Patna: Matthew Marcus from Portland, USA, stunned the Indian Crossword League (IXL) by completing the 5th round of the 13th edition in record time. Clocking in at 6 minutes 35 seconds, Marcus achieved a perfect score of 100, edging out fellow American Erik Agard from Kansas City, who finished just four seconds later with 99 points.
Former champion Ramki Krishnan of Chennai claimed third place with a time of 14 minutes 19 seconds, significantly trailing the top two but maintaining a strong presence on the leaderboard.
The preliminary stage of IXL, now at its halfway point, has so far produced few surprises aside from the breakneck pace set by Marcus and Agard. In the cumulative rankings, Erik, Matthew, and Ramki continue to occupy the top three positions, with Manama’s Sowmya Ramkumar appearing at No. 7, marking three international players among the top 10.
The sixth of ten preliminary rounds is scheduled for Sunday. IXL follows a hybrid format: ten online rounds lead to an offline Grand Finale in Bengaluru, where the top 30 scorers compete for the National Crossword Champion trophy. New grids are released online every Sunday at 11 am (IST), with solutions accepted until Wednesday at 11:59 pm. Points are awarded for both speed and accuracy, and round toppers earn automatic entry to the final, regardless of overall ranking.
