March-April 2015 cryptic puzzle by John de Cuevas

Solve the most recent creation of puzzlemaker John de Cuevas ’52.

"Playground" solvers

(The first ten are listed in the order their solutions were received, the others alphabetically)

  1. Brian McCrady – Newmarket, Ontario, Canada Stephen Throop – Grover, NC
  2. Stephen Throop – Grover, NC
  3. Donald R. Spaulding – Mount Kisco, NY
  4. Cathy Childs – Pompano Beach, FL
  5. Ken Johnson – Springfield, MO
  6. Dorothy Juhlin Bank – Hillsborough, NC
  7. Richard Harrison – Portland, OR
  8. Judy Adamski – Jenison, MI
  9. David L. Ratner '52 – Larkspur, CA
  10.  Steve Gunter – Raleigh, NC

Dale Ashworth – San Francisco, CA
Al Backiel – Ridgewood, NJ
Tom Barnet – Spartanburg, SC
Barry Brandes – Purdys, NY
Jim Christenson – Port Townsend, WA
Susan Courter – Macomb, IL
Keith and Elizabeth Falkner – Sarasota, FL
Paul Fees – Cody, WY
Joe Fendel '95 – Berkeley, CA
Dina Fertig – Cherry Hill, NJ
Gail Findlay – Austin, TX
William Flis – Philadelphia, PA
Stan Francuz – Somewhere in Australia
Warren Fraser – Marmora, Ontario, Canada
Richard Friedman – Silver Spring, MD
Lewis Gee – Poway, CA
Michael N. Geselowitz – Cedarhurst, NY
Greg Hartgraves – Mitchell, SD
Dave Kaplan – New City, NY
Eliot Kieval '84 – New York, NY
Kevin J. Kinne – Peoria, IL
Stan Kurzban – Chappaqua, NY
Jesse and Debbie Levine – Acton, MA
Dave Libby – Concord, MA
Daniel J. Milton – Vienna, VA
Mark Navarrete – Quezon City, the Philippines
Mary Lyndal Nyberg – Manhattan, KS
Tom Polokonis – St Louis, MO
Harold Porosoff – Scarsdale, NY
Charlie Pritzlaff – Silver Spring, MD
Arnold Reich – Bronxville, NY
Ned Robert – Los Gatos, CA
Joe Rogers – Old Greenwich, CT
Mordy Rosen – Berkeley, CA
Al Sanders – Fort Collins, CO
Michael Savitz – Newton, MA
Joe Schrader – Hillsboro, OR
Wayne Scott – Jamaica Plain, MA
Steve Tice – Great Falls, VA
Thomas Wilson – South Williamsport, PA
Jay Winter – Farmington Hills, MI

You can find all puzzles published in Harvard Magazine between 1986 and 1998 at John de Cuevas's website‚ www.puzzlecrypt.com‚ under Harvard Puzzles. You will also find additional puzzles and contact information there and can subscribe to his mailing list.

Related topics

You might also like

Harvard Magazine March-April 2024 Scavenger Hunt

March-April 2024 Print Issue Scavenger Hunt

Using puzzles to teach physics

In his freshman seminar, Cumrun Vafa uses puzzles to help students understand complex physics.

Paolo Pasco and the art of making crosswords

The Harvard undergrad—who published a puzzle in the New York Times as a high school freshman—creates clues in his spare time.

Most popular

Harvard Weathers a Year of Turmoil

The federal government has launched unprecedented actions against the University. Here’s a guide.

The 1884 Cannibalism-at-Sea Case That Still Has Harvard Talking

The Queen v. Dudley and Stephens changed the course of legal history. Here’s why it’s been fodder for countless classroom debates.

Harvard art historian Jennifer Roberts teaches the value of immersive attention

Teaching students the value of deceleration and immersive attention

Explore More From Current Issue

Two laboratory researchers, one seated and one standing, in a scientific lab with equipment.

The stakes are high for this husband and wife: one of them will die if they don’t find a cure.

A busy classroom filled with students working at computers, colorful decor, and a bright atmosphere.

In 2004, a frenzy spread across Harvard Yard in days. Four billion users later, we are only just catching up.

Modern building with large glass windows, surrounded by greenery and pedestrians.

A roundup of University news from the summer of 2026