It’s nearly impossible to enter any classroom at Benilde-St. Margaret’s without encountering a multitude of students solving the daily New York Times games. Students are filled with excitement and, at times, frustration while attempting to successfully complete these puzzles. BSM students never lack the incentive to complete the game they are attempting, making it their mission to beat their peers/classmates and even teachers at times. Whether collaborating with others or working individually to tackle these challenges, students are always entertained. While the more “well-recognized” games like the Wordle, the Mini, or Connections are routinely a hot topic of conversation in the hallways, the latest conversation/buzz has been concentrated on the brand new game to the NYT’s most adored list: Strands. Strands can be described as a variation of the classic word search, in which players are tasked with finding a selection of words within a larger puzzle. While hints are available and letters can be connected in unique ways, students have expressed varying opinions on this new challenge.
A more recent player of Strands, senior Hannah Antonio is continuing to navigate the nuances of the game, finding it difficult to interpret the “theme” or category each day. “It’s still really new to me as of right now. I like it but not as much as the other games because it’s harder,” Antonio said.
Though still enjoying the game, its lack of intuitiveness prevents Strands from making it into Antonio’s favorites of the New York Times Games. “I wish the categories were more specific because I feel like sometimes it’s too vague or broad, and I can never get the word. I always have to use the hints, so the Wordle and the Connections are my favorites,” Antonio said.
Tackling Strands every weekday she is at school, senior Elisabeth Malrait tends to enjoy the challenging nature of this new puzzle but does find it too elaborate at times. “ I think it’s really fun because it’s one of the harder ones, but sometimes it’s a little too hard,” Malrait said.
Although Malrait and Antonio share a common favorite New York Times game in Connections, Malrait considers Strands to be amongst her favorites. “I like Strands a lot, so I would say Strands or Connections is definitely my favorite,” Malrait said.
Although enjoying Strands, Malrait wishes the hints were more beneficial, mentioning that they aren’t always straightforward, as one would expect them to be. “The clues aren’t truly clues. They’re hard and they don’t help you. You’ve got to figure it out yourself,” Malrait said.
Despite having differing views on certain aspects of the Strands game, students express an overall contentment with the puzzle and determination to tackle its twisted clues. Though just breaking through the surface as a New York Times challenge, it is likely that Strands will emerge as another favorite amongst BSM students.