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Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Will Shortz published his first puzzle when he was only 14. By age 16 he had become a regular contributor to Dell puzzle publications. He is a graduate of Indiana University and is the only person in the world with a degree in Enigmatology, the study of puzzles. He also has a law degree from the University of Virginia.
In 1987 he became Puzzlemaster for National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition Sunday.” Shortz’s puzzle career continued as editor of Games magazine, where he founded the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT) 33 years ago.
In 1993, Will Shortz joined The New York Times as crossword editor, still continuing his roles with NPR and directing the ACPT. In his tournament program biography, he said, “What I especially like about being at the Times is the audience. The Times undoubtedly has the most intelligent, best educated group of solvers in the country, so I can presume a level of culture and solving skill that I couldn’t anyplace else.”
During the next decade, he founded the World Puzzle Championship and served as captain of the U.S. team, contributed riddles to the 1995 movie “Batman Forever,” and was named one of “The 100 Best People in the World” by Esquire magazine.
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Shortz has written or edited more than 400 books of crosswords, Sudoku and other brain teasers. He was the subject of the acclaimed 2006 feature film “Wordplay,” celebrating the phenomenon of Shortz’s crosswords in The New York Times, which reach an estimated 50 million people each week.
Will Shortz delights in hosting crossword puzzle tournaments in libraries across the country, including here at the Westport Public Library. Over the past 11 years, more than 1,200 people have honed their own enigmatology skills under the personal eye of the master man of letters. He currently resides in Pleasantville, NY where he enjoys table tennis and continuing to build his incomparable collection of puzzle books and magazines, which dates to 1545.
Will Shortz at the NYT Crossword Puzzle Contest in Brooklyn, NY
credits: Donald Christiansen
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bd@westportlibrary.org