American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
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The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is an annual crossword-solving tournament held annually late February or early March. Founded in 1978 by Will Shortz, who still directs the tournament, it is the oldest and largest crossword tournament held in the United States; the 2009 event attracted nearly 700 competitors.
The contest was held for 30 years at the Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut, but due to its increasing popularity, the 2008 tournament moved to the larger Marriott Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn, New York.
The main part of the tournament consists of seven rounds, each featuring a puzzle that all competitors solve. Puzzles vary in size and difficulty from round to round. Tournament judges score the solved puzzles based on accuracy and speed, then the puzzles are scanned, scored, and ranked.
After these seven rounds, the top three solvers in the top three divisions progress to the final round, which consists of solving a very difficult crossword on an oversized grid on a stage at the front of the tournament room. The competitors in this round wear noise-blocking headphones so that a team of commentators can remark upon the action for the spectators. The winner of this round is declared the tournament champion. The top three competitors in the B and C divisions also compete on the same puzzle, though with different sets of clues, for their division titles.
While anyone is eligible to compete for the tournament championship, prizes are also awarded to solvers in other skill divisions, including rookies. Prizes are also awarded in various age and geographical divisions.
[edit] Wordplay
The 2006 documentary Wordplay, directed by Patrick Creadon, focuses on Will Shortz and the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. It includes interviews with many of the top competitors and climaxes with the final round of the 2005 tournament. The DVD release includes video from the final round of the 2006 tournament. Shortz credits the film as the main reason for the dramatically increased attendance at the 2007 event, which necessitated the 2008 move from Stamford to Brooklyn.
[edit] Tournament history
| Year | No. Contestants | Location | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 149 | Stamford, Connecticut | Nancy Schuster |
| 1979 | 154 | Stamford, Connecticut | Miriam Raphael |
| 1980 | 128 | Stamford, Connecticut | Daniel Pratt |
| 1981 | 125 | Stamford, Connecticut | Philip Cohen |
| 1982 | 132 | Stamford, Connecticut | Stanley Newman |
| 1983 | 146 | Stamford, Connecticut | David Rosen |
| 1984 | 115 | Stamford, Connecticut | John McNeill |
| 1985 | 110 | Stamford, Connecticut | David Rosen |
| 1986 | 130 | Stamford, Connecticut | David Rosen |
| 1987 | 118 | Stamford, Connecticut | David Rosen |
| 1988 | 137 | Stamford, Connecticut | Douglas Hoylman |
| 1989 | 134 | Stamford, Connecticut | Jon Delfin |
| 1990 | 143 | Stamford, Connecticut | Jon Delfin |
| 1991 | 149 | Stamford, Connecticut | Jon Delfin |
| 1992 | 172 | Stamford, Connecticut | Douglas Hoylman |
| 1993 | 192 | Stamford, Connecticut | Trip Payne |
| 1994 | 216 | Stamford, Connecticut | Douglas Hoylman |
| 1995 | 232 | Stamford, Connecticut | Jon Delfin |
| 1996 | 239 | Stamford, Connecticut | Douglas Hoylman |
| 1997 | 255 | Stamford, Connecticut | Douglas Hoylman |
| 1998 | 251 | Stamford, Connecticut | Trip Payne |
| 1999 | 254 | Stamford, Connecticut | Jon Delfin |
| 2000 | 286 | Stamford, Connecticut | Douglas Hoylman |
| 2001 | 310 | Stamford, Connecticut | Ellen Ripstein |
| 2002 | 401 | Stamford, Connecticut | Jon Delfin |
| 2003 | 495 | Stamford, Connecticut | Jon Delfin |
| 2004 | 478 | Stamford, Connecticut | Trip Payne |
| 2005 | 455 | Stamford, Connecticut | Tyler Hinman |
| 2006 | 498 | Stamford, Connecticut | Tyler Hinman |
| 2007 | 698 | Stamford, Connecticut | Tyler Hinman |
| 2008 | 699 | Brooklyn, New York | Tyler Hinman |
| 2009 | 684 | Brooklyn, New York | Tyler Hinman |
Multiple winners include Jon Delfin (7), Douglas Hoylman (6), Tyler Hinman (5), David Rosen (4), and Trip Payne (3).
