I realize that there is surprisingly little overlap between the crossword tournament "circuit" and the Muggle world... but is anyone going in person to ACPT this weekend? I will be there and would love to put more faces to the Muggle names if anyone else is attending (and if anyone is attending for the first time and nervous about that, would be happy to answer any questions!).
Adam
ACPT
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Abide
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I haven’t been in over 20 years, but as far as I know no one has won the Mississippi state championship* four years in a row. I’m thinking about going next year to defend my title.
*yeah, I was the only one competing in that division
*yeah, I was the only one competing in that division
The site is just a web page, a meeting place, a clubhouse - it's the group that's special.
—Brian MacDonald
—Brian MacDonald
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Al Sisti
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And if anyone is going to watch Adam solve, don't blink!docison wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 11:52 am I realize that there is surprisingly little overlap between the crossword tournament "circuit" and the Muggle world... but is anyone going in person to ACPT this weekend? I will be there and would love to put more faces to the Muggle names if anyone else is attending (and if anyone is attending for the first time and nervous about that, would be happy to answer any questions!).
Adam
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BrianMac
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Yes! I will be there. Don't have much of an excuse since it's 2 miles from my house.docison wrote: ↑Tue Mar 29, 2022 11:52 am I realize that there is surprisingly little overlap between the crossword tournament "circuit" and the Muggle world... but is anyone going in person to ACPT this weekend? I will be there and would love to put more faces to the Muggle names if anyone else is attending (and if anyone is attending for the first time and nervous about that, would be happy to answer any questions!).
Adam
I'm really excited for this year since I didn't participate in last year's virtual tournament and the year before was cancelled. Adam, we will have to find a way to connect. I usually try to sit in the front row all the way on the right-hand side of the room (stage left). I'm sure we will find each other.Brian
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802puzzler
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I'm taking part virtually (as a Rookie). Still nerve-wracking though!
I loved the Josh Wardle keynote last night, and the special Wordle puzzles!!!
I loved the Josh Wardle keynote last night, and the special Wordle puzzles!!!
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BarbaraK
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Congratulations @docison! Super impressive making it into the finals of the B division and then getting the silver medal up there on the big stage!
Hope everyone who went or played online had a wonderful time.
Hope everyone who went or played online had a wonderful time.
If you want help with a meta, feel free to PM me. The more specific you are about what you have and what you want, the more likely I can help without spoiling.
(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
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BrianMac
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What a great weekend that was! @docison and @dk letter, it was great meeting you guys in person. I'm hoping next year we might be able to get a Muggle group together.
Docison, as advertised, is blazingly fast and made it to the B division finals, finishing 12th overall out of almost 500 participants. Congratulations again, Adam!
Mike Shenk was there and was the constructor of the final regular (non-playoff) puzzle Sunday. Tried to get a picture with him but he eluded me.
Here is a link to one of the special Wordle puzzles that @802puzzler mentioned: https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/acpt. See if you can beat Will Shortz's score of 100 or the winner's score of 67 (lower is better). I got 127. Unfortunately, I missed the presentation by Josh Wardle, inventor of the game. Everyone said it was a highlight of the weekend though.
This is a really great event that I can't say enough about. I think some people are intimidated about solving puzzles competitively, but it's really just a fun and congenial weekend with other smart and nice people who love puzzles. The competition is really secondary unless you're really a speed demon, and most people just try to improve over the year before. So if you've ever thought about it, You should definitely do it. In New England, we're blessed with several smaller tournaments throughout the year if you want to get your feet wet - Westport, CT in February; Lollapuzoola in NYC in August; Pleasantville, NY in October. There are also tournaments in Boston and DC in the summer, but not sure whether those are back in person yet.
Docison, as advertised, is blazingly fast and made it to the B division finals, finishing 12th overall out of almost 500 participants. Congratulations again, Adam!
Mike Shenk was there and was the constructor of the final regular (non-playoff) puzzle Sunday. Tried to get a picture with him but he eluded me.
Here is a link to one of the special Wordle puzzles that @802puzzler mentioned: https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/acpt. See if you can beat Will Shortz's score of 100 or the winner's score of 67 (lower is better). I got 127. Unfortunately, I missed the presentation by Josh Wardle, inventor of the game. Everyone said it was a highlight of the weekend though.
This is a really great event that I can't say enough about. I think some people are intimidated about solving puzzles competitively, but it's really just a fun and congenial weekend with other smart and nice people who love puzzles. The competition is really secondary unless you're really a speed demon, and most people just try to improve over the year before. So if you've ever thought about it, You should definitely do it. In New England, we're blessed with several smaller tournaments throughout the year if you want to get your feet wet - Westport, CT in February; Lollapuzoola in NYC in August; Pleasantville, NY in October. There are also tournaments in Boston and DC in the summer, but not sure whether those are back in person yet.
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docison
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Great to meet you too, Brian - and thanks for tooting my horn, Barbara! It was a terrific weekend and I can't say enough positive things about the quality of the puzzling community and of the puzzles! It is also worth noting that generally speaking, puzzles in tournaments are really good but not designed to be incredibly hard (each tournament which usually have 1 hard puzzle but the rest are quite approachable overall - for those who have done the Boswords online themeless tournaments, those are considerably harder than the average tournament puzzle.
Boswords is scheduled for July 24 this summer (assuming pandemic cooperation, which maybe not a safe assumption) and is a great 1-afternoon event - highly recommended!
