Book excerpt: A complete introduction to solving diagramless crosswords, featuring dozens of puzzles! Diagramless puzzles (crosswords where the black squares aren't included, and solvers must figure out where they go) have been a popular crossword variant for decades, but they only appear rarely in newspapers and magazines. This means that there's a shortage of puzzles out there for diagramless fans. But this also causes another problem: if you've never solved a diagramless crossword before, they can seem intimidating, and there aren't a lot of opportunities to practice them. This book offers beginners extra help with solving, while offering plenty of puzzles for everyone. The extensive introductory guide woven through the book will provide step-by-step instruction, and some of the tips and tricks might be new even to veteran solvers. Starting a diagramless puzzle is the most challenging part, so multiple hints for each puzzle will help smooth the way for new solvers, while experienced solvers can go it alone without any hints for maximum challenge or pick and choose as they wish. Puzzles will start out easy and get more challenging, with crosswords of many different sizes and shapes included--and each grid's shape relates to its theme, adding to the solving satisfaction.