There are spoilers ahead. You might want to solve today’s puzzle before reading further! We Are the Champions (Freestyle)
Constructor: Matthew Stock
Editor: Amanda Rafkin
What I Learned from Today’s Puzzle
- GUKESH DOMMARAJU (30A: Grandmaster who became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion in December 2024) GUKESH DOMMARAJU became a chess grandmaster at the age of 12. (He is currently the third-youngest person to attain that rank.) Last December, at the age of 18 he defeated Ding Liren at the World Chess Championship, and became the youngest person to hold the title of World Chess Champion. GUKESH DOMMARAJU was born in India, and has been playing chess since he was seven years old. My husband plays a lot of chess, so chess news always catches my attention. I remember reading in December that the new World Chess Champion was the youngest person to achieve that title, but I didn’t remember his name. I’m happy to learn more about GUKESH DOMMARAJU.
- ZARA (63A: Fast-fashion brand headquartered in Spain) ZARA was established in Spain in 1975, selling lookalike products of higher-end fashion brands at a lower price. The company expanded to the United States in 1989. ZARA was originally named Zorba after the 1964 movie Zorba the Greek, but the company changed its name after learning there was a bar named Zorba two blocks away.
Random Thoughts & Interesting Things
- CINDERELLA TEAM (20A: Squad making an underdog March Madness run) It’s always exciting to root for the CINDERELLA TEAM. This clue just missed being published during the March Madness aka the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
- BOTTOMS (24A: 2023 comedy about two high school girls who start a fight club) I have previously written about BOTTOMS. The movie stars Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri.
- EWAN (26A: Actor McGregor) Sir EWAN McGregor’s acting credits are many and include the dual role of brothers Ray and Emmit in the third season of the TV series Fargo (2017), the title role in the miniseries Halston (2021), and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise.
- LEAH (46A: Author and chef Chase) LEAH Chase (1923-2019) was a chef based in New Orleans. In 2018, the restaurant LEAH and her husband founded was named one of the 40 most important restaurants of the last 40 years by Food & Wine magazine. The restaurant, named Dooky Chase for her husband, was a gathering place for Civil Rights Movement participants in the 1960s, and was known as a gallery due to its extensive collection of art by Black artists. LEAH Chase authored three cookbooks: The Dooky Chase Cookbook (1990), And I Still Cook (2003), and Down Home Healthy: Family Recipes of Black American Chefs (1994). I’m always happy to see the name LEAH in the puzzle, as that’s my daughter’s name.
- NEALE (64A: Author Zora ___ Hurston) Zora NEALE Hurston (1891-1960) was an author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. Her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, was published in 1937. The book was adapted into a TV movie of the same name in 2005.
- SOS (65A: Palindromic “help!”) and TNT (66A: Palindromic sports network (Abbr.)) I enjoyed this palindromic pair.
- ISLAM (11D: Religion that follows the teachings of Muhammad) In ISLAM, Muhammad is considered to be a prophet and a messenger of God. Muslims believe the Quran, ISLAM’s central text, was revealed to Muhammad by God.
- ATLANTA (22D: The Peach State’s capital) ATLANTA is the capital of Georgia. One of Georgia’s nicknames is “The Peach State.”
- BLITZ (45D: ___ chess aka speed chess) There are several variations of speed chess – rapid chess, BLITZ chess, and bullet chess – each of which allows players a different amount of time to make their moves. In BLITZ chess, each player has ten minutes or less to make all of their moves in the entire game! This clue is a nice tie-in with GUKESH DOMMARAJU.
- RIMES (50D: Country singer LeAnn) LeAnn RIMES began her country music as a child. Her country album, Blue, released in 1994 (when she was 13 years old), reached the top of Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart. LeAnn RIMES has also crossed over into pop and gospel music. Her most recent album, God’s Work, was released in 2022.
- MONAE (“Hidden Figures” actress Janelle) The 2016 movie, Hidden Figures, tells the story of NASA mathematicians Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. It is loosely based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s 2016 non-fiction book of the same name. Janelle MONAE played the role of aerospace engineer, Mary Jackson, in the movie.
- A few other clues I especially enjoyed:
- HO HO (5A: Hostess treat that sounds like something Santa would enjoy)
- WAIT LIST (55A: Queue that people join until new spots open up)
- ALMOST CERTAINLY (60A: “95% sure that’ll happen)
- BOWLS (40D: Tries to knock pins down in an alley)
Crossword Puzzle Theme Synopsis
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS (Freestyle): There’s no theme today, as this is a freestyle, or themeless, puzzle. The title is a nod to CINDERELLA TEAM (20A: Squad making an underdog March Madness run) and GUKESH DOMMARAJU (30A: Grandmaster who became the youngest-ever World Chess Champion in December 2024).
I enjoyed this puzzle, even though I now have “WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS” – the 1977 song by Queen – stuck in my head! I enjoyed learning GUKESH DOMMARAJU’s name. I’m guessing Matthew had a nice “Aha!” moment when realizing GUKESH DOMMARAJU was 15 letters long, making it a perfect grid-spanning entry. Thank you, Matthew, for this delightful puzzle.
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