American Crossword Puzzle Tournament

Virtual Tournament

48th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
April 10-12, 2026

Link to register will be available January 1, noon Eastern Time.

Jump ahead on this page to: Registration Info | Where do I go to solve and watch the live stream? | Schedule | Scoring | Who Competes | Pairs | Prizes | Puzzles | Constructors | The Team

2026 Registration Information

Solo Solver$70 - price drop from 2026!
Pairs Solvers$80 - price drop from 2026!
Refunds, minus the PayPal fee, will be made if you are unable to participate by writing to info@crosswordtournament.com prior to the tournament beginning.

Where do I go to solve and watch the live stream?

Go to crosswordtournament.com/online after you have registered for FAQs on solving, Sample puzzles, links to the live stream during the tournament weekend and more. Don't miss the Friday night games and entertainment!
We will send login instructions soon after we receive your registration payment. Be sure to whitelist acptonline@gmail.com.

Schedule

Friday, April 10, 2026
we are planning multiple interviews with the tournament constructors and participants throughout the weekend.
We'll post a schedule of these as we firm them up, so continue to visit this page as we get closer to the tournament weekend.
Live stream begins at 7:30 PM, Program at 8:00

Live stream - An evening of warm-up puzzles and entertainment. Details to follow.

10:00PMLive stream of Wine and cheese reception.
Saturday, April 11, 2026
10:00-11:00AMInterviews with constructors, participants and tournament officials led by John Lieb
11:00AM-12:45PMPuzzles 1, 2, and 3 - live stream and online solving
2:15-4:45PMPuzzles 4, 5, and 6 - live stream and online solving
12:45-2:15PMMore interviews with constructors, participants and tournament officials led by John Lieb
Scores will be posted online as they become available
7:00-8:00PMMore interviews with constructors, participants and tournament officials led by John Lieb
8:00-10:00PM

Live stream - Another evening of games and entertainment. Details to follow.

  • Presentation of the 9th Merl Reagle MEmoRiaL Award for lifetime achievement in crossword construction, with film and oral tributes - recipient to be announced at a later date.
Sunday, April 12, 2026
9:00AMPuzzle 7 - live stream and online solving
Noon-12:30PMLive stream - Presentation of the prizes, followed by the announcement of the Division A, B, and C playoff contestants
12:30-1:45PMLive stream - Puzzle 8 — Championship Playoffs. The Division A and B playoffs will be announced jointly by comedian/radio host Ophira Eisenberg and puzzlemaker/composer/podcaster Greg Pliska.
New this year: Virtual Tournament finalists will solve the Division A puzzle to determine overall winners in the Solo and Pairs divisions.

Scoring

Scoring is based on accuracy and speed. Score as follows:

  1. 10 points for every correct word you entered across and down
  2. 1 bonus point for every 2 seconds the contestant finishes early BUT this bonus is reduced by 30 points for each letter that is omitted or entered incorrectly, up to, but not beyond, the point the bonus returns to zero
  3. A bonus of 150 points for each completely correct solution
  4. A solution that is not submitted before your timer reaches 0:00 will receive a score of zero.

For the purpose of scoring, a "word" consists of any series of letters contained in the white squares in the grid, whether it is a single word, a phrase, or otherwise.

Complete rules can be found on the virtual tournament FAQs page.

Who Competes?

Contestants simultaneously compete in all events for which they are eligible:
Age DivisionsSolvers 25 years and under (Juniors), 50-59 years (Fifties), 60-69 years (Sixties), 70-79 (Seventies) and 80+ (Seniors)
RookiesContestants competing for their first time.
PairsContestants competing as a couple.

How does Pairs solving work?

For Pairs solving:
  • Both solvers will login to this site with their own credential (email address), but only one (designated as primary when registering for the tournament) will submit the puzzle.

  • New this year: the grid will be shared by each solver (you will see each other's entries). The timer begins when the first solver clicks the link for the puzzle. The second person simply needs to click the same puzzle link under their account as we have matched partners in the site software.

Prizes

The virtual competition is for fun only. Virtual solvers are not eligible for any of the live tournament prizes.

About the Puzzles

All crosswords have been specially created and edited for the tournament.

Sample Puzzles:

The Constructors

To come

The Team

Dave Sullivan, ACPT - Virtual Tournament Director

Alhassan Mohamed - Live Stream Provider

Amuse Labs staff - Help Desk Team

If you need help, email (acptonline@gmail.com).

Tournament Sponsors

Games World of Puzzles AmuseLabs Will Shortz Games Try Hard Guides Crossword Answers 911 New York Times Ad stmartin