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! |
Where do I go to solve and watch the live stream?
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. |
| 10:00PM | Live stream of Wine and cheese reception. |
| Saturday, April 11, 2026 | |
| 10:00-11:00AM | Interviews with constructors, participants and tournament officials led by John Lieb |
| 11:00AM-12:45PM | Puzzles 1, 2, and 3 - live stream and online solving |
| 2:15-4:45PM | Puzzles 4, 5, and 6 - live stream and online solving |
| 12:45-2:15PM | More interviews with constructors, participants and tournament officials led by John Lieb |
| Scores will be posted online as they become available | |
| 7:00-8:00PM | More 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.
|
| Sunday, April 12, 2026 | |
| 9:00AM | Puzzle 7 - live stream and online solving |
| Noon-12:30PM | Live stream - Presentation of the prizes, followed by the announcement of the Division A, B, and C playoff contestants |
| 12:30-1:45PM | Live 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:
- 10 points for every correct word you entered across and down
- 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
- A bonus of 150 points for each completely correct solution
- 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?
| Age Divisions | Solvers 25 years and under (Juniors), 50-59 years (Fifties), 60-69 years (Sixties), 70-79 (Seventies) and 80+ (Seniors) |
| Rookies | Contestants competing for their first time. |
| Pairs | Contestants competing as a couple. |
How does Pairs solving work?
- 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
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).















