Crossword

GettingStarted- Howto Solvea Diagramless

PlusAmerica'sMostGreativeGrosswords
By the Nation'sTopConstructors

THENANONSTOPSOLVERS
GarolBaftoni,Jon Delfin,DougHoylman,
andEllenRipstein
byHelene
Hovanec
hemoderneraof crosswordcompe- squares)and45 minutesfor a Sunday-size puzzleasan adulL
titionsbeganin 1978when161con- puzzle Ql x 2l). Top solversfinish rhe
Barboni continued [o solve in college
testantsparticipatedin theFirst An- puzzlesin a fraction of ttrattime-an aver- while shepursueda degreein chemistryand
nual American CrosswordPazzle Tourna- ageof four andnineminutesrespectively. biology, with a minor in mathfrom Hofstra
ment.Startedasapublicityploy to frll empty
After the final round the three or four University.She'scurrentlycompletingher
rooms at the Marriott Hotel in Stamford, highest-scoring
(dependingon master'sdegreerequirementsin computer
contestants
Connecticut, the annual weekendhas be- tlp tournament)participate in a sudden- scienceat Hofsfaby developinganartificial
comeamaineventon thecrosswordcompe- deathplayoff.Eachonesolvesa puzzleon a intelligence program with a set of techtitioncircuit.
largePlexiglasgrid in full view of theother niquestoprogramacomputerto solvecrossCompetitionswereheldin the 1920sbut contestants,
judges,guests,and tlre media, words.
werediscontinued
whenthecrossword
craze with all mistakesrecordedfor posterity.
Barbonibrenzd throughpuzzlessorapendedand pluzzlesolvingbecamea mainThewinneris thecontestant
whofinishes idly thatsheneededmoreof a solvingchalsEeamhobbyfor millions. The resurgence thefinal puzzlein ttreshortesttime with the lenge.Recognizingthatall crosswordgrids
in competitionscanbe atributedmainly to
Will Shortz(editorof the soon-to-be-resurre*tedGamesmagazine,a contributingeditorofCROSSW RD Magazine,
andtheonly
personin the world with a degree in
enigmaology),aidedand abettedby Stan
Newman(editor of Crossworder'sOwn
Newsletterandeditor-at-largefor CROSSW RD Magazine).In addition,rhereare fewesterrors.Judgingis doneon the spot aresymmetrical,shesetup herownobstacle
othersmallcontsststhroughoutthe year.
andthewinnerisknownimmediately,though courseby filling in the blanks in a mirror
Crosswordsolving en massebearsno the prizes---cash,trrophies,puzz,lebooks, imagefashion.Shereadsthe cluesandenresemblance
to the everydayrituals per- and dictionaries-arc awardedat a formal ters tle answer to l-Across in its correformedby puzzlerswho fill in theblanksin ceremony later. The purse at the larger spondingspaceat ttre bottom right of ttre
theprivacyof theirhomesor circumspectly competitions
rangesfrom 91,500to $2,000 grid, placing the letters from right to lefq
onpublictransportation
while they'recom- dividedamongall winners.
similarly,sheenterstheanswerfor l-Down
muting.Thesesolverscompletethe puzzle
In 13yearsof moderncompetitions
there from bot[omto top, etc.
withoutany time constraintsand without havebeennumeroustitle holders,someof
In 1987Barbonicompleteda ptlzzlein
anyonoelse'sknowledgeof ttreirmistakes. whomretiredasundefeated
champions.
The thismannerandrealizeditwas
anentryform
In a crosswordcompetitionspeedand current top solversare Carol Barboni,Jon for the frst Long IslandCrosswordOpen.
accuracy
arestressed.
Contestsconsistofa Delfin,DougHoylman,andEllenRipstein. Shemailed it to toumamentdirectorStan
predetermined
numberof solving rounds, (Delfinis thereigningchampion,with more Newmanwith a note explaininghow she
withtimelimits rangingfrom 15to 45 min- first-placewins thananyoneelsecurrently solvedthe puzzle.Newmanwas intrigued
utes.Contestants
earn l0 points for every competing.
Barboni,Hoylman,andRipstein enough to call her anddiscusshis favorite
correclword en[eredacrossand down, 25 havewonmajorcompetitions,
usuallycom- subject. Although Barboni was a novice
pointsforeachfull minutetheyfinishbefore pete in tle playoffs, and are formidable competitorNewmanplacedherin theexpert
thetime limit, and 150bonuspointsfor a opponents.)
division.
a
perfectsolution.
BarboniandttreothercontestantschuckThe atmosphere
is akin to the tensionCAROL BARBONI, a 32-year-old led through the contestas they solvedMel
filled air surroundingtesteesduring SAT softwareengineerfrom Seaford,New York, Rosen's"Bird Songs,"with avian theme
exams.
Contests
areheldin hugetable-filled stafled solving crosswordsas a five-year- entries:'The Rookof l,ove," "Owl I Have
roomswith contestants
separated
from one old whenshe"helped"hermotherfill in the to Do is Dream,""Roc AroundtheClock,"
anotherby cardboarddividers.The lights blanksin the ltz Gu#e crossword.After a and'"TheMoa I SeeYou."Barboniqualiarebright,thesilenceispalpable,andalarge few monthsBarboniwassolvingthemher- fied to competein the playoffs and tackle
clockin frontconstantlyremindssolversof self. She went on ta Newsdaypuzzlesbe- one of the most difficult puzzlesin any
thetimelimit for eachpuzzle-l5 minutes cause"thatwasthepapermy familybought" tournament(No one had a perfectscoreon
fora dailynewspaper-sizepuzzle
(15 x 15 and startedsolving The New York Times
(Continuedon Page7)

