Rush to register

The rush of enthusiasts to register for the second edition of the online crossword contest has been staggering — more than 300 and still counting.

Christened IXL 2014, the event being organised by Cryptic C, a civil society initiative, would get under way on September 14.

Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) chairman U.K. Sinha would inaugurate the event at National Sports Club of India, Mumbai.

The first edition of the online contest was held in 2013, which marked the centenary year of crosswords. The event was ideated and mentored by Bihar cadre IAS officer Vivek Kumar Singh. The aim was to promote cryptic crosswords with the idea that solving puzzles would not only increase mental agility but also enhance mental health.

Unlike last year, when the competition was open for Indian residents only, the latest edition has allowed Indians settled abroad to take part. The move has led to a good response from the far-flung Indian diaspora across the globe.

“People from across the globe, including Seattle, Pittsburgh, New York, London, Dubai, Singapore, Manama (Bahrain), and 40 different cities of India such as Calcutta, Mumbai and Bangalore have registered,” Indian Crossword League director (legal and public relations) Kushagra Singh said, adding that many school students had registered for the event this time.

The registration process for IXL commenced on August 15 and those interested to take part in the event can visit www.crypticsingh.com.

The competition is set to be an interesting one with people from varied backgrounds and different age groups taking part. From Calcutta, a father-son duo — Rahmat Ali (54), a banker and Sohrab Azam (19), preparing for IIT entrance examination — would slog it out.

Rahmat had made it to the final of the inaugural edition and Sohrab would try his hand for the first time. With competition at home, the father and son are keeping their cards close to their chest when it comes to solving the clues.

“Let there be healthy competition. That is the beauty of the game,” Rahmat, who has been solving crosswords since 1972, told The Telegraph over phone from Calcutta.

“I discuss the tricks of the game with my father but when it comes to solving the clues I use my wit instead of taking help from him,” Sohrab said.

Shachii Manik (37), a Mumbai-based software engineer, who loves to spread the word about the beauty of the game and has been to several schools of Mumbai to make the game popular among students, is waiting for D-Day.

“I had made it to the final last year but could not take part as I was abroad. I hope to do it this year,” she said.

If the lady was enthusiastic about taking part, same is the case with the not-so-young R. Nagendra Prasad (56), a Bangalore-based mechanical engineer.

“I started solving crosswords in 1980 to improve my English. Now, it has become a passion,” he said.

IXL 2014 would witness 10 online weekly rounds. The top 10 scorers would qualify for the final on December 21, which would be an offline contest.