NYTimes, Mr. Cohen said “We keep in touch with Shortz”. He further said that Mr. Shortz was welcome to the show when ready.
His position was temporarily filled by the chief puzzle officer.
Will Shortz was first featured on Weekend Edition Sunday in the early 1970s. In 1993, Mr. Shortz served at the New York Times as a crossword editor. He’s the fourth person in history to hold such a position. Shortz’s love for puzzle games dates back to 1978. He worked at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament as the director. In 2006, Shortz served at the Games Magazine as an editor.
At 14 years old, Shortz sold the first puzzle. Following an interview with the Times, Shortz recalled writing a paper in 8th grade as a professional puzzle maker. Despite the critics, he didn’t give up. In 1974, he went to Indiana University to study a degree in puzzles. Shortz is the only person to earn a self-design degree in enigmatology (study of puzzles).