There is a site proposing a set of crosswords puzzles to fill, with some
test dictionaries (english and french):
http://4c.ucc.ie/~hcambaza/page2/page9/page9.html

All the grids below 19x19 are super easy to fill, but I'd like to propose a
little challenge on the 23x23 grids.
For example, the tenth 23x23 grid can be easily filled with the 'UK' lexicon
as follows:

DOWLAS#POPEYE#TAS#FRISK
ENHALO#INANER#UTTERANCE
LEISURECENTRE#ATONINGLY
MOP#LATTICED#STILET#REE
ANITA#NIDOR#CHARE#SWARD
RENO#WASES#BARRENS#ITO#
##TAWA#HAMARTIAS#OWLETS
PROSAIC#DITONES#GRALLAE
RESTSTOP#CLOAK#GARGOYLE
EPHEMERAE#ASP#REVIEW###
SEARS#IGNITE#MORELS#MRS
TAPS#CAUDAL#BARELY#PEEP
OLE#FUNRUN#TORINO#ORTHO
###PERDIE#MES#ETCETERAS
WHISHTED#MENSE#SKITTISH
IONOMER#GARDENS#SLEECHY
SUCCES#CONSERVER#ARNA##
#SRI#TRANTED#ERECT#SLUR
SEEDS#EMERY#PRESA#LEPRA
ALA#LAMINA#LEMNISCI#SAI
VISUALISE#CAREATTENDANT
ENERGISES#ACCITE#REALIA
SERES#ESS#NEALED#EDEMAS

My program is able to get this solution after having placed 352 letters (and
deducing the remaining ones with the CSP algorithm I explained a few days
ago).

However, with the 'words' lexicon, my program doesn't find any solution in a
reasonable amount of time (that is less than 5 minutes).
The best it could achieve is to place 190 connected letters in the 462 empty
cells.

Here is the tenth grid:
______*______*___*_____
______*______*_________
_____________*_________
___*________*______*___
_____*_____*_____*_____
____*_____*_______*___*
**____*_________*______
_______*_______*_______
________*_____*________
_________*___*______***
_____*______*______*___
____*______*______*____
___*______*______*_____
***______*___*_________
________*_____*________
_______*_______*_______
______*_________*____**
*___*_______*_____*____
_____*_____*_____*_____
___*______*________*___
_________*_____________
_________*______*______
_____*___*______*______
The word lists are here:
http://4c.ucc.ie/~hcambaza/page2/page9/assets/Dictionaries.zip
use the file 'dictionaries/words'

Of course, no duplicate words are allowed on the grid.

Anyone to take this challenge ?
Is it possible to fill this grid ?

JC


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