'There's an elementof Zen in

finishing
somethingperfecfu.I couldn't containmy
happinesssoI dancedarounda little bit.,

May/June1991

CROSSWRD

Page5

Barboni attibutes her successat crosswordsto amind that"celebratestheplayfulthis puzzle).Director/consfucbr Newman nessof logic andlanguage."Musically orihadusedeverygimmick-numbers ('40th" ented,sheplays severalinstruments,writes
for "Reagan'splace'); symbols('?est" for free-lancemusicreviews,andcomposes
and
"most quick-witted or cutting"); multiple recordsmusic. Shereadsmany magazines
rangingfrom Rolling Stone
lettersin one square('kept on course"an- andnewspapers
swered in five lecers by "sterred," with to technical publications, and watches
"red"jammedinoone square)andexftemely "Jeopardy"regularly.
Barbonienjoysthecontestsfor themendifficult "regular" entries:
tal
stimulation and becauseof the shared
"It's long, so they sayttttElephant'smemory"
"I have
camaraderieof
theothercontescants.
"Parmesan tops lt"
'TYench onlon souptt
met someof ttrenicestpeoplethroughthese
"Returnsservlcett
"InterndRevenuett
puzzles."
O
Barboni placed4th, won $75, and reyear
following
turnedthe
to capnre thetitle
JON DELFIN, a 36-year-oldpianistand
where she whizzed through Cathy vocal coachfrom New Yorh City, started
Millhauser's"ConstructionSite":
solvingpuzzlesasa child whenhe watched
his parentssolvetle crosswordin thenews"Croeswordconstruct.
paper
andemulaledthemby solving math,
"I haventt got a cluett
orts larnent?tt
science,and word puzzlesin children's
'lHalfofa crossrrord
books.
constructor'slncomd"tDown palment"
He sarted competingin 1985when he
and,in theplayoffs, atcackedHenryHook's successfu
lly solvedacontestpuzzle
n Games
"All SortsO' Stuff':
magazineas a preludeto qualifying for the
U.S. Open and received four additional
"Rap-sesslon
puzzles.Successfulcompletionof these
'{,L Cool J"
partlclpant"
puzzleswould guaranteehim a spot in the
"They gtInto the ect" '1Scenes"
contest.
'They may keep folks
Delfin had no problems with the frst
ttSunhatstt
ln the darlC'
pazzle,'
?icture Perfect":
..969"
"Old

Solvers(from Page5)

as Methuselah"

