🧩 What If Math Class Had More Puzzles?

Dear Reader, 

You’re reading the monthly newsletter from Amuse Labs, covering the world of puzzles, publishing, and updates to PuzzleMe™, the most advanced digital platform for smart games. 

NCTM, KenKen & Amuse Labs Add Puzzles To Schools

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) is bringing puzzle-solving into math class. Its new initiative with KenKen® and Amuse Labs introduces math-based logic puzzles into classrooms across grades 3–12, giving students a chance to practice arithmetic, logic and deduction as they work through each grid. The puzzles are tailored to the operations students are expected to master at each level, with addition-only grids for grades 3–5, addition and multiplication for grades 6–8, and addition, subtraction, multiplication and division for grades 9–12.

The partnership builds on KenKen’s natural fit for mathematical reasoning, asking students to use logic and deduction alongside the mathematical operations they’re learning. NCTM has also published an article in Mathematics Teacher, its journal for mathematics educators, exploring how KenKen can be used to build reasoning skills in the classroom. Learn more about the NCTM KenKen initiative.

Nexus Consulting: Five Puzzles, One Final Answer

Nexus Consulting, a premier trivia and content firm based in India, and a long-time partner of Amuse Labs, recently organized this year’s annual employee engagement initiative for a global investment and technology development firm. The latest edition brought together roughly 122 teams of three across Bengaluru, Gurugram, and Hyderabad for a competitive multi-stage event.

The online qualifying round featured five distinct puzzles, all powered by PuzzleMe: a FIFA World Cup host cities crossword, an AI-themed word search, an Independence Day jigsaw, a Slide puzzle, and a final Decipher challenge. The first four puzzles each revealed a word through their completion messages: “Journey,” “Thousand,” “Miles,” and “Step.” Put together, they gave teams the key to the final Decipher puzzle, revealing the proverb, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Scores across the five puzzles were then used to select teams for an in-person finale featuring treasure hunts, word puzzles, and Meccano-style model-building challenges. With prizes on the line and a successful run this year, it’s no surprise the players are already looking forward to doing it again next year!

Lion Summit: Build Direct Relationship with Readers

It’s easy to think games are valuable in and of themselves. And they are. But they can be much more than that. A lesson from the Lion Publishers 2026 Summit in San Diego this month was that most local publishers are seeking a direct relationship with as many readers as possible. 

Todd Stauffer, executive director of AAN Publishers, in a talk on digital revenue highlighted the importance of obtaining email addresses from readers. He encouraged publishers to evaluate the revenue potential of their websites vs. their newsletters and ultimately subscriptions. His point was that newsletter CPMs were much higher than website CPMs. And newsletters were often the next step in some people deciding to subscribe, which is even more valuable. Games are a great way to get people to submit their email address, because in doing so, it ensures persistence across sessions and devices and much more reliable solving stats, such as streaks and times. You can see a good example of this at the Los Angeles Times Games, where reader accounts are tied to User IDs to enable persistent sessions and solving stats. Learn how to do this with PuzzleMe here.

From the Crossworld

PuzzleMe Spotlight

A selection of updates from PuzzleMe, the most advanced digital platform for word and logic games

1. Keep Solvers Sliding with Smart Hints

Slide puzzles are great for visual engagement, but tricky tile arrangements can sometimes leave players stuck. PuzzleMe now offers a Smart Hint feature for Slide puzzles, that when used, shows solvers how to make each move and why it’s made. 

This gives solvers a way to understand the puzzle’s spatial mechanics on the fly, while giving them a push to keep going without giving away the solution. Try it out now, and learn more about Smart Hint here.

2. Construct Codeword and Marching Bands From Scratch in the Creator

Two PuzzleMe formats that earlier needed to start with a JPZ or XML file can now start with a blank creator form. PuzzleMe has introduced dedicated creators for both Codeword and Marching Bands formats. 

Instead of having to use external tools, constructors can build these games directly via their dashboard. This is part of our efforts to make it easier for curious constructors to dabble in new formats and publish fresh games for their solvers.

3. Difficulty Levels for Jigsaw

A Jigsaw doesn’t have to be one-size-fits-all. With PuzzleMe, creators can offer up to three difficulty levels for a single puzzle by setting up different row and column counts for each level.

Solvers can choose their level from a dropdown before they begin. The same image can work for someone looking for a quick solve and someone who wants to spend a little longer piecing it together. Learn more about Jigsaw difficulty levels.

About Us

Amuse Labs is the creator of PuzzleMe™, the leading digital platform for Smart Games. It is a B2B SaaS company trusted globally by brands and publishers, powering Crosswords, Sudokus, Jigsaws, Quizzes, Word Searches and more. Explore opportunities to partner by sending a note or applying if you’d like to work with us!