July 1st, 2026

Today's puzzle traced a loop of cities defined by the water and high ground around them. Singapore, guarding the strait at the Malay Peninsula's tip, has long thrived as a maritime crossroads much like Vancouver, whose harbor sits hemmed in by coastal mountains on the Pacific Rim. Inland, Zurich anchors itself at the edge of its namesake lake, a perch that helped it grow into a global banking center, while Tirana shelters beneath Mount Dajti's slopes as Albania's political heart. Finally, Maseru rounds out the set as a river-border capital, its position on the Caledon marking the edge of landlocked Lesotho.