Governor Ram Nath Kovind launched the third edition of A Clue-A-Day 2016, an online cryptic crossword contest for school students, at Delhi Public School here on Wednesday.

From this year, Indian students from abroad can take part in the contest, which will announce monthly winners, organised by Extra-C.

Kovind said: "A contest like this will help in imparting adequate skills in young students to withstand stiff competition later in their lives."

Contest director Kusharga Singh said: "Students can register for the contest by visiting the website, www.crypticsingh.com. Every day, a clue will be uploaded on the site at 3.30pm and the answers have to be uploaded by 3pm the next day. Depending on the clues solved over a period of time, a champion's gallery will be formed and top contestants will be given prizes and letters of appreciation."

"The competition will come to an end in November," he added.

Vivek Kumar Singh, an IAS officer and chief mentor of the event, said: "Solving crosswords provide a creative avenue to practice not only one's general knowledge and language skills but also to enhance mindfulness, concentration and to sharpen one's focus."

Delhi Public School principal B. Vinod said: "Crossword puzzles are a good pastime because they are appealing to all ages."

Students were excited too. "It involves several useful skills, such as vocabulary, reasoning and spelling. To solve them, we must understand the clues properly. I developed this hobby when I was in Class V. It gives me immense pleasure," said Samridhi, a Class VIII student of Notre Dame Academy.

Avinash, a Class X student of Loyola High School, said solving crosswords acted as a stress buster for him.