A prototype crossword compiler
P. D. Smith · The Computer Journal · 1981
This paper describes a system which compiles partial crossword puzzles, it produces diagrams containing interlocking words selected from a dictionary. The input to the compiler is a diagram of blank and blocked squares and an attempt is made to fill this using whole word insertion. The use of bit lists and heuristic tree searching enables non-trivial puzzles to be produced in reasonable time.