Barboni is a whirling mass of kinetic

energyas shesolvesa playoffpuzzle.She
darts around the board, filling in blanks,
erasing,moving, hopping,jumping-until
that final momentwhen she knows she's
completedthe puzde without errors.Then
she bows !o the audienceand sits down
perfectly composed.Her most wonderful
momentwas winning her first tournamenl
"There's an element of Znn in finishing
somethingperfectly. I couldn't containmy
happinessso I dancedarounda little bit."
Barboni has participatedin 10 contests,
neverplacing below fifth place.Sherains
by doing speedtrials. "I bought myself a
digitalwatchwith astop-watchelapsedtimer
andI time myself." Sheusesa mechanical
pencil and ries to break her self-imposed
tlree-minutebanierfor dailyNewYorkTitnes
puzzlesandsix- to nine-minutebanier for a
Sunday-sizepuzzle.She has an "efficient
handwriting,"but is limited by how fastshe
canwrite.
Barboni recognizesthat she can't truly
appreciate
thebeautyof thegrid or ttreclues
whileshe'sfeverishlyracing for speed.But
shewill "go back and look at a puzzle and
taketime to savorthe clues."
May/June
1991

"Photographlng
'Snapplng turtlestt

aquarlums?t'
'?hotographlng tennls
"Shootlng matchest'
tourneys?tt

nor with the secon4"PunnyExpress":

"Blrth
announcements?' "Stork quotatlonstt
"Sendlngcheeseby
"Chutlng the Brles"
alrllft?'

In contrast,the third puzzle "What Do

You Know?" was so difficult that Delfin
beathis "brainsout to finish it." He "started
usingonebookstoreasadefacto research
library whereI foundeverythingI neededto
finish the puzzle."Delfin had to determine
that "Seiji Ozawa,"conductorof theBoston
Symphony,answeredtheclue"Hub leader"
"Pence"was "Gary
Haft's loss"
; and that
(His original namewasllartpence).
Delfin enjoyedthe final puzzle"CrossOut"" with its gimmick of removingeach
"T"'
that appearedin any of the clues.Thus
"Letter from route"
a
wasreally "Leer from
a roue" and answeredby "ogle."
Delfin's efforts were successfuland he
enteredthecompetitionwhereheespecially
enjoyedMike Shenk's"HearYe, HearYe"

cRossw RD

pazzle, in which 27 audroclues---avoice

speakingin Esperanto,the soundmadebya
towhee,music by the Platters,Dr. Ruth's
voice, etc.- were played on tape while
solverswereracingagainsttheclock filling
in the blanks.
Delfin loved Maura Jacobson's"Drop
Me alser":
"Cold ectoP'
"Mtlh's flvorlte poet"

"Reymond Bry''
"9[elt llltmant'

despitehis only mistakein the tournament,

spelling K@ne, New Hampshirc,with an
"a" and losing preciouspoins.
He placed
27thoutof a field of 250andhadcaughtthe
contestbug.
In 1986hereturned!o theU.S. Openand
solved the first five puzzles without any
mistakes,includingHenryHmk's "CanYou
Draw?" in which a pictureof a "can" had0o
be enteredin a squareto answerclueslike
"hi-tech X-ray" for "cat
scan"and"Spock's
"Vulcan
ranquilizers" for
nervepinches."
Delfin was one of the threeplayoff contestrnts who solvedPhilip Greco's "'Word
Mosaic" with l5-letter entries stackedon
Oneanother:
I I A W A I I A N I S L A N D S
A I R C O N D I T I O N E R S
T R A C T I O N E N G I N E S

Delfin's excellentshowing(third place)

spurred him to continue competing. He
placed 5th, 3rd, and 2nd in three tournaments in 1987 and won the North Jersey
Crossword Open in 1988. He whizzed
throughRichardSilvestri's"Animal Crackors" with ic themedfood enniesof 'bollie
flower," "turtleini," and "rhesus pieces,"
andsuccessfullyfiguredthatthegimmickin
qr65
DavidDavidson's"Sleepwriting"prrzzlg
toplace"zz" in onesquarefor " tazzf,edtr rle,"
"Lizzie Borden,"
and"pizzL"
Delfin won four contestsin a row between 1989 and 199f-the Long Island
CrosswordOpen, the Channel13 Tournament,theAmericanCrosswordTournarnent,
and the North JerseyCrosswordOpen (a
GrandSlamspreadovertwo years),earning
him the title of "Crossword Solver of the
Year" from Gamesmagazine.
Delfin, a liberal arts graduateof Vassar
College,is aconsistentsolverwhohasmade
the playoffs in almost every contesthe's
entered.He doesn'tdo anythingspecificto
train; hejust continuesto solve 100puzzles
eachmonth.He makessurehe ges enough
sleep before a contest and refrains from
eating chocolatebecausehe avoids "any(Continuedon Page9)
Page7

