The New York Times Mini Crossword Now Has a Paywall, but There Is a Way to Play

I’m a fan of the New York Times Mini Crossword — a sporty, streamlined companion to the newspaper’s legendary regular daily crossword. Typically, the Mini Crossword (we publish the answers daily) has roughly a dozen clues to work through — six across-clues and six down-clues — and you can complete it in less than a minute if all goes well. 

But in late August, some Mini Crossword players suddenly ran into a paywall. From that point on, anyone who doesn’t pay for a Times subscription with a Games package has been required to subscribe if they want to continue solving the Mini Crossword.

Naturally, players were… well, what’s a five-letter word for bummed out? UPSET?

“Each day that passes, a bit of happiness is placed behind a paywall,” wrote one Reddit user.

Your library is your friend

If you just can’t afford a Games subscription, log in to your local public library.

I’m in Seattle, and the Seattle Public Library offers library cardholders free online access to its expanded New York Times subscription, which includes Games access and access to other Times divisions, such as Cooking and The Athletic.

Source: CNET.