Whether you’re looking across or down, everyone seems to have a puzzle these days – and so does The Independent, coming every other Saturday courtesy of local creator Daniel Mangoubi with Cambridge- and Somerville-themed answers among the solutions.
Mangoubi, a data and research specialist at Harvard’s Baker Library who lives in Somerville’s Union Square, can be found around town biking on the Community Path, performing improv comedy or at home with his cat, Daya, where several times a week – “it depends how busy I am, or how bored I am” – he relaxes with a puzzle from The New York Times or Los Angeles Times.
It’s a habit that started during the Covid pandemic, then with roommates. “We’d put them up on the TV and do them together,” Mangoubi said.
That led to creating his own games through a free platform called Crosshare, often with clues meaningful only to people who know our cities. “I think of the places that I go and I love around Somerville and Cambridge, and how I can incorporate them into a themed crossword,” Mangoubi said. “Then it’s a lot of letter counting to see what clue and answers match up to form a nice grid.”
Crosshare is open to all, and Mangoubi welcomes fellow puzzle builders with locally themed games. To submit, read through the guidelines and send email to LocalXWords@gmail.com.
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