‘I’ve outlasted them all’: the spectacular life of the world’s most powerful crossword editor

The New York Times' Will Shortz has appeared on The Simpsons, written riddles for a Batman villain and sold over 1m copies of a sudoku book. He talks hate mail, controversial clues and why puzzles are like drugs

Every day thousands of people vie to outsmart one man: Will Shortz, the New York Times's crossword editor of almost three decades.

Crossword fanatics - or cruciverbalists", in the parlance - must get their fix, and they prefer to get it from a man whose puzzle is considered the gold standard. Depending on a puzzler's skill and temperament, and on the day of the week (Monday puzzles are easiest, Saturdays hardest), that puzzler may race to the finish, surging with triumphant dopamine, or shatter a coffee mug against a wall.