American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
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April 24th, 2021 at 5:26:28 AM
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Long time members are aware that my son, David Plotkin, is a world class "crossword puzzler". This weekend is the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, also sometimes called the New York Times Crossword Tournament. It is usually held in Stamford, Connecticut. Last year it was totally canceled due to the pandemic. This year it will be held virtually. The format will be as close to the same as possible. There will be 6 puzzles today, which you accumulate points for both speed and accuracy. Then a single puzzle on Sunday morning. After that puzzle the top three finishers get to do, on stage, an extremely difficult puzzle, with the puzzler who completes it first being declared the winner. David made it to the final 3 last competition, finishing third.
I think he has a slight advantage at making the final 3 this year, as he won the other major competition this year which was done on a virtual format.
I think we will be able to follow the results in some sort of a delay. Let's root him on!
I think he has a slight advantage at making the final 3 this year, as he won the other major competition this year which was done on a virtual format.
I think we will be able to follow the results in some sort of a delay. Let's root him on!
April 24th, 2021 at 5:34:59 AM
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May the odds be with you, David!
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
April 24th, 2021 at 7:25:10 AM
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That’s a great accomplishment.
Soopoo has David ever tried out for Jeopardy?
He seems like he would be a good contestant.
Soopoo has David ever tried out for Jeopardy?
He seems like he would be a good contestant.
Happy days are here again
April 24th, 2021 at 8:59:57 AM
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Not to hijack the thread, but my wife is an avid jigsaw puzzle aficionado and we found and enjoyed a movie about a woman in suburbia who pursues her interest to the point she competes in a tournament to determine who is the best jigsaw puzzler in the world.
I suspect your son would enjoy the movie, best of luck to him.
The movie: "Puzzle."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX-TxPEXmJI
I suspect your son would enjoy the movie, best of luck to him.
The movie: "Puzzle."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX-TxPEXmJI
"What, me worry?"
April 24th, 2021 at 9:10:50 AM
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April 24th, 2021 at 9:31:10 AM
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And after one puzzle, the leader (not counting the computer Dr. Fill) is some young whippersnapper rookie from outside of the USA named...Knowledge Works. No, not suspicious at all.
Update: after 3 rounds, our own Son of SOOPOO and Erik Agard are tied for first, with five others (Paolo Pasco, Dan Feyer, Tyler Hinman, Will Nediger, and Jeff Davidson) tied for third, each talking one minute longer on one puzzle. "Knowledge Works" is around 500th place, with 20 errors in the second and third puzzles.
Standings (click on "Rank" under "Individual" to see the spreadsheet)
Remaining schedule:
Puzzle 4 (15x15) - 2:00 Eastern
Puzzle 5 (17x17) - 2:40
Puzzle 6 (19x19) - 3:20
Puzzle 7 (21x21) - Sunday, 11:00 AM
The final is Sunday at 2:00
Update: after 3 rounds, our own Son of SOOPOO and Erik Agard are tied for first, with five others (Paolo Pasco, Dan Feyer, Tyler Hinman, Will Nediger, and Jeff Davidson) tied for third, each talking one minute longer on one puzzle. "Knowledge Works" is around 500th place, with 20 errors in the second and third puzzles.
Standings (click on "Rank" under "Individual" to see the spreadsheet)
Remaining schedule:
Puzzle 4 (15x15) - 2:00 Eastern
Puzzle 5 (17x17) - 2:40
Puzzle 6 (19x19) - 3:20
Puzzle 7 (21x21) - Sunday, 11:00 AM
The final is Sunday at 2:00
Last edited by: ThatDonGuy on Apr 24, 2021
April 24th, 2021 at 10:35:13 AM
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Hi SOOPOO,
Is this the son that is an Entomologist?
Wishing him the best.
Is this the son that is an Entomologist?
Wishing him the best.
At my age, a "Life In Prison" sentence is not much of a deterrent.
April 24th, 2021 at 11:39:23 AM
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It is, quite frankly, refreshing to see a poster bring our attention to real world accomplishments that are not only proven but also quite believable..
