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SIMON & SCHUSTER MEGA CROSSWORD BOOK #7 (Out Now!)
"Themeless" (17x Themeless)
(Dave)
2010 ACPT Pictures
Galleries of Recent Events
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BOSTON CROSSWORD PUZZLE TOURNAMENT
April 11, 2010
Boston, MA
2nd ANNUAL CHICAGO CROSSWORD TOURNAMENT
April 17, 2010
Chicago, IL
CROSSWORDS LA TOURNAMENT
May 1, 2010
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles, CA
WILL SHORTZ' WONDERFUL WORLD OF WORDS (Created by Gloria Rosenthal)
November 12-14, 2010
Mohonk Mountain House, New Paltz, New York
CRUISEWORD
December 5-12, 2010
aboard Celebrity Solstice
Email for details
STAN NEWMAN'S CROSSWORD UNIVERSITY CRUISE
January 9-16, 2011
aboard Holland America Line's Ryndam
34th ANNUAL AMERICAN CROSSWORD PUZZLE TOURNAMENT
March 18-20, 2011
Brooklyn, NY
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BOB AND DAVE MACKEY
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Chicago Tribune Puzzle To Be Discontinued
Tribune Media Services has announced the discontinuation of the Chicago Tribune Crossword, effective March 22. This daily and Sunday puzzle series was edited by Wayne Robert Williams. TMS has announced that papers currently receiving the Tribune crossword will now be serviced with the Los Angeles Times crossword, edited by Rich Norris.
Last month, the New York Sun puzzles were very quietly discontinued after an attempt by editor Peter Gordon to self-market the remaining puzzles after the newspaper folded. And last year saw the end of the Fred Piscop Washington Post crossword, with its clients now served by Merl Reagle's Sunday.Labels: Chicago Tribune, Fred Piscop, Merl Reagle, Peter Gordon, Rich Norris, Wayne Robert Williams
Puzzle #3
A characteristically punny puzzle from Merl Reagle rounded out the morning session. We have heard of at least one top solver who overlooked one of Reagle's sneaky puns. So did Bob, for that matter. BEQ said on his Facebook that Ellen Ripstein was first in on this puzzle.Labels: ACPT 2009, Merl Reagle
Puzzle Authors in the Tournament
Patrick Berry, Maura Jacobson, Patrick Merrell, Andrea Carla Michaels and Myles Callum, Brendan Emmett Quigley, Merl Reagle, Mike Shenk, Byron WaldenLabels: ACPT 2009, Andrea Carla Michaels, Brendan Emmett Quigley, Byron Walden, Maura Jacobson, Merl Reagle, Mike Shenk, Myles Callum, Patrick Berry, Patrick Merrell
Merl's NYT Simpsons-Related Puzzle
Transparently, it is your basic Merl Reagle puzzle... but I recommend you do this puzzle before watching the show to enjoy all the surprises of this puzzle.
http://query.nytimes.com/premium/xword/Nov1608.puz (Subscription to NYT Premium Crosswords required)Labels: Merl Reagle, New York Times
FOX Publicity For This Week's "Simpsons"
I'll leave it to you to figure out which one is Merl and which one is Will.
And does Matt Groening still draw all these himself after 450 or so episodes?Labels: Merl Reagle, The Simpsons, Will Shortz
"The Simpsons" To Spoof The Crossword World
In an episode airing on Sunday, November 16, "The Simpsons" will delve headlong into the world of crosswords. "Homer and Lisa Exchange Cross Words" casts Lisa as a whiz at crosswords, so she enters a local tournament. Meanwhile, Homer sees the seamy side of crossword tournaments with its underworld betting scams, and winds up having to bet against his daughter in another tournament. Will Shortz and Merl Reagle will provide their own voices for the episode.
According to some reports, there will be a tie-in with that day's New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle.Labels: Merl Reagle, The Simpsons, Will Shortz
Merl Reagle Presents: The Washington Post Crossword
Yesterday, Merl Reagle appeared live on "Talk of the Nation" (with Neil Conan) to talk up the Washington Post crossword, which he is overseeing beginning this weekend. The slot had previously been occupied by puzzles edited by Fred Piscop and others. Expect the same quality of puns, wordplay and good humor in Merl's Washington Post puzzles.
