Bengaluru school lifts all-India crossword contest trophy

The National Public School of Bengaluru today clinched the pan-India crossword challenge after going through several grueling rounds.
The grand finale of the annual Cryptic Crossword Contest 2017, held at Kendriya Vidyalaya No.2 in Delhi Cantonment, was spread over November 21 and 23.
"Rida Shafeek and Aditi Koul of National Public School, Koramangla, lifted the trophy. Amar Mishra and Devpriya Saswata of Navrachana School, Vadodara, the winner of the last edition, won the second position.
"Anish Bajaj and Arav Agarwal of The Mother's International School, New Delhi, finished third," the organisers of the event said in a statement.
The concluding function was attended by Anil Swarup, Secretary, School Education and Literacy, HRD Ministry.

As many as 36 teams, which were the winners of the preliminary round held across India, participated in the finale which comprised a written elimination round, eight quarter-finals, three semi-finals and a final, they said.

The Cryptic Crossword Contest 2017, the fifth in a series of contests started in 2013 -- the 'Year of the Crossword'.
The year 2013 marked the centenary year of the first published crossword. It was published in the Christmas-eve edition of New York World in 1913. Its creator was Arthur Wynne who belonged to Liverpool, England.
It is a two-phase contest involving teams of two students each, belonging to class 9-12 of schools affiliated to any of the recognised boards of school education in India.

In the first phase of the current edition, written tests were held in 39 cities in a span of 58 days, they said.