It's good to see a proud papa brag not about he himself winning but about his son winning.
We should all be so lucky.
It's good to see a proud papa brag not about he himself winning but about his son winning.
We should all be so lucky.
"What, me worry?"
April 24th, 2021 at 12:20:05 PM
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This is the entomologist. I joke that he is clearly the number one combination etymologist/entomologist in the world. After 4th puzzle he is tied second with one other. The one kid ahead of him is Erik Agard, who won a few years ago. The kid he is tied with, Paola Pasco, David believes is either the best now or will be quite soon. Dan Feyer, right behind him, is a 5 or 6 time winner, and has beaten David on stage twice already. Tyler Hinman, the kid who the movie Wordplay was based on, is also right behind him. The winner will almost assuredly come from these 5. My money is on Agard. But you never know! Go David!
Edit. Puzzle 5 is traditionally the hardest one, and separated the field. So we will have a much better idea after puzzle 5 is completed.
I’ve talked about it earlier, but David has made it past two stages of Jeopardy qualifying, and is in some sort of queue to be called as a contestant. If he makes it I promise you all there will be lots of bets offered by me!
Edit. Puzzle 5 is traditionally the hardest one, and separated the field. So we will have a much better idea after puzzle 5 is completed.
I’ve talked about it earlier, but David has made it past two stages of Jeopardy qualifying, and is in some sort of queue to be called as a contestant. If he makes it I promise you all there will be lots of bets offered by me!
April 24th, 2021 at 1:06:32 PM
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Update after round 5: David is tied for third with first-time competitor Paolo Pasco, one minute behind Tyler Hinman (who put two minutes on David in puzzle 5) and two behind Erik Agard. Note that, if there is a tie for third after the seventh puzzle, fastest overall time (which is not listed in the standings) is the tiebreaker.
Note that "minutes behind" is a little misleading; for a 30-minute puzzle, finishing in 28:59.9 counts as "one minute faster" than 29:00.1.
Also, either somebody made a scoring mistake with Dr. Fill, or, despite it having a 185-point (possibly 195) penalty for missing one letter in puzzle 5 (10 or 20 depending on whether it is in one or two words, plus 150 for not having a perfect puzzle, plus 25 removed from the time bonus for having one letter wrong), it is still 105 points ahead of Agard.
Note that "minutes behind" is a little misleading; for a 30-minute puzzle, finishing in 28:59.9 counts as "one minute faster" than 29:00.1.
Also, either somebody made a scoring mistake with Dr. Fill, or, despite it having a 185-point (possibly 195) penalty for missing one letter in puzzle 5 (10 or 20 depending on whether it is in one or two words, plus 150 for not having a perfect puzzle, plus 25 removed from the time bonus for having one letter wrong), it is still 105 points ahead of Agard.
April 24th, 2021 at 1:17:02 PM
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Quote: ThatDonGuyUpdate after round 5: David is tied for third with first-time competitor Paolo Pasco, one minute behind Tyler Hinman (who put two minutes on David in puzzle 5) and two behind Erik Agard. Note that, if there is a tie for third after the seventh puzzle, fastest overall time (which is not listed in the standings) is the tiebreaker.
Note that "minutes behind" is a little misleading; for a 30-minute puzzle, finishing in 28:59.9 counts as "one minute faster" than 29:00.1.
Also, either somebody made a scoring mistake with Dr. Fill, or, despite it having a 185-point (possibly 195) penalty for missing one letter in puzzle 5 (10 or 20 depending on whether it is in one or two words, plus 150 for not having a perfect puzzle, plus 25 removed from the time bonus for having one letter wrong), it is still 105 points ahead of Agard.
David felt he did well on puzzle 6. He thinks he will at worst be still tied for 3rd. I noticed the Dr. Fil error as well.
April 24th, 2021 at 1:37:00 PM
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Quote: SOOPOODavid felt he did well on puzzle 6. He thinks he will at worst be still tied for 3rd. I noticed the Dr. Fil error as well.