After placing31st out of 161 shewas

andwaschallengedduringtheplayoffpuzzle
"bittenby thebug" andhascompetedin 31
by Trip Payne's"Endgame":
tournaments-ftaveling to Baltimore,Long
thingthat'sgoingto causeenergyshifts."
'Notrdflr$ bassnan" (whd'
Island,
North Jersey,California, and ConDelfin grewuplisteningto music,watchttlt's often posedtt
"A threat"
necticut.
Shemadetheplayoffs16timesand
ing TV, goingto themovies,andreading'6fou mlght not have
competitions.
won
two
all activities that he continues today. He
"A ctrett
thls ln the world"
"comesfrom a family of crossRipstein
subscribesto about25 magazinesa month.
"Tlral's the truthltt
"Is lt evertt
"I feel that there'sstuff floating aroundin
wordpuzzlefanatics.My parentsboughtan
Hoylman,with aBA fromMIT andaPhD exha copy of the SundayNewYorkTimes
my brainwhich I canaccessquickly."
Delfin hasno jitters during the playoff in math from the University of Arizona, just for the crosswordand were the neighround.He's the only contesiantwho really attributeshis successto severalthings.He borhoodauthoritieson puzzles. As soonas
"hasagoodmemoryfor superficialinforma- I could write, I happilyfilled in children's
appears
to enjoyhimselfashesolvesin front
"I'm
ofan audience.
aperformer;that'sjust tion and for rememberingwords and how
a fact. My job involvesbeing in front of they'respelled."He alsofeelsthathis math
peopleand getting it right." Delfin takesa ability is a contributingfactor in his victodeep breath, gets himself "into a perfor- ries.
"Thereseemto be a lot of numberpeople
mancemode"wherehefeelshis"adrenaline
(statisticians,
computerprogrammers,stock
pumping."
who place
Delfin doesn't plan to retire, although analysts,etc.)at thetoumaments
well.
Mathematicians
think
of
words as
haveopenlysuggested
it
severalcontestants
'?erhaps
(former
sequences
oflettrs
and
are
conscious
ofthe
if I could beat
to him.
!t ti
number
letters
in
words."
of
champion)David Rosen'swinning streak
per se.
He doesn'tftain for tournaments,
I'd retire."
"But I do do a lot of reading----newspapers
o
DOUG HOYLMAN, a 47-year-oldac- and about20 magazinesa month.I go to a puzzlestuckedinto drawingsof bunnyrab'Jeop- bitsandkangaroos.
Progressing
throughDell
tuaryfrom ChevyChase,Maryland,started few moviesa weekandI try to watch
"didn't
puzzles,
puzzles
ardy'
every
day."
easy,
medium
hard
and
I wassoon
solving
asa child but
spend
He'snotfazedby solvingthefinal puzzle completingthe Simonand Schustercrossa lot of time at it. Therewasa periodwhenI
in front of an audience."I've neverbeen word puzzlebooks.Crosswordswerea part
thoughtcrosswordswereprettyboring."
He enteredtlp tcnrmament
scenein 1986at nervousaboutgeningup in public assuch. of my life."
WhatRipsteindidn't anticipatewasthat
tlreU.S.Open,placingeighth
outof250.'1found I'm only nervousif I don't know what I'm
