Patna: The Indian Crossword League (IXL) 2025 kicked off with its practice round, where Philip Coote of Canberra emerged at the top, signalling the start of a 10-week global contest that will conclude with a Grand Finale in Bengaluru. The first official scoring round begins on Sunday, September 14.
Sohil Bhagat and Harish Kamath, both from Bengaluru — a traditional crossword powerhouse — secured the second and third spots. The top 10 also features three players each from Bengaluru and Chennai, underscoring the cities’ dominance in the competition. Another international name, Sowmya Ramkumar from Manama, made it into the top bracket alongside Coote, both established figures in the global crossword circuit.
Notably, seasoned contestants such as Ramki Krishnan, Sashwat Salgaokar and Neville Fogarty remain lower in the standings for now, though their track record suggests they could climb the ranks during the 10-week run.
While scores from the practice round do not count toward cumulative standings, organisers say it offers participants a chance to gauge competition intensity and sharpen their strategies.
The IXL follows a hybrid format of 10 online rounds and an offline Grand Finale. Each Sunday at 11 am, a new grid of clues is uploaded on crypticsingh.com, with submissions closing the following Wednesday at 11.59 pm. Scoring is based on both accuracy and speed. The top 30 contestants after the online rounds will qualify for the finale in Bengaluru, where they will compete for the title of National Crossword Champion.
Registration remains open throughout the contest. In addition to cumulative leaderboard qualifiers, any contestant who tops an individual round will automatically secure a spot in the final.
