This wiki site is being replaced with a new home page for the League.




The NPL web site is at www.puzzlers.org.


The information below will be kept for a short while for archival purposes, but most of it is already on the new site.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Puzzles

Whatever wordplay delights you…palindromes, cryptograms, crossword-type puzzles, cryptic crosswords, anagrams, poetry writing, discovering the word SCHOOLED has the letters in the words SHOE and COLD perfectly interlaced…you'll probably find it in our monthly publication, The ENIGMA.

If you would like to see examples of the kind of puzzles that are published in The ENIGMA, then take a look at our online minisample. We have also begun a showcase of representative verse puzzles from current issues; or you might like to look at some of the_best_anagrams published in The ENIGMA over the last one hundred odd years. We are collecting member-written puzzles that are not all as easy or as verse-oriented.

Our Books

npl_cryptic_cross.jpg The NPL has published National Puzzlers' League Cryptic Crosswords, edited by Joshua Kosman (Trazom) and Henri Picciotto (Hot), Random House Puzzles & Games, ISBN 0812936604. This book is now out of print and available for download.

We have an introduction to solving Cryptic Crosswords where you can start.
The National Puzzlers’ League previously published
Hard-to-Solve Cryptograms by National Puzzlers League, Sterling, 2001, ISBN: 080695809X.

We have some more information on Solving Cryptograms.
npl_crypts_240.jpg

Solving tools

Several online tools for solving puzzles are now included on this site. The word finder and our collection of word lists are available to anyone. We believe we have the largest collection of searchable word lists found anywhere on the web.

We also have the Penrose Cryptogram Tools, but Brutus, our cryptogram solver, Password required is only available to Members.

Guide

We have a complete on-line version of the Guide to the Enigma, the bible of the NPL. In it, you'll find detailed descriptions of almost all the puzzle types found in The ENIGMA, helpful articles about solving and composing, and a history of the NPL (the NPL was founded in 1883, and is the oldest surviving organization of puzzle enthusiasts in the world).

We also have a collection of nonguide puzzle types created since the latest printing of the Guide. These pages provide descriptions and samples of the puzzle types. Puzzle types will be added as they appear in The Enigma.

This website also hosts the start list for the NPL website and other general questions.

:images:cons:con2009_2.gif

Conventions

The National Puzzlers' League hosts an annual convention in July of each year. The convention is in a different city each year, with cities selected two years in advance. Visit the convention site for the latest information. Our historical convention pages have a list of past NPL conventions, photographs, reports, and more.

Members

For reasons of privacy we are not including a membership list on this web site. The NPL has about 400 members, some of whom have been members for many years. Many of the top crossword constructors in the country are members. If you are already a member (or even if you aren't, but are just curious) you may be interested in pages for our members. These pages contain information mostly of interest to members, such as home page links, corrigenda for current issues of The ENIGMA and a set of hyperlinked recruitment histories.

Join Us

If you are interested, here's how to join. Or, perhaps, you just need to get in contact with us.

Related Organizations

We maintain a list of other organizations that may be of interest to puzzlers.