Community Corner

NYT Crossword Puzzle Editor Inspires Local Wordsmith

Killingworth resident Jan O'Sullivan's passion for crossword puzzles led her to organize local tournament.

 

Jan O'Sullivan doesn't mind the pressure of a clock.

The Killingworth resident has earned a reputation as a serious gamer (and no we're not talking about Mario Bros.) and now she's hoping to share that passion with her community.

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On Sunday, O'Sullivan will help host the First Annual Crossword Puzzle Tournament.

"It'll be a fun afternoon," O'Sullivan says about the event, joking, "You can come to the tournament and then you can impress your friends who didn't know you did it by solving the puzzles really fast next week."

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The yet-to-be published crossword puzzles for the tournament are being provided by New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz, who founded and hosts the annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Brooklyn, NY (for years it was held in Stamford, Conn.).

O'Sullivan has participated in the tournament since 2007 and considers Shortz a friend.

"We've met several times, including the Westport tournament last year which he hosts," she says. "You get to know a lot of interesting people at the tournaments."

O'Sullivan won the Westport Library's 12th Annual Crossword Puzzle Tournament last February. The victory came just five months after she on the hit game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

This weekend's tournament is open to everyone - from players who might want to test their skills against other crossword puzzle players under the pressure of a clock, or players just looking to have fun.

The puzzles, O'Sullivan says, will range in difficulty.

Prizes, including crossword puzzle books given to her by Shortz, will be awarded to winners in different categories, including players who've never played before.

"I really wanted it to be for people who have maybe seen the movie Wordplay or have heard about the event in Brooklyn and didn't know what that would be like, so this was a great way," she says.

The tournament begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22 (snow date Sunday, Jan. 29) at the Killingworth Library.

To register for the tournament stop by the library, call 860-663-2000, or send an email to treasurer@killingworthlibrary.org.


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