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New York Times Debuts the Midi Crossword, Its In-Between Puzzle

Is the Mini Crossword too easy, but the original one just too time-consuming? Here's your new puzzle.

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Headshot of Gael Cooper
Gael Cooper
CNET editor Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." She's been a journalist since 1989, working at Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, Twin Cities Sidewalk, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, and NBC News Digital. She's Gen X in birthdate, word and deed. If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
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Gael Cooper
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The new Midi Crossword isn't as time-consuming as the original New York Times crossword puzzle, but definitely takes longer to solve than the Mini Crossword.

 NYT/Screenshot by CNET

The daily New York Times Mini Crossword can be solved in a minute or so, while the newspaper's iconic original crossword puzzle might take hours. Now, puzzlers who want an in-between diversion can try a new puzzle from the Times, introduced this week -- the Midi Crossword puzzle. (And CNET readers can get daily answers for five Times puzzles -- Wordle, Connections, Strands, Connections: Sports Edition and the Mini Crossword.)

New York Times Games subscribers can play the Midi in the New York Times Games app for iOS and Android devices, or on mobile or desktop web. It's online-only, not in the print newspaper. 

"We're really leaning into the digital-first nature of the puzzle," NYT Games Puzzle Editor Ian Livengood said in a Times article about the new puzzle. "About once a week, the puzzle will have a visual effect -- an extra flourish when you start or after you solve. This could be a cool animation or colorful shading."

As the name "Midi" suggests, this is a mid-sized crossword puzzle. Where the Mini Crossword usually only has 5 Across and 5 Down clues, the Midi is usually a 9-by-9 puzzle, sometimes as long as 11-by-11.

"If you feel like the Mini is not enough but the Daily is too much, this will be the perfect puzzle for you," Livengood said.

Each Midi Crossword has a theme that hints at the topics of the clues and answers. Unlike the other puzzles, Livengood says the Midi might occasionally have two-letter words and repeating answers.

I tried the Midi Crossword

I tried Wednesday's Midi Crossword and solved it in just over 3 minutes. That's much longer than I spend on the Mini Crossword, but much faster than the original New York Times crossword puzzle takes me. 

I thought most of the clues were pretty simple, and the few tricky ones filled themselves in once I moved from Across to Down.

If you're a New York Times Games subscriber, this is a nice addition to your daily puzzle stable. It tests your mind a bit more than the Mini, but you can also solve it while watching TV or waiting for someone to text you back.