Jack Joshi, Jackson Janes and Adam Aaronson started creating a crossword for the Times in 2020. After months of work, they submitted it to the newspaper in November 2020.
In February of 2021, the trio received a call from the paper saying their crossword would be accepted and printed. The puzzle was finally published in Tuesday's paper.
This is the first time they have collaborated on making a crossword puzzle, but the three friends are avid puzzlers and Aaronson has a particular affinity for crosswords. He has had nine other crosswords published in various outlets.