Science Center to host crossword tournament Saturday

by Mary Helen Sprecher
newsroom@baltimoreguide.com

Quick: A nine-letter word for an addictive hobby.
Crossword. Right.
Baltimore’s fans of the black and white puzzles — those fun and often maddening things that appear in just about every newspaper across the country — have a chance on Saturday afternoon to prove their mettle in the 2008 Amateur Crossword Puzzle Tournament, to be held at the Maryland Science Center.
And just to ramp up the excitement, these are never-before-published puzzles. And when they are published, they’ll appear in the New York Times, that venerable institution that beckons to crossword addicts daily.
Puzzles used in the tournament are created by editor Will Shortz, who is responsible for the daily puzzles published in the Times.
For those new to crosswording, here’s a primer: puzzles in the Times run a weekly cycle; easier puzzles are published in the beginning of the week, becoming progressively harder as the week goes on. Puzzles to be used in tournament play will be Monday to Thursday crosswords.
The tournament, hosted by LifeBridge Health Brain & Spine Institute, begins at 1 p.m. at the Science Center. Contestants will compete in four timed rounds, starting with the Monday puzzle and moving toward the Thursday puzzle. The person who completes all the puzzles in the shortest amount of time with the most correct answers will be the winner. Trophies will be presented for first, second and third place. All tournament participants will receive a T-shirt, a crossword puzzle book and a ticket to the “Body Worlds” exhibit at the Science Center.
Will Shortz, who has been the Times crossword editor since 1993, sold his first crossword puzzle at age 14 to his Sunday school magazine. He attributes the fascination with puzzles to a combination of factors, starting with good old human curiosity.
“It’s partly because it’s solving a mystery. Everyone loves a mystery. It’s also partly the love of language. Crosswords take our own knowledge and turn it into a game. And I guess it’s also partly that nature just abhors a vacuum. It’s hard to turn the page without filling in the squares.”
According to Ryan Nawrocki, a communications coordinator with LifeBridge, the competition is aimed at those capable of solving the New York Times level of crossword. In other words, schoolchildren might find them too challenging.
“I would tend to think it’s for more an adult crowd,” he noted, “although I think adolescents who do crosswords could also do it. But these are New York Times puzzles — they’re not easy at all.”
The tournament is open to amateur puzzlers only. Pre-registration is required and can be made by going to www.finallyanswers.com. Cost per-person is $24.