the American Crossword Puzzle tournament

how the american tournament is organized and run

The ACPT is held once a year every March. It's reputed to be the oldest and largest U.S. crossword puzzle tournament held anywhere. Members consist of those who organize the event and those who play. The Tournament was founded in 1978 by Will Shortz, editor of The New York Times crossword puzzle feature.

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Anyone interested in the agony of defeat or the ecstasy of crossword puzzle fun is welcome. While everyone from experts to amateurs is eligible to compete for the tournament championship, prizes are also awarded to solvers in other skill levels, including rookies. Prizes are awarded in various age and geographical divisions as well. You just have to sign up.

• Are you a solver? Why not register to attend the next session? Register conveniently at the ACPT web site: click here.

Solve a Crossword puzzle now

Electricka and her muses offer you a number of arts-related crossword puzzles to solve online at your computer. Some have been constructed by visitors to Electricka's web site, others by ETAF Staff. All are original. Electricka also offers you a collection other kinds of art-related puzzles and different kinds of games to play online.

• Electricka's arts puzzles are located at her page called Welcome To Arts Puzzles: click here
• You'll find a selection of other kinds of games to play and other diversions by visiting Electricka's page called Arts Games And Other Diversions: click here.

Happy solving!

Publish your original arts-related puzzle or quiz

Electricka hopes that everyone interested in games, from art devotees to neophytes, will create an original arts-related puzzle or quiz; she encourages them to submit their games for publication in these pages.

• To see why: click here.

To encourage visitors to publish their original arts-related puzzles and quizzes, Electricka has declared the Arts Puzzles feature and the Arts Quizzes feature ByLine features. Electricka suggests that you explore the guidelines for these features now.

• Submit your arts-related puzzle now at the page called Guidelines For ByLine Contributors—Arts Puzzles: click here.
• Submit your arts-related quiz now at the page called Guidelines For ByLine Contributors—Arts Quizzes: click here.

For more information about this and other ByLine features, visit the ByLine page at this web site:

• Click the words About ByLines in the ByLine image at the right side of this page or click here.

ETAF Recommends

General reading

There is no one book that covers the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament per se, but several cover the subject in passing. Try:

• Gridlock: Crossword Puzzles and the Mad Geniuses Who Create Them, Matt Gaffney.
• Crossworld: One Man's Journey into America's Crossword Obsession, Marc Romano.
• Cruciverbalism: A Crossword Fanatic's Guide to Life in the Grid, written by Stanley Newman, a prominent constructor with inside connections, with writing assistance from Mark Lasswell.

Wordplay, the movie

Some who have seen the move in theaters have reported live interaction going on while the movie is underway, with members of the audience calling out answers to puzzle clues before they're worked out on the screen and the like. If this kind of falderal and the big screen turn you on, by all means see the movie in a theater—if you can find it on the circuit. Otherwise, the DVD is a better way to spend your time. It's packed with entertaining and informative extras such as a commentary, interviews with winners and filmmakers, and other bonus goodies.

There's nothing like a companion book to illuminate a movie and vice versa. If The Muse's review of the movie Wordplay interests you or if you see the movie Wordplay itself and get turned on by it, you may want to try exploring the movie's companion book called, Wordplay: The Official Companion Book by Will Shortz.

This book is the companion to the movie. With it you can think inside the box! Solve puzzles from the hit movie, learn to construct your own crosswords, and much more.