I play Scrabble passibly well. I can do most crosswords passibly well. I'm pretty good at cryptograms. The NYT crossword puzzle drives me crazy. I have a friend that is good at doing crossword puzzles including the NYT but doesn't play Scrabble very well. We've been playing on a weekly basis for about nine months and she has shown improvement but still has a ways to go. As in any game, Scrabble requires strategic thinking, competetiveness, and luck. Crossword puzzles don't. I've dabbled in constructing crossword puzzles and have had no luck at it.