MARCHING BANDS: [ PDF] [ JPZ]
PROGRAMS: [Adobe Reader] [Crossword Solver]
For those that don't know, I write roughly 294 puzzles a week, give or take a handful. I don't sleep. I'm just a machine that cranks these things out all the [expletive] time. And one of those umpteen puzzles is a biweekly Marching Bands. All serious puzzle connoisseurs know the form. Crossword Jesus Mike Shenk invented it, and according to our friends over at Crossword Fiend, I've mastered it.
For the uninitiated, here are the instructions:
In this themeless variant, answers appear in two different directions, Rows and Bands. Each Row has two answers side by side with no black square separating them (except for row 7). And Each band starts at the lettered square and goes around the grid clockwise, one answer after another all the way around the circle. Every square appears in two answers.
Simple enough. Anyway, enjoy this puzzle. And if you're interested in signing up for this feature, year six (where'd the time go?) starts up on April 27th! $15 gets you a year of these puzzles (PayPal or Venmo (@TheBEQ) preferred). Hell, if you've got time on your hands, and you want any of the previous years, tack on $10 for each additional year (up to five to choose from), or $30 for the entire batch. All right? All right.
Share the puzzle. Themeless Thursday is on deck.
Brendan Emmett Quigley creates custom-made puzzles for all occasions: birthdays and bar mitzvahs, anniversaries and retirements. You name it. Need a puzzle for your website or your publication? He can do that, too.
Brendan's custom work clients have included The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, BeerAdvocate, Boston Magazine, De Beers, The Decemberists, ESPN, The Improper Bostonian, Lollapuzzoola, McSweeney's, Phish, Reflexive, The Smithsonian Magazine, St. Martin's Press, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, and Andrew Weil.
Call (617) 2-999-BEQ or click 
