New Delhi: India’s most prestigious crossword competition, the Indian Crossword League (IXL), is set to return for its 13th edition later this year, organisers announced on Thursday. The contest, renowned for its challenging puzzles and intellectual rigor, attracts word enthusiasts from across the globe.
Registrations for the 2025 edition open on August 23, via the official website, crypticsingh.com. The competition will take place in two phases, beginning with online rounds and culminating in a grand finale in Bengaluru.
The online phase kicks off with a practice round on September 7, followed by ten weekly rounds. Each round will be accessible from Sunday 11:00 AM IST to Wednesday 11:59 PM IST, allowing participants to attempt puzzles at their convenience. The rounds are scheduled as follows:
- Round 1: 14 September
- Round 2: 21 September
- Round 3: 28 September
- Round 4: 5 October
- Round 5: 12 October
- Round 6: 19 October
- Round 7: 26 October
- Round 8: 2 November
- Round 9: 9 November
- Round 10: 16 November
The top 30 solvers from the online rounds will advance to the grand finale, tentatively scheduled for December 21, where the ultimate crossword champion of 2025 will be crowned before a live audience.
Over the years, the league has attracted some of the world’s most accomplished cruciverbalists, including Eric Agard (USA), Philip Coot (Australia), Neville Fogarty (USA), and Koh Ting Sween Kenny (Singapore). Indian champions such as Chennai’s Ramki Krishnan and Goa’s Shashwat Salgaoncar have also left a lasting impression, inspiring a new generation of solvers.
Launched in 2013 by Extra-C, a civil society initiative, to mark the centenary of the crossword, the Indian Crossword League has since grown into a globally recognised platform for competitive crossword solving. Open to participants of all ages and nationalities, it continues to celebrate wordplay, problem-solving, and intellectual curiosity.
