The Marriott is sold out for Friday and Saturday nights. We have opened up a block of rooms at the nearby Stamford Hotel, 700 E Main St, Stamford, CT 06901.

Space is limited, so act now! You are responsible for making your own room reservations!

1. Online: Reservations at the nearby Stamford Hotel are available now for Friday and Saturday nights. Stamford Hotel ACPT Group Rate
2. By phone: Phone in your reservation to the Stamford Hotel by calling 203-358-8400 and be sure to ask for the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament group rate

Marriott cancellation policy for this group: Room cancellations can be made prior to 72 hours before your arrival to get a full refund. Cancellations made within 72 hours of your arrival will be charged for one night's stay.

Scoring is based on accuracy and speed. Score as follows:

1. 10 points for every correct word you entered across and down
2. A bonus of 25 points for each full minute you finished ahead of the suggested solution time — BUT reduced by 25 points for each missing or incorrect letter (but not beyond the point the bonus returns to zero)
3. A bonus of 150 points for each completely correct solution

For the purpose of scoring, a "word" consists of any series of letters written between black squares in the grid, or between a black square and the border of the grid, whether it is a single word, a phrase, or otherwise.

Complete rules will be explained prior to competition.

All crosswords have been specially created and edited for the tournament.

Will I be able to compete? Are the puzzles too hard for me? These questions can be answered by actually solving a puzzle that was used in a previous Tournament. The tournament crosswords vary in difficulty. This sample puzzle is "medium." If you can complete it in 15 minutes, you would be competitive at the tournament. A time of under 10 minutes would be excellent.

Download Puzzle 1 from the 2014 tournament (pdf)

The judges and referees include leading names in crossword puzzling.

• Tracy Bennett
• Kevin Christian
• Joel Fagliano
• Lynn Lempel
• Anna Shechtman
• Mike Shenk
• Sid Sivakumar
• Robyn Weintraub

Photo Gallery of Constructors and Officials

243 Tresser Boulevard
Stamford, Connecticut 06901 USA

• Stamford Marriott

Flying Into...

JFK 42 miles. Driving Directions: Take Van Wyck Expressway to Whitestone Bridge. Follow signs to I-95 North to Connecticut. Take I-95 North to Exit 8. Go up two lights, make a left on Canal Street. Second light make a right on Tresser Blvd. Then make first right into Marriott hotel, go to end and make a right into the Marriott Hotel parking garage. Taxi: Estimated $110 cab fare. Shuttle: Royal Club Limo/Connecticut Express Shuttle; fee: 145 USD (one way); reservation required.

LaGuardia - LGA: 35 miles. Driving Directions: Exit airport, take Grand Central Parkway towards Whitestone Bridge. Follow signs to I-95 North to Connecticut. Take I-95 North to Exit 8. Go up two lights, make a left on Canal Street. Second light, make a right on Tresser Blvd. Then make first right into the Marriott Hotel, go to end and make a right into the Marriott Hotel parking garage. Taxi: Estimated $110 cab fare. Shuttle: Alternate transportation: Royal Club Limo/Connecticut Express Shuttle; fee: 135 USD (one way); reservation required.

Westchester County White Plains Airport - HPN: 13 miles. Driving Directions: Take Route 684 South to 287 East. Follow signs for I-95 North to Connecticut. Take I-95 North to exit 8. Go up two lights and make a left on Canal Street. Second light make a right on Tresser Blvd. Then make a right into the Marriott Hotel, go to the end and make a right into the Marriott Hotel parking garage. Taxi: No estimate available. Shuttle: Alternate transportation: Royal Club Limo/Connecticut Express Shuttle; fee: 70 USD (one way); reservation required.

Public Transportation to the Stamford Marriott

The Stamford Marriott hotel is about 0.6 miles from the Metro North New Haven Line Stamford station. There are several economical ways to get to the Marriott from LaGuardia, JFK and Newark airports via public transportation. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) has a booklet that tells how to connect to the railroad:
http://web.mta.info/mnr/html/airconn/AirportBrochure.pdf

You can take part in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament from your own home!

1. On Your Computer: Enter the Virtual Tournament -- Solve the puzzles online on the weekend of the tournament, including most Friday games. Join in the livestream and chat with other Virtual Tournament contestants.
   
   
2. On Your Computer: Solve the puzzles online following the tournament. You can also select from previous tournament puzzles. Click to purchase puzzles.
   
   
3. By Mail: Receive this year's puzzles (upon completion of the tournament) by mail. Please note - we are no longer judging your puzzles or ranking against the actual contestants at the tournament. Click to purchase puzzles.