The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT) is a crossword-solving tournament held annually in February, March, or April. Founded in 1978 by Will Shortz, who still directs the tournament, it is the oldest and largest crossword tournament held in the United States; the 2023 event set an attendance record with more than 750 competitors.
For its first 30 years the contest was held at the Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut, but owing to increasing popularity, in 2008 it moved to the larger Marriott Brooklyn Bridge in Brooklyn, New York. In 2015, the tournament returned to Stamford. In 2027, it will be held in Philadelphia.
The tournament traditionally begins Friday evening with social games and a wine-and-cheese reception. More games are played on Saturday evening, many of them adaptations of television game shows.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 tournament was canceled. In April 2021, the 43rd tournament was held virtually. The tournament resumed in person in 2022.
Participants and divisions Anyone can participate, although registration is limited. Participants compete as members of at least two divisions, with prizes awarded based on division. All participants are members of Division A and a regional division; those 25 years old or younger, or at least 50, are also members of an age division. Membership in Divisions B–E and the Rookie Division is based on the participant's past or present tournament status. 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. 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 tournamentsAgeDivisions 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, Alaska, Hawaii Foreign (outside of the United States) Rookies Contestants competing for their first time. Rookies are not eligible for "D" or "E" prizes.
In 2024 a "Pairs" division was added in which pairs of individuals work collaboratively to solve the same puzzles solved by the individual participants. Scoring and other rules are the same. Pairs participants are not included in the various geographic and age divisions.
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 the hardest of the first six. 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 on accuracy and speed, and the puzzles are scanned and ranked. Judges typically include many of the nation's most prolific and/or well known crossword constructors and editors.
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 by fewest mistakes, then time. The winner of this round is declared the U.S. crossword tournament champion. The top three competitors in the B and C divisions also compete on the same puzzle, though with different sets of clues, for their division titles.
Tournament history
As of 2026, there are eight multiple winners: Dan Feyer (9 tournaments), Tyler Hinman (7), Jon Delfin (7), Douglas Hoylman (6), David Rosen (4), Trip Payne (3), Paolo Pasco (2), and Erik Agard (2). Three women have won the tournament: Nancy Schuster in 1978, Miriam Raphael in 1979, and Ellen Ripstein in 2001. 22 of the 76 (29%) second- and third-place finishers have been female.
Year Contestants Location Winner Runners-up (in order)1978149Stamford, ConnecticutNancy Schuster (1)Eleanor Cassidy, Murray Leavitt1979154Stamford, ConnecticutMiriam Raphael (1)Nancy Schuster, Merl Reagle1980128Stamford, ConnecticutDaniel Pratt (1)Miriam Raphael, Joel Darrow1981125Stamford, ConnecticutPhilip Cohen (1)Joel Darrow, John Chervokas1982132Stamford, ConnecticutStanley Newman (1)Philip Cohen, Joseph Clonick1983146Stamford, ConnecticutDavid Rosen (1)Stanley Newman, Ellen Ripstein1984115Stamford, ConnecticutJohn McNeill (1)David Rosen, Stanley