New Delhi/Patna: The North Zone Finals of the Bihar Foundation National Inter-College Crossword Expedition (NICE) 2026 were held at IIT Delhi on September 20, bringing together college students from across the North Zone for a competition focused on cryptic crossword solving.
The event was organised under the aegis of Extra-C and the Crossword Federation of India (CWFI), with the support of Bihar Foundation and Central Bank of India.
Students who qualified through the preliminary rounds competed in the finals, testing their vocabulary, logical reasoning, lateral thinking and problem-solving skills.
IIT Delhi Teams Take All Three Positions
Students from IIT Delhi dominated the North Zone Finals, securing the top three positions.
The results were:
- 1st: Arnav V Raju and Divyam Jain — IIT Delhi
- 2nd: Harshita Goyal and Suryaanshu — IIT Delhi
- 3rd: Seerat Kaur and Pulkit Goyal — IIT Delhi
The performance highlighted the growing interest in cryptic crosswords among college students and the role of crossword-solving in developing analytical thinking, vocabulary, pattern recognition and creative problem-solving.
NICE 2026 Moves Towards National Championship
NICE 2026 is being conducted as a national-level inter-college crossword initiative, providing students with a platform to develop and showcase their aptitude for cryptic crosswords.
The competition brings together students from institutions across India through online preliminary rounds, followed by zonal and national-level competitions.
The organisers acknowledged the continued support of Bihar Foundation in promoting the NICE initiative and Central Bank of India for supporting the programme and its efforts to encourage intellectual and educational activities among young people.
The completion of the North Zone Finals marks another stage in the run-up to the NICE 2026 National Championship, where leading participants from across the country will compete for national honours.
