The clue from today's PLAY crossword that stumped our expert solver - USA Today
As much as I love games like crosswords and Sudoku, I've never been much of a fan of chess.
Or, more accurately: I've never actually learned to play chess. It's always seemed too challenging and tedious for my liking, far better suited for someone with a brain for numbers than me, a word lover who barely survived high school math class.
Most of the time, my lack of chess prowess doesn't impact my life; after all, it's not like one needs to be an expert on the game in order to enjoy a show like "The Queen's Gambit" or be entertained by a high-stakes cheating scandal. But occasionally, I find myself wishing that I was a true chess fan – especially while solving crossword puzzles.
Because so many chess-related words are fairly short (PAWN, KING, MATE, and so on), they're frequently used in puzzle grids. Over my years of solving, I've picked up a bit of chess knowledge, like the fact that "corner piece" often means ROOK and that FORK isn't only a utensil, but a two-piece attack. But sometimes, I still end up stumped, as happened when I tackled today's USA TODAY crossword puzzle.
The clue, 15-across, reads "Japanese game similar to chess." And while technically, that's not about chess, there's no doubt that solvers who play the game are far likelier to know the answer (which, as I later learned, is quite popular both in and out of its home country). It took solving the other words that crossed with the clue for me to get to the right word, frustratingly adding to my finish time.If you're a chess fan, perhaps you'll have better luck! And maybe it's finally time that I try my hand at the game and see what all the fuss is about (but don't judge me if I end up back with a Checkers set before long).
Rachel Simon is the PLAY writer for USA TODAY, bringing you the inside scoop behind our crosswords, games, horoscopes, and comics. Have thoughts on this story? Email her at RSimon@USAToday.com and subscribe to our PLAY newsletter to get more content like this in your inbox every week.
