Patna: The Indian Crossword League (IXL) 2025 launched its annual season with a fiercely contested first weekly online round that drew some of the best-known names in the global crossword community.
Matthew Marcus of Portland, USA, emerged as the winner, followed by fellow American Eric Agard in second place and India’s own Ramki Krishnan in third.
Marcus, a seasoned competitor and 2025 World Crossword Championship (WCCC) individual champion, has long been regarded as a formidable solver. With past titles including the 2023 London Times Crossword Championship, Marcus – known in puzzle circles as “Quicksolver” – is also a regular puzzle blogger and an active presence on Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook, where he shares live-solving sessions with enthusiasts worldwide.
Agard, who secured second place, is a familiar name to crossword solvers in the US and beyond. Currently the editor of USA Today Crossword, his inventive clues and accessible style have earned him the nickname “Word Nerd,” as well as a devoted following.
For India, Chennai-based solver Ramki Krishnan continued his formidable record by finishing third. A seven-time IXL champion since 2014, Krishnan combines his passion for crosswords with a long professional career as a machine learning and EduTech consultant. A graduate of IIT Madras and IIM Bangalore, he traces his crossword journey back to his teenage years, when his father introduced him to puzzles in the Indian Express.
This year’s opening round underscored IXL’s increasingly international reach, with noted solvers Phillip Coote (Australia), Deane Keith Short (Canada), and Colin Thomas (England) among the participants. Their presence, organisers said, contributed to what is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and cosmopolitan editions of the league.
