The solitary nature of crossword solving

I was one of the 90+ people who entered and participated in the Westport (CT) Library Crossword Tournament yesterday. It is an annual event, now in its eighth incarnation. I think I’ve been there seven times, missing only last year when I was out of town on a business trip.

Will Shortz, editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, provided the puzzles and was there to entertain, amuse, and challenge the participants, and to share the puzzles that are used in the on-air challenge for the following day’s Weekend Edition Sunday program on NPR. (The segment is taped on Thursday, so there’s no chance of sharing the answers with the person answering the questions on the program.)

The tournament got me thinking about how rare it is that crossword junkies get to see others like them in large numbers (like more than 3 or 4 at a time). Solving crossword puzzles is, after all, a solitary activity. It’s a rare occasion when you can find dozens of people all solving the same puzzle at the same time.

Perhaps that’s one of the things that makes tournaments so interesting for the participants: the opportunity to validate their otherwise solo/private passion with others who really understand what it’s like to enjoy a silent and focused non-work activity.

The folks at my table all noted that their significant others do not share their love of crosswords, and that’s a common observation. It’s unusual when two people in the same household both solve the same daily crossword puzzle. It would require some planned logistics, at a minimum.

Anyway, the tournament was great fun — a teriffic way to spend a Saturday afternoon once a year, and good practice for the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament coming up in March.