ROOKIE MISTAKES & Memories

You know that feeling when you’re the best at something, at least within your family or among your friends, and then you finally find yourself surrounded by others who also excel at that task and you suddenly realize that you’re just “kind of okay”? That was me at my first American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT). But I knew that going in. Far from being a speed solver, I had realistic visions for my rookie experience: It was simply about doing something new, no matter how well I did.

Over the years, I’d seen ads for crossword tournaments and other game gatherings but I’d never thought seriously about attending. Even though I keep seven-day home delivery of my local newspaper, primarily for the puzzles,I wasn't adevoted solver. But my love of crosswords was reinvigorated during the pandemic. I also developed a mild fascination with the mechanics of crossword construction. After being particularly amused by one puzzle’s cluing, I searched for the constructor on Twitter. From there, I followed other constructors, as well as podcasts and publications dedicated to crosswords. I even started toying with construction myself.

I also knew that my friend Sven was planning to attend his first ACPT. When he confirmed that he’d be registering for the in-person 2022 event, I decided I would, too. Sven lives in Massachusetts, and I’m in Pennsylvania; so we hatched a