Here is the link to the NPR story page.Labels: Merl Reagle, Washington Post
Halftime, Day 1: Unofficial Report
With the first three puzzles more or less in the books, unofficially (and assuming no mistakes) it appears that Trip Payne is aching to get back to his first ACPT finals in three years, with a total "banked minutes" count of 56 for the first three grids. The difference maker for Payne: a 20-minute count on the second puzzle (Mike Shenk). Many of the A threats are hanging back at the 55-minute mark, with a handful two minutes behind at 54.
Puzzle One was the first entry by first-time tourney attendee Andrea Carla Michaels, and Puzzle Three was by tournament fixture and all-around good guy Merl Reagle. More news as these standings become official.Labels: ACPT 2008, Andrea Carla Michaels, Merl Reagle, Mike Shenk, Trip Payne
Puzzle Authors at ACPT
Paula Gamache, Oliver Hill, Maura Jacobson, David J. Kahn, Bob Klahn, Andrea Carla Michaels, Merl Reagle, Mike ShenkLabels: ACPT 2008, Andrea Carla Michaels, Bob Klahn, David J. Kahn, Maura Jacobson, Merl Reagle, Mike Shenk, Oliver Hill, Paula Gamache
ACPT Registration Open, Programs Announced
"41 Days and Counting!" says the banner atop the home page of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. And with that, Will Shortz has announced the evening events and opened registration.
The Friday games will feature Eric Berlin's "Brooklyn Crossword Extravaganza" brainteasers.
Saturday will be Game Show Night, and also featured will be a film by Ed Stein called "Wordploy". (Hmmm...)
For Sunday, Grant Barrett, co-host of the radio program "A Way with Words", will be taking over from Neil Conan as co-commentator of the Sunday B and A finals along with the ever-stalwart Merl Reagle. Barrett and his radio co-host Martha Barnette will hand out the prizes at the awards luncheon.Labels: acpt, ACPT 2008, Eric Berlin, Grant Barrett, Martha Barnette, Merl Reagle, Neil Conan, Will Shortz
Washington Post Crossword To Be Discontinued
The editor of the Washington Post Sunday crossword, Fred Piscop, has announced that the feature is being discontinued as of March 31, 2008.
In a statement to cruciverb-l, Piscop cites financial reasons for the discontinuance of the crossword.
Piscop has enough puzzles to cover the remaining time period so he is no longer soliciting contributions. Meanwhile, the Post will begin carrying Merl Reagle's puzzle on April 7.
EDIT: Talked to Robert about this today and his response was, "Sudoku has claimed its first victim."Labels: Fred Piscop, Merl Reagle
It's Like A Crossword Tournament Without Letters!
The Philadelphia Inquirer has announced the first Sudoku National Championship, hosted by Will Shortz. It will take place from October 19-20 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
Besides Shortz, who has overseen the production of almost as many sudoku books as New York Times puzzle anthologies, participants will include crossword creator Merl Reagle, World Sudoku Champion Thomas Snyder, and World Puzzle Champion Wei-Hua Huang.
The tournament will take the form of a compressed ACPT: games and social opportunities Friday night, then into the trenches on Saturday. Contestants will have the opportunity to choose their skill level in three rounds of competition plus a bonus round before the finals later that afternoon. The awards dinner will be early Saturday evening. The grand prize in the expert bracket is $10,000, the Intermediate champ gets $5,000, and the easy grand prize is $3,000.
Registration for the tournament and all activities is $50 for adults and $10 for children 17 and under. For more information, visit the web link in the sidebar.Labels: Merl Reagle, Sudoku, Wei-Hua Huang, Will Shortz
Last Tango In Stamford
As alluded to in our year-end wrapup (see sidebar for link), Will Shortz has sent out an e-mail to 2006 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament participants that confirms that this will likely be the final year for the tournament at the Stamford Marriott.
"After 30 years at the Stamford Marriott Hotel, the event is likely moving to a new and larger site in 2008," states Shortz in his mass e-mailing. Last year's tournament drew about 500 competitors,
In other tournament-related news, Shortz and ace constructor Merl Reagle help Oprah Winfrey kick off the February Sweeps on Thursday with an appearance on her talk show as part of an episode entitled "How'd They Do That?"Labels: acpt, Merl Reagle, Will Shortz
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