One of the few felicitous happenstances of 2020 was the debut of a new puzzle on the New York Times website, called Vertex. It takes connect-the-dots to a whole new level. Here’s what one looks like:
Here’s the way it works (from the NYT):
Draw lines between points to create triangles.
- Connect vertices to create triangles and assemble an image.
- The number on a vertex shows its remaining connections.
- Triangles will fill in if they are correct.
- Double tap a vertex to clear its connections.
When you first start it, it gives you a tutorial, with easier puzzles, and then more challenging ones. Then you’re on your own, doing the daily puzzle. I love love love it– it’s non-verbal, which is nice, given that we’re processing text a lot of the time. It’s visual and spatial, which I enjoy. And over time, you develop some know-how about the ways the puzzle makers fashion their creations, and can take pleasure in completing the puzzle using the approaches you develop yourself over time.
You might now be thinking:
On the other hand, you might be thinking:
If you are in the latter camp (or even the former, but have some time to kill), you might enjoy that the NY Times has jumped on the at-home exercise bandwagon. Here’s a recent Vertex puzzle.
Here’s the after shot:
Who knows what other at-home themes the Vertex folks will come up with? Check it out if you’re curious. It’s a fun break from the world of words, and a nice brain workout.
Readers, are any of you doing more puzzles these days? Have you recently started doing some puzzles? Which ones? Are they a good thing for you? I’d love to hear from you.