And he is - all of the top competitors had the same time for puzzle 6 (well, except for Dr. Fill, who beat all of them by 3 minutes). Looks like every second counts tomorrow morning at 11.
April 24th, 2021 at 1:45:04 PM
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David once came from behind on puzzle 7 to get into the top 3. It is not that common to gain or lose ground on puzzle 7.
I hate that he can’t be with his crossword cronies in person. It’s a once a year get together for him.
I hate that he can’t be with his crossword cronies in person. It’s a once a year get together for him.
April 25th, 2021 at 9:15:35 AM
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Edit....
Last edited by: SOOPOO on Apr 25, 2021
April 25th, 2021 at 12:42:00 PM
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Quote: SOOPOOThis is the entomologist. I joke that he is clearly the number one combination etymologist/entomologist in the world.
Reminds me of a quip I read once. I think it went something like this:
Q: What is the difference between an etymologist and an entomologist?
A: An etymologist knows the difference.
April 25th, 2021 at 1:52:23 PM
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Sadly.... David lost 1st place because of a typo!!!!! He qualified in 3rd place, and finished the final puzzle 5 seconds ahead of second place.... but typed ‘eris’ when the correct easy answer was ‘erie’. He sometimes will check all his answers before hitting ‘enter’ but felt that he could not afford the time.
So third place is still a big deal.... sort of like a bronze medal in the Olympics. $1k for third place.
So third place is still a big deal.... sort of like a bronze medal in the Olympics. $1k for third place.
April 25th, 2021 at 3:47:47 PM
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Quote: SOOPOOSadly.... David lost 1st place because of a typo!!!!! He qualified in 3rd place, and finished the final puzzle 5 seconds ahead of second place.... but typed ‘eris’ when the correct easy answer was ‘erie’. He sometimes will check all his answers before hitting ‘enter’ but felt that he could not afford the time.
So third place is still a big deal.... sort of like a bronze medal in the Olympics. $1k for third place.
Arrrrggggghhhhhhhhh. This was his year.
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
April 25th, 2021 at 3:52:11 PM
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Quote: beachbumbabsArrrrggggghhhhhhhhh. This was his year.
Yeah.... he felt the virtual format favored him somewhat..... but handwritten the e is never an s..... but he felt that one competitor, Dan Feyer, probably would have been faster than him if all 7 first puzzles were handwritten. So he might not have even made top 3.... we will never know!
I hope it is back live in Stamford next year.....
April 25th, 2021 at 5:49:27 PM
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Thanks for sharing. It was exciting to follow along. Really amazing how consistently on top he’s been over the years.
The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; but that is the way to bet.
April 25th, 2021 at 6:51:11 PM
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. Thank you. Of course he’s a freaking genius, but so are the other top competitors. He trains daily. Does multiple puzzles daily. A few years ago I thought he was an eventual winner as those better than him were older. He now says that two youngsters (Agard and Pasco) are slightly better than he is. But he has made top three I think 3 competitions in a row.Quote: unJonThanks for sharing. It was exciting to follow along. Really amazing how consistently on top he’s been over the years.
April 25th, 2021 at 9:18:10 PM
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Please send my congratulations to David! He medaled -- multiple times -- that is something to be very proud of.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
July 12th, 2021 at 6:51:29 PM
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There's an article about the tournament in the latest issue of Games World of Puzzles magazine. While it's mainly about Tyler Hinman, David did get a mention:
"In this year's finals, he squared off against two formidable solvers: Erik Agard and David Plotkin. As the final round unfolded, it became clear that Plotkin had made a mistake and that Hinman had pulled past Agard."
(By the way - no, my forum name is not taken from Hinman's "thatpuzzleguy")
"In this year's finals, he squared off against two formidable solvers: Erik Agard and David Plotkin. As the final round unfolded, it became clear that Plotkin had made a mistake and that Hinman had pulled past Agard."
(By the way - no, my forum name is not taken from Hinman's "thatpuzzleguy")
