Hundreds of competitors sit with pages face down until the countdown begins.
Three. Two. One.
In a simultaneous motion, solvers turn over their papers to reveal black and white squares.
Welcome to the Midwest Crossword Tournament, held every autumn at the University of Illinois Chicago. Since its inaugural competition in 2024, the event has brought 200-300 puzzlers to the city — along with a host of remote solvers competing alongside in-person competitors in real-time.
The 2026 tournament is set for October 3.
The single-day event features six rounds, each with original puzzles from an all-Midwestern team of constructors and lasting between 15-45 minutes; the time allotted to solvers increases with the round difficulty as solvers are judged on both accuracy and speed.
The competition offers three in-person division levels: Chicago Fire division for expert solvers, Minnesota Nice division for intermediate solvers and Pairs division for solvers competing as a team. Finalists are awarded varying championship trophies and prize packages.
But for Midwest-based crossword enthusiasts, the competition is about more than just winning. It’s become — as participants describe it — “a crossworld.”
“It really fosters this atmosphere where you’re kind of rooting for everybody else, even if you’re trying to win the tournament,” Will Nediger, winner of the Chicago Fire division at the 2024 Midwest Crossword Tournament, said.
For decades, the country’s largest crossword tournaments were concentrated on the East and West coasts, requiring Midwestern competitors to travel hundreds of miles to participate.
Meeting in person wasn’t always so accessible for crossword solvers like Nediger, who lives in Ontario, Canada, and got his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan.
“It definitely helps to extend the tentacles of the crossword community to get more people who are casually involved,” said Nediger.
Nediger, also a crossword editor for Spyscape and Crossworld Club, described the crossword tournament community as tight-knit, where online friendships can meet face to face.
Over the years, Nediger has competed alongside constructor Erik Agard. In April 2026, they placed top two in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament — but their rivalry is a friendly one: Nediger said after sending him a congratulatory email, Agard responded saying, “You should’ve won.”
Agard is a multiple-time ACPT champion. His path to the “crossworld” began at high school when his statistics teacher introduced him to the puzzle. Since then, he has evolved from solver to constructor to editor.
He said crosswords resonate with people even today because they bring people together in a society that’s progressing technologically “in ways that are often very isolating.”
According to a 2018 survey by the Center for the Digital Future, 29% of respondents said the internet has increased their contact with people who share similar hobbies. A 2023 poll by Unscrambled Words found that half of Gen Z report regularly doing a crossword — compared to 38% of Baby Boomers.
Traditional crosswords have inspired thousands of variations of online word-based games; The New York Times’ Wordle and Wordscapes, available to download as apps, have taken the world by storm.
“I think there is something intrinsically and palpably human about the experience of solving puzzles,” Agard said.
According to Agard, making those puzzles — which can take a few hours or a few months — is equally human-centric. The process, he said, is about creating an experience for another person: Every crossword is a conversation as he anticipates moves and chases clues that challenge, surprise and even delight the solver.
Although not every clue can speak to every person, he said some can help make people feel seen.
“Historically, a lot of crosswords have been created or edited in a way where that’s maybe functionally gatekeeping,” Agard said. “Where the references … feel out of reach for the average person.”
Katherine Baicker, provost at the University of Chicago, has created puzzles for the Midwest Crossword Tournament that center Midwestern culture through slang, clues and references.
She said watching hundreds of people rush to solve a puzzle she co-constructed was “surreal.”
She started crossword building during COVID-19 when she had more free time, but she said she still continues to make time for the crossword section of the newspaper.
“[Crosswords are] uncomplicated in a very complicated world,” Baicker said.
Baicker said the puzzles go great with morning coffee, but pair even better in a room of people who share the same passion — and that excitement is rising once again, as the Midwest Crossword Tournament prepares to host its 2026 competition.
“It’s like a giant family reunion,” Nediger said.
