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American Crossword Puzzle Tournament weekend is now. Who’s psyched? I am. No puzzles from me this tournament, unless you count tomorrow’s New York Times puzzle. And if you do, then, hey! I have a puzzle in the ACPT [weekend]! All right? All right! Anyway, to get those juices flowing for the main event, I’ve rerun one of my puzzles from a previous tournament. For those that have already solved it, may your times be quicker today than they were last time. Good luck to all this weekend.
Why good luck? Because you’re going to be chasing the guy pictured up above. The one on the left in the Mystics jersey, not the right. The reigning champ Erik “Slicks” Agard. He’s good, if you didn’t know already. He’s also one of puzzledom’s brightest young stars (check out his own site when you have a chance) and a nice, funny dude to boot. We exchanged some emails this week and this is what transpired.
BEQ: You had a banner year last year: ACPT win, decent “Jeopardy!” run. “Real Sports” appearance. How ya feeling going into this ACPT?
Erik: To me, the smart money has someone with initials DF winning the tournament. I’m feeling like I will probably have some great solve times; not confident in making the finals, but that’s okay. Looking forward to spending time with loved ones and meeting some new folks.
BEQ: Last year you also had 17 crosswords in the Times, and I’ve lost count in all the other markets. What’s your philosophy of puzzle making?
Erik: Having trouble answering. It’s a book-sized question.
BEQ:Does this mean you’re planning on writing a book?
Erik: How about I write the foreword for the rerelease of Patrick Berry’s handbook.
BEQ: You mentor a lot of newish constructors. Tell me a little bit about that.
Erik: I think the best thing you can do is be proactive in terms of reaching out to potential puzzle makers and connecting them with whatever resources and/or motivation they need to get going. You’d be surprised how many people are a “have you thought about making crosswords?” Or, “let me know if you ever want a test-solver.” Or, “I’m in charge of this thing and I’d love it if you wrote a puzzle for it” away from creating brilliant work.
Beyond that, I dunno, people send me questions to answer or stuff to look over and I try to be as fast/thorough/kind/honest/coherent as possible in my responses. It’s fun, and I’ve gotten to know some amazing people as a result.
(If you’re from a group that’s underrepresented in puzzlemaking and you’re looking to get started, the crossword puzzle collaboration directory is for you.)
BEQ: On top of all this, you’re also running the Indie 500 tournament. What’s on the docket this year?
Erik: We have a new theme, a guest editor, and four guest constructors, who should all be announced soon when registration opens (This may have already happened – check the website). aAso there will be pie, unless I forget to order it. It’s one of the two responsibilities I have every year and I always almost forget.
BEQ: And lastly, is it true that you will lose all your powers if you cut off that magnificent haircut?
Erik: If I did that then what would white people find to talk to me about?
Thanks for the info on the Indie tournament (I ordered the at-home puzzles), but dang, the clues for this puzzle are cut off on the right side.
Just the puzzle: https://beq.crosswordnexus.com/solve/?file=/files/621SayWhat.puz
Took about an hour to solve, which I think is typical for me.
Thank you!
the clues are cut off! the check tab is cut off! can’t do it without clues!