RPI student has a way with crosswords

RPI student has a way with crosswords

Can you say repeat?

An RPI senior has won the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament for the second year in a row. Tyler Hinman, 20, of Hebron, Conn., maintained his syllabic stranglehold on the title by outdoing Kiran Kedlaya of Massachusetts and Ellen Ripstein of New York City during competition held over the weekend in Stamford, Conn.

Participants are judged on time and accuracy, and Hinman won by completing his puzzle in just over 11 minutes. Hinman said he was so overjoyed — and relieved — that he decided to lay out on the floor.

"I couldn't believe that the others were still working and I just wanted to lay there and watch," he said. "It was a beast of a puzzle."

For his troubles, Hinman, an information technology major at RPI, won — what else — another puzzle book and $4,000 in cash. He said he has no idea what he will do with the money. His grandmother, Alma Hinman of Hebron, said he began solving crossword puzzles when he was about 15 and his family was living in England.

Last year, Hinman became the youngest competitor to win the title. He still is.