Patna: Erik Agard and Rupert Marten Morrish emerged as the top performers in the Final Scoring Round (Round 2) of the US Cryptic Crossword Championship 2026 (US Triple-C 2026) and Canada Cryptic Crossword Championship 2026 (Canada Triple-C 2026), organisers said.
Agard recorded the highest score in the US Final Round, while Morrish topped the Canada Final Round. The championships brought together leading cryptic crossword solvers from the United States and Canada.
The championships are being organised by EXTRA-C and the World Cryptic Crossword Federation (WCWF), with sponsorship and support from the Bihar Foundation and the Bihar Tourism Department.
Final Round Results
The Final Scoring Round required participants to solve a specially designed cryptic crossword within 90 minutes.
The top performers in the US Triple-C 2026 Final Round were:
- Erik Agard
- Dan Schwartz
- Matthew Theodore Marcus
The top performers in the Canada Triple-C 2026 Final Round were:
- Rupert Marten Morrish
- Noah
- Daniel Currie Hall
Championship Standings To Be Announced
The championships were conducted in two rounds. The final rankings will be based on the combined scores of Round 1 and Round 2.
According to the organisers, accuracy will remain the primary criterion for determining standings, while speed will be used as a tie-breaker where required.
The final leaderboard is expected to be announced next Sunday after the completion of the result verification process.
International Participation
The event saw participation from experienced cryptic crossword solvers across North America, highlighting the growing interest in competitive crossword solving.
Participants tackled complex puzzles requiring linguistic skills, analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities, organisers said.
The organisers congratulated the Final Round performers and thanked participants for their contribution to the championships.
They also acknowledged the support of the Bihar Foundation and the Bihar Tourism Department, along with the efforts of EXTRA-C and the World Cryptic Crossword Federation (WCWF), for organising the international competitions.