"solitary pastime" would
ttnt I enjoyedthe mmpetition.Throughtlrrat doing.But whenI'm solvingI just concen- her
be testedin
competitionsandthat shewould turn out !o
toumamenfI learnedabout the American trateon thepvzzle."
topsolvers.Thr,ough
GosspordFederation
andstarted
subscribingto Hoylmanmethodicallyfills in theblanks beoneof theconsistent
theCrossworder's
OwnNewsletter,whereI withoutanydisplayof emotion.Evenafter competing she has found friendship and
winning, his only acknowledgement
is to romance,earnedsomemoney,andacquired
leamedaboutotherconte$s."
Hoylman enteredthe 1987 Presenting smile shyly. Hoylmanis just as low-key a collectionof trophies,dictionaries,and
"It's not money,pres- reference
Baltimore's2nd Annual CrosswordOpen abouthis victories.
books.
Ripstein successfullydecodedThomas
andplacedfourth. He quickly caughton to tige,or my futurethat'son theline. It's not
Schier's"Drop In!" gimmickwhenshewon
thegimmickin William Lutwiniak's"Note" goingto changemy life."
a
the 1986North JerseyCrosswordOpenby
whichrequired solversto separatethe title
ELLEN RIPSTEIN, a 39-year-oldac- eliminating"in" from theanswers.
into two wordsand drop all lettercombinaThusthe
tionsof "te" beforebeingplacedin thegrid. tuaryfromNewYork City,wasoneofthose answerto "annoyance,"whenfilled in the
Thustle answerto "third partyaction"was pioneerswhojourneyedto Stamfordfor the grid, was"patheneck"("pain in theneck").
"intervention,"but thewordto beenteredin first competitionwhere she solved Jordan
Theplayoffptrzzle
herewasMikeShenk's
"OpenWide," where
Iasher's "PuazleWith a Twist":
thegrid was"inrvention."
commonwordswere
Hoylrnan"likesthecleverdefinitionsand
clued
difficultly:
"Gather salary
theway theytestyour bits of knowledge.I
"Nosethrough the payt'
ttMornlng snorttt
ttDye openertt
Intelllgence"
enjoycatchingthewordplayin clues."When
"Indian shoe
"Skeln constituentstt "Gsett
he won first prize in the 1988 American
"Mohlcansof the lasttt
tTake a headeft
ttStumblett
craftsmentt
PuzzleTournament,
hechuckled
Crossword
'Some pms make mdt "Flne llnett
"Movies You Mav
ttnoughMerl Reagle's"One Fine Day in and MauraJacobson's
HaveMissed":
Ripsteinhasa bachelor'sdegreein satisHollywood":
from Barnardanda master'sin Health
tics
tTlench Tarzan's
"Actor
_ off the set
Policy
andManagementfrom llarvard. She
"DeGaulleof the \illld"
'oTerenceStamped"
adyentures"
In a huff'
prepares
for a tournament"the sameway an
"Changingtlmes
"Actress
_ reporters'
atllete or musiciantrains-practice! I do
"The Dldy Dozen"
"Sally Fielded"
questionstt
In the nursery"
everydecentpuzzleI canfind,asmanyas25
'Tenus'sdrrtcomings
"Dlrector
_ toward
a
day.I alsopracticewith othercontestants,
'T.arewellTwo Arms"
"David Leanedtt
exposedt
literary workstt
(Continuedon Page 10)

