Hello from David Kwong!

Welcome to my newsletter on all things magic and puzzles.

Greetings magic and puzzle lovers. In this newsletter I’ll be sharing some of my favorite illusions, puzzles, and fun stories from the history of magic and puzzledom. I’ll also include a cryptic crossword contest in each issue, and recommendations for puzzles and magic tricks from friends and colleagues. Last, I’ll include a puzzle each week for you to solve, often an original crossword puzzle!

In this newsletter:

• The Afterparty Season 2 Puzzle Hunt

• Cryptic Crossword Clue Contest

• A Mind Game on The Today Show

• An Original Crossword for you (Solve it!)

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The Afterparty Season 2 Puzzle Hunt

The finale of The Afterparty Season 2 just dropped on AppleTV+ on Tuesday. Did you figure out whodunnit?

In Season 1, Dave Shukan and I hid secret messages in every episode, helping viewers workout who the killer was. In Season 2 we did it again and included a bonus secret Puzzle Hunt.

Here’s an example of one the “not the” puzzles from this season. Kudos to the Reddit Board that cracked everything! The below itinerary revealed four airports:

Marin County Gnoss Field in CA,
Senador Petronio Portella in Brazil,
Fairchild Air Force Base Spokane, WA
Lajes Praia da Vitória, Portugal

If you looked up those airport codes you would find: NOT, THE, SKA, TER or “Not the skater.”

But there’s more! Also in each episode was a hidden flower. That flower allowed viewers to unlock a single puzzle of the Puzzle Hunt. The Puzzle Hunt is comprised of 8 puzzles plus a meta. The Hunt is entirely standalone (you don’t need any knowledge of the series to solve it). Give it a whirl! The Puzzle Hunt is here.

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Cryptic Crossword Clue Contest

In every newsletter I’ll be posting a fun little contest. Reply in the comments to this discussion thread with your best cryptic crossword entry. Like your favorites! I’ll post the winners with the most likes in the following newsletter.

This week, reply with your entry for SCARLET

Example:

Red car left in collection (7)

Include your entry and vote here in the discussion thread!

I’ve also included an explanation of how cryptic crosswords work in the discussion thread.

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A Mind Game on The Today Show

Did you catch my latest appearance on The Today Show? I performed this routine to promote The Enigmatist at The Kennedy Center. Sorry to state the obvious.

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An Original Crossword For You

Here’s a brand new crossword for you to solve. Play it now. Would love to hear your thoughts!

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Events

Interested in booking me for your next event? More info here on private parties, corporate speaking & performances and team-building puzzle hunts.

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Upcoming Shows

After a completely sold out run at The Kennedy Center, The Enigmatist next moves to Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier in May 2024. The Windy City, get ready for the puzzle party! More info here.

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Puzzle Hunt Playing Cards

Enigmas: Puzzle Hunt Playing Cards. Included within this unique deck are four very special puzzle cards. Solve them all to unlock an online Puzzle Hunt! Available here.

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