The Finger Lakes Crossword Competition will return to Boynton Middle School for its 13th year on Saturday, Oct. 18. The event’s proceeds will go to supporting adult literacy in the county.
The competition will consist of one 60 minute round with doors opening at 1 p.m. and the competition set to begin at 2 p.m. Winners will be announced at 3:15 p.m., according to the competition’s website.
Prizes include “priceless bragging rights,” a copy of Merl Reagle’s Sunday Crosswords and personalized Perfect Puzzle Certificates for all in-person players who complete a perfect puzzle within the competition time period
Gary Weissbrot ’71, TLP board member and Finger Lakes Crossword Competition chairperson, spoke about the event’s tenacity.
“We had 2 years where [the competition] was held virtually for 2 years, but we never missed a year,” Weissbrot said. The event usually has between 100 and 120 people, according to Weissbrot.
The competition will feature crossword puzzles in the New York Times’ “daily” style. To accommodate each participant, the competition provides three levels of difficulty using The Times’ system of incremental increases in difficulty throughout the week. These levels range from easiest, published on Mondays and Tuesdays, to trickier, published on Wednesdays, to toughest, published on Thursdays.
All proceeds will go to Tompkins Learning Partners, an organization that supports adult literacy in Tompkins County. TLP has provided one-on-one tutoring for local adults for 50 years. Tutoring is offered in English language learning, adult basic education — including studying for the GED — and preparation for the US citizenship interview.
The competition has an entry fee consisting of a suggested amount of $50 per player. However, the competition has a “Pay what you can comfortably afford” policy to ensure everyone can participate, according to the competition’s website.
Weissbrot highlighted the openness of this event, pointing to the unique team format and the virtual option.
Players can choose to participate individually or as part of a two, three or four player team where team members will compete against each other, according to the Fingerlakes Crossword Competition website. The competition is also open virtually, so players can solve puzzles from anywhere around the world and compare their times with the in-person winners.
Weissbrot also emphasized the local efforts in making this event possible, citing Ithacan and antique shop owner Adam Perl and Cornell’s Alpha Pi Omega as some of the main contributors.
“We have a local, world-class puzzle constructor. His name is Adam Perl, and he makes all of our puzzles. He’s been published [in] many places, including the New York Times,” Weissbrot said. “Because everybody is being timed, we have monitors. All of our monitors are volunteers from Cornell’s service fraternity APO.”
Steven Schapiro, New York licensed real estate broker and president of Cayuga Sunset Properties Management, has sponsored the event since its inception. In an email sent to The Sun, Schapiro emphasized the importance of the event for the community.
“CSP Management has been a sponsor of the Finglerlakes Crossword Competition since its inception, so this will be our 13th year,” Schapiro said. “It is a fun event which has been a joy to partake in each year. Tompkins Learning Partners, the host and beneficiary of the event, is a local not-for-profit organization whose mission is admirable.”
In an email sent to The Sun, Donna Ramos, executive director of TLP, praised the event and noted the importance of local residents, event participants and sponsors in supporting TLP’s mission. She also encouraged Ithacans to attend.
“This event is a great way to spend a fall afternoon, participating as an individual or team member at one of three competition levels — supporting local adults at the same time,” Ramos said.
Hussam Kher Bek is a member of the Class of 2028 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a staff writer for the News department and can be reached at hkherbek@cornellsun.com.
