Global online crossword contest to begin from August 23

By Reya mehrotra

The cruciverbalists are all set to have a treat in August end as the Global Online Crossword Contest kick starts from August 23. The eighth edition of the Indian Crossword League, popularly called IXL will begin its first weekly online round at 11 am and will close at noon on Saturday, August 29. There will be a total of 10 online rounds beginning every Sunday at 11 am before the offline Grand Finale in Bengaluru, the date of which will be announced later.

Acknowledged by the Limca Book of Records, the contest which was open to Indians across the world till now has been thrown open to foreigners from this year’s edition onwards, owing to a popular demand. Organisers are hoping to see good participation with the world under varying degrees of lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The online weekly rounds will be hosted on www.crypticsingh.com, the website of Extra-C which organises this global crossword contest every year. The entry into the contest is through registration on the website, free of cost. One can participate at any stage during the duration of the contest. Amitabh Ranjan, COO, Extra-C, Patna says, “The platform for the contest has been upgraded with high-end software to ensure a smooth and glitch-free contest stretching two and a half months.”

Once registered and received a password, participants can access the puzzle grid on the website. Marks are allotted for both correct answers and the speed with which participants have submitted the solutions. At the end of each weekly online round, a Leaderboard is formed. From the end of the second online round, a weekly as well as a cumulative Leaderboard is formed. The top 30 contestants on the cumulative Leaderboard at the end of the tenth round will qualify for the grand finale.

The winner of the grand finale will lift the National Crossword Champion trophy. Mohsin Ahmed, a former ISRO scientist, is the reigning champion. The game can be played from anywhere, be in the office or home. Started in 2013, the Year of the Crossword, the objective of the contest is to bring top crossword enthusiasts on a single competitive platform and promote the mind game as a learning tool and as a quality pastime for the young and the adult alike. For any clarification or additional information, participants can visit www.crypticsingh.com