Solvers (from Page7)

May/June
1991

CROSSWRD

Page9

-----_

tine with its own superstitions."I face tlp

clock, so I canseethe all-importantsecond
racing on the samepuzzlesunder tourna- hand.I write in pencil (ThoughI normally
mentconditions."An ex-boyfriendgaveher preferthesmoottrfeel of apen, usingink in
a pocket timer, which she usesto "judi- a toumamentwould be suicidal)and guard
againstequipmentfailure with my own batciouslyrecord"her solvingtimes.
"
Ripstein subscribesto 40 magazinesa tery-operatedsharpener.
month,rangingfuomPeopleta theAmerican
However,when she gets to the playoff
Public
Journal of
Health. She seesa lot of
moviesandis anavid reader.She'sanexpert
on trivia and recentlypassedthe qualiffing
testto becomea contestanton "Jeopardy."
When Ripstein won the Nor0r Jersey
CrosswordOpenin 1987sheracedthrough
WayneRobertWilliams' "Lifestylesof the
Rich andFamous":

Solvers(from Page9)

She has no intention

r'_ hls shlrtstt

"
hls colttt
"_

her graln"

of retiring, 'It's nice

to knowyou're one
of the bestin the
country.'

(ueremy

Irondt
"Red Buttonst'
"Hayley Mllls"

Ripstein has no intention of retiring from

"It's nice know
competitions.
to
thatyou're
oneof thebestin the country."
Crosswordwinners don't eam the big
purses associatedwith most competitive
sports,but thelure for thoseon thecircuit is
the camaraderieof the other contestants.
Mostparticipantsarebright andfriendly and
the verbalbanteringttratgoeson at competitions is lots of fun.
Contestsare alsoappealingfor the sheer
beautyof thecrosswordsthemselvesandthe
unusualambienceof masssolving.Tournament crosswords,printed on quality stock
wittr bold lettering, offer an estheticallure
not found in crosswordsin daily newspapers.
Moreover,thesoundofhundredsofpencils filling in the blanks in an othenwise
intensely quiet auditorium quickenssolven' adrenalineand gives an impetusthat
generallydoesn'texistwhenonesolvessolo
behinda newspaper.

pazzle, she "blanks out" and admits that

she's"not thatgoodin front ofan audience.
I can't find a startingplace.It's a nervewrackingsituation." Shemakesfalsestarts,
'Takesserlously?"
"Iveds"
erasesa lot, and appearsexasperatedwith
"Suit ofclubs?"
"Class actlon"
herself, all the while losing preciousmo- HELENE HOVANEC, authorof Cr eative
"Paclfic palf'
"Ces,t
mentsuntil shegetsintothesolvingrhythm. Cruciverbalists,is a writer andpuzzleconRipsteinhasdeveloped
atoumamentrou- Then she zips through the diagram. Yet, structor.

andsuccessfullysolvedHenryHook's "Left
to Right" playoff puzzle:

tr

PEANUT GALLERY oycnartes

E.cersch
ACROSS
1 Per_ (dailyallowance)
5 Studyof sin?
9 Moneysubstitute
14 Obsessedwith
15 Olympianspouse
16 Star Trek characler
17 Coloradocongresswoman
19 Capekcreature
20 Able-Bakerfollower
21 Hog haven
23 Agreed,visibly
25 Sci. activity
26 Partof a Steinline
28 Secretary'sneed
30 Go lo the _ (strive
persistently)
33 Homeof the Mavericks
35 Triumphantcard-gamecry
36 Lovableredhead
37 Barkinot The Big Easy
38 W-L star
39 Muckworm
40 Fatal Aftrrctionrole
41 "Beyondthe _" (Darin
hir)
42 War of the Foses director
43 Thesauruswd.
44 Oscargiver,e.g.
46 Popularcomedian's
nickname
47 Home-loanagcy.
48 Haarlembloomers
50 Hyper-inquisitive
53 Changesgenetically

Page10

56
57
59
60
61

Cookeggs
Yasgur'sFarmevent
NobelistPauling
Bat Mastsrsonweapon
Star Trek: The Next
Generationcharacter
62 Whats in it?
63 They maybe liberal
64 Houndsound

DOWN
1 Compactitm
2 "
3 Ticonderogataker
4 Havanaharborcastle
5 Badtimefor Caesar
6 Buy back
7 Dander
8 lrvinghero
9 Billowed
10 Butcher-shopdisplay
11 Goldberg,ot crazyinventionfame
12 Torncurtain,nowadays
13 Firstnameof 17-Across
18 Hemingway
titlecharacter
22 Revolutionsite of '79
24 Smallcarriage
26 Glimmerings
27 Go forth
29 Refuelingplace
30 Notedshoppingplace?
31 Vinegaryprefix
32 Beginners
34 Barkerwho playedTarzan

36
38
39
41
42
44
45
47
49

ActressUllmann
Princessirritant
Marksof commendation
Type of meet
Stringsalong
Richard'srequest
EarlyTV network
Montrealarena
Hamburgerportion

50 Kicker'starget?
51 Oneof a 1492trio
s2 Women'sorg.
54 EPAconcern
55 Part of a shortjourney
56 Patty Hearst'skidnappers
58 Crewneed
(tulution is on page 29)

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May/June1991