Newman1985110Stamford, ConnecticutDavid Rosen (2)Rebecca Kornbluh, Eric Schwartz1986130Stamford, ConnecticutDavid Rosen (3)Rebecca Kornbluh, Ellen Ripstein1987118Stamford, ConnecticutDavid Rosen (4)Ellen Ripstein, Ed Bethea1988137Stamford, ConnecticutDouglas Hoylman (1)Jon Delfin, Ellen Ripstein1989134Stamford, ConnecticutJon Delfin (1)Douglas Hoylman, Ellen Ripstein1990143Stamford, ConnecticutJon Delfin (2)Ellen Ripstein, Douglas Hoylman1991149Stamford, ConnecticutJon Delfin (3)George Henschel, Douglas Hoylman1992172Stamford, ConnecticutDouglas Hoylman (2)Ellen Ripstein, Trip Payne1993192Stamford, ConnecticutTrip Payne (1)Ellen Ripstein, Douglas Hoylman1994216Stamford, ConnecticutDouglas Hoylman (3)Al Sanders, George Henschel1995232Stamford, ConnecticutJon Delfin (4)Douglas Hoylman, Ellen Ripstein1996239Stamford, ConnecticutDouglas Hoylman (4)Trip Payne, Jon Delfin1997255Stamford, ConnecticutDouglas Hoylman (5)Ellen Ripstein, Trip Payne1998251Stamford, ConnecticutTrip Payne (2)Jon Delfin, Ellen Ripstein1999254Stamford, ConnecticutJon Delfin (5)Douglas Hoylman, Al Sanders2000286Stamford, ConnecticutDouglas Hoylman (6)Ellen Ripstein, Trip Payne2001310Stamford, ConnecticutEllen Ripstein (1)Patrick Jordan, Al Sanders2002401Stamford, ConnecticutJon Delfin (6)Zack Butler, Al Sanders2003495Stamford, ConnecticutJon Delfin (7)Trip Payne, Al Sanders2004478Stamford, ConnecticutTrip Payne (3)Jon Delfin, Al Sanders2005455Stamford, ConnecticutTyler Hinman (1)Trip Payne, Al Sanders2006498Stamford, ConnecticutTyler Hinman (2)Kiran Kedlaya, Ellen Ripstein2007698Stamford, ConnecticutTyler Hinman (3)Al Sanders, Francis Heaney2008699Brooklyn, New YorkTyler Hinman (4)Trip Payne, Howard Barkin2009684Brooklyn, New YorkTyler Hinman (5)Trip Payne, Francis Heaney2010644Brooklyn, New YorkDan Feyer (1)Howard Barkin, Anne Erdmann2011655Brooklyn, New YorkDan Feyer (2)Tyler Hinman, Anne Erdmann2012655Brooklyn, New YorkDan Feyer (3)Tyler Hinman, Anne Erdmann2013590Brooklyn, New YorkDan Feyer (4)Anne Erdmann, Tyler Hinman2014588Brooklyn, New YorkDan Feyer (5)Tyler Hinman, Howard Barkin2015568Stamford, ConnecticutDan Feyer (6)Tyler Hinman, Howard Barkin2016576Stamford, ConnecticutHoward Barkin (1)Dan Feyer, David Plotkin2017618Stamford, ConnecticutDan Feyer (7)Joon Pahk, Tyler Hinman2018688Stamford, ConnecticutErik Agard (1)Dan Feyer, David Plotkin2019741Stamford, ConnecticutDan Feyer (8)Joon Pahk, David Plotkin2020No tournament due to COVID-1920211032OnlineTyler Hinman (6)Erik Agard, David Plotkin2022474Stamford, ConnecticutTyler Hinman (7)Dan Feyer, David Plotkin2023774Stamford, ConnecticutDan Feyer (9)Paolo Pasco, Tyler Hinman2024805Stamford, ConnecticutPaolo Pasco (1)David Plotkin, Will Nediger2025799Stamford, ConnecticutPaolo Pasco (2)Will Nediger, Dan Feyer2026>1000Stamford, ConnecticutErik Agard (2)Will Nediger, David Plotkin
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,Capsule History of the Tournament , www.crosswordtournament.com. Retrieved January 10, 2011. which necessitated the subsequent move to Brooklyn.
Dr. Fill Dr. Fill, a computer program, was an unofficial competitor from 2012 to 2021. In 2021, Dr. Fill outscored all human competitors for the first time.
MEmoRiaL Award
The MEmoRiaL Award "for lifetime achievement in crossword construction", named in honor of Merl Reagle, has been presented at the tournament since 2016. 2016 – Maura Jacobson 2017 – Manny Nosowsky 2018 – Nancy Salomon 2019 – Mike Shenk 2021 – Patrick Berry 2022 – Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon 2023 – Rich Norris 2024 – Andrea Carla Michaels 2025 – Stanley Newman 2026 – Lynn Lempel
References
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