American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
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with a 15×15 grid layout.
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The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is a crossword-solving tournament held annually in 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;[citation needed] the 2009 event attracted nearly 700 competitors. The 35th annual event is set for March 16–18, 2012.
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 tournament traditionally begins on Friday evening with social games and a wine and cheese reception. More social games are played on Saturday evening, many being adaptations of television game shows.
[edit] Participants and divisions
Anyone can participate, though registration is limited. Participants complete as members of at least two divisions, with prizes awarded based on division. All participants are members of Division A and are members of a regional division; those 25 years old or younger, or at least 50 years old, are also members of an age division. Membership in the remaining division (Divisions B-E and the Rookie Division) is based on the participant's past or present tournament status.[1] For the purposes of prizes contestants compete simultaneously in all divisions for which they are eligible, with no more than one cash prize per contestant.
The 11 regional divisions include ten U.S. divisions and a "Foreign" division for the rest of the world.[2] Geographically, three of the 10 U.S. divisions — West, Midwest, and South — span most of the country. The remaining seven divisions are in the northeastern United States, with three of the seven located in the state of New York.
| Division | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Everyone | |
| B | Contestants who have not won a Division A or Division B prize during their last seven tournaments | |
| C | Contestants who have not finished in the top 20% during their last three tournaments | |
| D | Contestants who have not finished in the top 40% during their last three tournaments | |
| E | Contestants who have not finished in the top 65% during their last three tournaments | |
| Age Divisions |
Juniors | 25 years and under |
| Fifties | 50–59 years old | |
| Sixties | 60–69 years old | |
| Seventies | 70–79 years old | |
| Seniors | 80+ years old | |
| 11 Regional Divisions (locations in italics are for illustrative purposes only) |
||
| (Northeast) | New York City, Long Island, Westchester/Upstate New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Other New England, Other Mid-Atlantic | |
| South | Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida | |
| Midwest | Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio | |
| West | Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas | |
| Foreign | (outside of the United States) | |
| Rookies | Contestants competing for their first time. Rookies are not eligible for "D" or "E" prizes. | |
[edit] Format
The main part of the tournament consists of seven rounds, each featuring a puzzle that all competitors solve. There are three rounds in the late morning and three in the early afternoon on Saturday, and the seventh round is on Sunday. Puzzles vary in size and difficulty from round to round. The puzzles are commissioned by Shortz from the top constructors in crosswords, with the fifth puzzle being the hardest from among the first six, and the sixth puzzle traditionally being the work of veteran New York Magazine crossword constructor Maura B. Jacobson.[citation needed] The two three-round sessions consist of puzzles with 15, 17 and 19 squares in each row and column respectively. The Sunday puzzle is appropriately 21 x 21 squares, the size of regulation Sunday puzzles in newspapers. 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 of 15 × 15 size on an oversize 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 solvers hold a sheet of clues and write their answers on the grid with a dry-erase marker for all to see. Accuracy and speed are important as the competitors are ranked on fewest mistakes, then time. 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,[citation needed] for their division titles.
[edit] Tournament history
As of 2011, there are six multiple winners:[citation needed] Jon Delfin (7 tournaments), Douglas Hoylman (6), Tyler Hinman (5), David Rosen (4), Trip Payne (3), and Dan Feyer (2).
| Year | 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 |
| 2010 | 644 | Brooklyn, New York | Dan Feyer |
| 2011 | 655 | Brooklyn, New York | Dan Feyer |
[edit] 2006 documentary
The 2006 documentary Wordplay, directed by Patrick Creadon, focuses on Will Shortz and the 2005 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 (an increase of 200 contestants) at the 2007 event[3], which necessitated the subsequent move to Brooklyn.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.crosswordtournament.com/info/brochure.htm#who
- ^ http://www.crosswordtournament.com/info/brochure.htm#who
- ^ Capsule History of the Tournament, www.crosswordtournament.com. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
