#243Friday, November 1, 2024
Strands answers for November 1, 2024 — “Strategy game” (#243)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for November 1, 2024 (puzzle #243) is CHECKMATE, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Strategy game". The 8 theme words are BISHOP, BOARD, KING, KNIGHT, PAWN, QUEEN, ROOK and TIMER.
Where is each answer on the November 1 Strands board?
Here are all 8 theme words from the November 1, 2024 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 9 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BISHOP | 6 | row 5, column 4 | row 5, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| BOARD | 5 | row 3, column 3 | row 3, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| KING | 4 | row 8, column 4 | row 5, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| KNIGHT | 6 | row 1, column 4 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| PAWN | 4 | row 8, column 6 | row 6, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| QUEEN | 5 | row 8, column 3 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| ROOK | 4 | row 2, column 2 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| TIMER | 5 | row 4, column 1 | row 7, column 2 | top to bottom |
| CHECKMATE | 9 | row 1, column 3 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the November 1 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 9 words tile all 48 cells of the November 1, 2024 grid.
Spangram — 9 letters8 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads O-O-C-K-H-T, row 2 reads K-R-E-H-N-G, row 3 reads D-O-B-C-S-I, row 4 reads T-R-A-K-I-H, row 5 reads I-G-M-B-P-O, row 6 reads M-E-N-A-N-W, row 7 reads N-R-U-I-T-A, and row 8 reads E-E-Q-K-E-P.
How hard was the November 1 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #243 comes out average, ahead of 48% of them.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the November 1 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #243 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Natalie Erjavec. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the November 1 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on November 1, 2024?
The Strands clue for November 1, 2024 is “Strategy game”, on puzzle #243. It is answered by the spangram CHECKMATE, and all 8 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on November 1, 2024?
The 8 Strands theme words for November 1, 2024 are BISHOP, BOARD, KING, KNIGHT, PAWN, QUEEN, ROOK and TIMER, plus the spangram CHECKMATE.
What was the big word in the November 1, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for November 1, 2024 is CHECKMATE, 9 letters long, running from row 1, column 3 to row 8, column 5. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Strategy game” mean?
The Strands theme “Strategy game” for November 1, 2024 means CHECKMATE — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 8 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands November 1, 2024?
Strands puzzle #243 has 8 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the November 1, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #243 rates average on a computed index, harder than 48% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on November 1, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, November 1, 2024 is #243, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in November 2024, part of the full Strands archive.