Packet of Puzzles
Upon arrival

When you register at the front desk, pick up your packet of word puzzles and contests created by Will Shortz. Answers and entries are due back at the front desk by midnight on Saturday, November 10.

The World’s Most Baffling Unsolved Codes with Elonka Dunin
8:45pm

A lettered sculpture in the center of C.I.A. Headquarters. A mysterious 500-year-old manuscript in Yale’s Beinecke Library. A 19th-century pamphlet describing a buried treasure in Virginia. An encrypted scrawl by the composer Edward Elgar. These are among the world’s most baffling unsolved messages. Cryptographer Elonka Dunin explains what we know about them and the unsuccessful attempts to find solutions.

Cookies and Punch in the Lake Lounge Followed by Scramble Scrabble
9:30pm

Gloria and Larry Rosenthal, the founders of Words Weekend, invented Scramble Scrabble as an exclusive, annual event for this special weekend. John Williams, former head of the National Scrabble Association, will help conduct it. Seven-member teams scramble to form words using giant tiles. The members of the team with the highest cumulative score after three rounds will each receive copies of The New York Times crossword books from St. Martin’s Press.

The Joy of Names with Richard Lederer
10am

Best-selling language author Richard Lederer reveals all you need to know about first names, last names, baby names, nicknames, cruel and unusual names, movie stars’ names, presidents’ names, eponymous names, funny married names, funny business names, and other onomastic curiosities.

Play Date with David Feldman
2:15pm

Gather in the Parlor to play a new boxed word game. Your choice of…

Blank Slate
Can you finish a one-word clue in a way that only one other player matches? For example, should you say “Stormy WEATHER,” “Stormy PETREL,” or…”Stormy DANIELS”? For 4-8 players. Courtesy of USAopoly.

Codenames
Rival spymasters offer clues to help teammates make contact with their agents, while avoiding falling into the enemy’s clutches. Picture version also available. Works great with 6 or more players. Courtesy of Czech Games.

Weird Things Humans Search For
Given the first half of a Google search, as collected through actual search histories, can you guess the second half? Get ready for some hilarious and surprising answers. Courtesy of Bananagrams.

Tea and Book Signing
4pm

Tea time in the Lake Lounge is year-round, but during Words weekend it’s also a book-signing session with the weekend’s authors.

Mohonk Puzzle Treasure Hunt
9pm

A team game by Greg Pliska. Come with a four-person team made of friends or family, or form a team when you arrive. Solve a set of interconnected puzzles and follow the clues hidden throughout the Mountain House. Prizes will be given to the first team to finish the hunt as well as one other successful team chosen at random.

All in the Rhyming: The Work and Play of a Musical Theater Lyricist
10am

Join Amanda Yesnowitz, 2018 Kleban Prize-winning lyricist, as she discusses the art and science of writing lyrics for the theater, including rhyme, structure, and song form, using her own work and examples from the canon. She’ll explain when to follow the rules, and when to break them. Sit back and be prepared to learn something new and be entertained by some of Amanda’s original songs.

Awards
10:45am

Will Shortz leads the awards program as he reveals solutions to the packet puzzles, reads the wittiest entries in the creative competition, and names the winners of all the weekend games. Triumphant winners will choose prizes from a wide array of puzzle books from St. Martin’s Press, reference books from Merriam-Webster, and assorted word games. Leave room in your suitcase!