The 7 × 7 is our biggest daily size. Of its 49 squares, 9 to 13 are black, which leaves 36 to 40 to fill with 14 or 16 answers of three to seven letters. The clues use our hardest difficulty setting.
Allow about 5–10 minutes. The black squares cluster in the corners, and in some layouts one sits in the very center. Clear the short corner answers first, then use their letters to work toward the longer entries through the middle of the grid.
Want a warm-up first? Start with the 5 × 5 daily, or try the 6 × 6 before coming back for the full 7 × 7.