From his first published grid in 1994 through to record-breaking projects and English-language publications: more than three decades of word games.
The passion of Alex Toth for crossword puzzles began at the age of 16. At first he simply solved them, but curiosity soon turned into a new challenge: creating grids of his own.
The first attempts did not succeed. A grid submitted to the Bucharest magazine „Rebus Tim” was rejected, and the editors explained the mistakes that needed correcting. Rather than give up, Alex chose to learn from every remark and to persevere. The effort paid off in April 1994, while he was still in secondary school, when he published the first grid of his crossword career („Shakespeare în aforisme și cugetări”) — an achievement earned through persistence and self-directed study.
From those first published grids onwards, his path was marked by constant refinement and by the ambition to compose ever more compelling word games, taking on a wide range of themes and developing, over time, a style of his own.
His passion for this world led to a remarkable body of work: more than 20,000 pieces published over the course of his career, not only locally but nationally, in specialist magazines, making him one of the best-known authors of word games in Romania.
Among the most significant achievements are „Deșteaptă-te, române!”, a crossword 80 metres long, considered at the time of its making the longest in the world, and „Deschide-ți inima, sunt la fel ca tine!”, a striking grid of 4.5 × 2.7 metres containing 25,633 words, likewise created to draw the attention of the Book of Records.
His creativity has also taken shape in distinctive themed projects. „Integrama iubirii” (The Crossword of Love), exhibited at the Mureș County Library in Târgu Mureș, brought together some 1,500 words and the phrase “I love you” in 50 languages, turning a simple grid into a universal message about human closeness. Other projects have included a multilingual crossword 16 metres long, composed in Romanian, English, French, Spanish, German and Italian; a crossword in the shape of Romania, dedicated to the National Day; and an English-language crossword titled „Europa suntem noi!”, conceived as a miniature map of Europe.
The work of Alex Toth has extended into publishing as well, through volumes such as „Eminescu în rebus”, devoted to the life and work of the great Romanian poet, and „Rime încrucișate”, a collection of grids inspired by the writing of 25 Romanian poets.
His editorial portfolio also includes „Cealaltă Românie”, a collection of stories about people from Mureș who made their mark and achieved remarkable things abroad, as well as „Cum am tras armata în piept”, drawn from experiences and episodes lived during his military service.
Today Alex Toth continues to create publications and bespoke projects, exploring new themes and reaching a wide range of audiences.
The year 2025 brought four significant editorial projects: “The Most Beautiful Crosswords – Puzzles About US Presidents”, regarded as the first English-language crossword publication produced in Romania; “The Most Beautiful Crosswords – Puzzles About Charlie Kirk”; “The Most Beautiful Crosswords UMFST 80”, marking the 80th anniversary of the „George Emil Palade” University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology in Târgu Mureș; and „Cele mai frumoase integrame despre animale”, a publication aimed at children and nature enthusiasts.
Through these projects the author reaffirms his commitment to promoting the culture of word games, and to showing that the crossword can be adapted successfully to the most varied fields, themes and generations.
Every piece begins from the same conviction that has guided him from the outset: that a word game can be, at one and the same time, an intellectual challenge, a source of learning and a genuine pleasure for those who discover it.