Boswords is scheduled for July 24 this summer (assuming pandemic cooperation, which maybe not a safe assumption) and is a great 1-afternoon event - highly recommended!
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mkmf
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BrianMac and all - here is a link where you can see Josh Wardle's keynote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMgR0xwNQ5w&t=14474s
Docison: I watched the B finals virtually and didn't know your non-muggle name. Wow - that was great. Congratulations!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMgR0xwNQ5w&t=14474s
Docison: I watched the B finals virtually and didn't know your non-muggle name. Wow - that was great. Congratulations!!
BrianMac wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 7:38 pm What a great weekend that was! @docison and @dk letter, it was great meeting you guys in person. I'm hoping next year we might be able to get a Muggle group together.
Docison, as advertised, is blazingly fast and made it to the B division finals, finishing 12th overall out of almost 500 participants. Congratulations again, Adam!
Mike Shenk was there and was the constructor of the final regular (non-playoff) puzzle Sunday. Tried to get a picture with him but he eluded me.
Here is a link to one of the special Wordle puzzles that @802puzzler mentioned: https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/acpt. See if you can beat Will Shortz's score of 100 or the winner's score of 67 (lower is better). I got 127. Unfortunately, I missed the presentation by Josh Wardle, inventor of the game. Everyone said it was a highlight of the weekend though.
This is a really great event that I can't say enough about. I think some people are intimidated about solving puzzles competitively, but it's really just a fun and congenial weekend with other smart and nice people who love puzzles. The competition is really secondary unless you're really a speed demon, and most people just try to improve over the year before. So if you've ever thought about it, You should definitely do it. In New England, we're blessed with several smaller tournaments throughout the year if you want to get your feet wet - Westport, CT in February; Lollapuzoola in NYC in August; Pleasantville, NY in October. There are also tournaments in Boston and DC in the summer, but not sure whether those are back in person yet.
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FrankieHeck
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Congratulations, @docison! I loved the videos. I'm not a very speedy solver, but after @BrianMac's endorsement, I might just have to try to get myself there one of these years. It has been in the back of my mind every since I watched the Wordplay movie years ago. I'm such a hermit, but I feel like if ever there was a group who could accept my awkward self, it would be this one 
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BarbaraK
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I finally watched these, and wow! Amazing how fast all of you were!
If you want help with a meta, feel free to PM me. The more specific you are about what you have and what you want, the more likely I can help without spoiling.
(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
(And if I help you win a mug, I’ll be especially delighted.)
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AaronT
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Resurrecting this thread from last year now that we’re one week out from this year’s tournament. I’m attending this year for the first time and really looking forward to it - partly for the competition but mostly to finally meet up with @docison and others.
Anyone else planning to attend? They just announced that they reached capacity at over 740 attendees. Should be a great time!
Anyone else planning to attend? They just announced that they reached capacity at over 740 attendees. Should be a great time!
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Leslie
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I'll be there. I went as a rookie last year (and had a great time), but I spent a lot of the weekend with family and didn't get to meet very many people. This year I'm planning to go to more of the events, including the CRU dinner. Hope to meet some of you!
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BrianMac
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I will be there for the 8th consecutive time, but the first time in the "Fifties" age division 
If anyone would like to get together - lunch Saturday between puzzles or brunch Sunday after Puzzle 7 are good times - send me a PM and I will send you my cell number. Or you can try to find me at the tournament. I always sit in the same place - front row on the right side of the room (from the solvers' perspective - i.e., stage left). I would love to grab a bite or just connect for a few minutes.
One piece of advice - in the past when it's been at capacity, they open up additional rooms in the basement of the hotel for folks who can't fit in the main ballroom. That's not as fun, so get there early and just put your coat on a chair to reserve a spot in the main ballroom. Puzzle 1 starts at 11:00, but you can get into the ballroom at 9 or 9:30 to save a seat.
If anyone would like to get together - lunch Saturday between puzzles or brunch Sunday after Puzzle 7 are good times - send me a PM and I will send you my cell number. Or you can try to find me at the tournament. I always sit in the same place - front row on the right side of the room (from the solvers' perspective - i.e., stage left). I would love to grab a bite or just connect for a few minutes.
One piece of advice - in the past when it's been at capacity, they open up additional rooms in the basement of the hotel for folks who can't fit in the main ballroom. That's not as fun, so get there early and just put your coat on a chair to reserve a spot in the main ballroom. Puzzle 1 starts at 11:00, but you can get into the ballroom at 9 or 9:30 to save a seat.
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docison
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I will be there as well (though I have no shot of making the finals this year)! I don't have a set seat but look forward to meeting as many Muggles as make it. Feel free to PM me if you will be there and I will be on the lookout for your name. I am Adam Doctoroff in real life.
(They will definitely open up the basement room. Some people like it down there because there are free snacks but I will definitely plan to be in the main hall, somewhere with good lighting.)
(They will definitely open up the basement room. Some people like it down there because there are free snacks but I will definitely plan to be in the main hall, somewhere with good lighting.)
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mkmf
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Congratulations to @docison ! He came in 8th overall at the ACPT!!!
Here's the link to all standings:
https://crosswordtournament.com/2023/standings/rank.htm
Dan Feyer edged out Paolo for the final win by one second!
Here's the link to all standings:
https://crosswordtournament.com/2023/standings/rank.htm
Dan Feyer edged out Paolo for the final win by one second!