Patna: The 13th edition of India’s premier school-level crossword championship—the Cryptic Crossword Contest (CCCC)—is set to enter its scoring phase from August 3, 2025. Organised by the civil society initiative Extra-C, the contest continues to inspire and challenge school students nationwide with its focus on language, logic, and teamwork.
Following a well-received practice round held on July 27, teams of students from Classes 7 to 12 are now preparing for three official scoring rounds. These rounds will be held online on August 3, August 10, and August 17. On each of these dates, a fresh crossword grid will be uploaded to the official website www.crypticsingh.com at 2:00 PM IST. Participants will have three hours to submit their responses, and points will be awarded for both speed and accuracy.
Registrations remain open and are completely free. Each team must consist of two students from the same school, although they may be from different classes within the eligible range. One student must register the team online through the official portal.
CCCC 13.0 follows a three-stage hybrid format:
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Stage I: Online rounds (July–August)
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Stage II: Regional face-to-face rounds (online/offline)
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Stage III: National grand finale (offline, New Delhi)
The top 100 teams on the cumulative leaderboard after the third round will qualify for the second stage. In addition, the top 20 teams from each individual round will also advance, even if they are not among the overall top 100.
Winners will receive attractive prizes, and certificates will be awarded to all participants in recognition of their intellectual effort and commitment.
