*DO* TRY THIS AT HOME: The 2022 ACPT Puzzles
For passionate crossword enthusiasts, the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is a major event. But with the next ACPT roughly six months away, what’s a hard-core cruciverbalist to do? We suggest you try solving all the crossword puzzles from this past year’s tournament!
This year’s ACPT, the 44th, took place in Stamford, Connecticut from April 1 to 3. It was the first in-person tournament held since the pandemic upended life just a few years ago, and more than 470 people attended. For many, it was as much an opportunity to reconnect with old friends as it was to solve some amazing crosswords.
The organizers, led by founder Will Shortz, scheduled plenty of other fun stuff for attendees to enjoy, including a talk by Josh Wardle, inventor of the popular word-guessing game Wordle, and the presentation of the MEmoRiaL Award—named after the beloved cruciverbalist Merl Reagle. This year’s award went to Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, the well-known puzzle constructing duo. (For an in-depth look at what it was like to attend this year’s APCT, check out Donna Talarico’s recent article, “Rookie Mistakes & Memories,” which appeared in the August issue of GAMES WORLD OF PUZZLES.)
But the ACPT’s raison d’être is the puzzles. Every attendee solves seven crosswords in common. These puzzles are created specifically for the tournament by some of the country’s most talented constructors. This year’s lineup was: Gary Cee, Joel Fagliano, Tracy Gray, Christina Iverson, Brendan Emmett Quigley, Mike Shenk, and Robyn Weintraub. The eighth and final puzzle, solved by the top three contestants in each category, was created by Wyna Liu, an artist and puzzle constructor based in New York City.
We won’t sugarcoat it: These are challenging puzzles. In fact, regular ACPT attendees speak with dread about puzzle number 5, a notoriously tough crossword designed to separate everyday solvers from the handful of elite, speed-solving brainiacs who routinely make it into the tournament’s top 10 competitors. Amazingly, 32 of this year’s contestants solved all seven puzzles with no mistakes.
But there’s no reason you can’t enjoy them. In fact, we urge you to give them a shot. Who knows? Solving these crosswords at home, at your leisure, may even inspire you to register for next year’s ACPT, which is scheduled to take place from March 31 to April 2, 2023. (For more information, see here: www.crosswordtournament.com.)
Still need some encouragement? Perhaps it’d help to hear from this year’s champion, Tyler
