In the 2009 ACPT I believe something went wrong in Puzzle 7 that prevented you from making the final. I do post my solving times on my blog every day, but that’s for posterity, not intimidation! I always have low expectations, so it was still a little surprising that I went wire-to-wire in first place. Sure, I knew I would be one of the favorites, because I tied for first place in 2009, and I’m still getting incrementally better - after all, I’m less than three years into my crossword “career.”Īpparently I’d been giving the impression that I was gunning for the championship and would not be denied. Did you sense that you were a favorite? And what made you a favorite going into the event? But in my interview with Trip Payne, he said that he and others had you pegged from the start. When I saw your name in first place this year, I assumed you came out of nowhere. My parents have started crossword solving regularly, and together they can usually finish the Thursday and Sunday New York Times puzzles. Since then, of course, everybody has been totally supportive. I've found that talking about a crossword hobby can be quite a conversation-killer, so many of my friends didn't know how devoted I was until I won the tournament and bragged about it on Facebook. I don’t have any particularly interesting hobbies - when I’m not working or doing crosswords, I’m watching TV, surfing the internet (do we still call it “surfing”?) and hanging out with my girlfriend.ĭo friends and family generally encourage or ridicule your devotion to crossword solving? I play the piano for shows, auditions, and classes, and do associated jobs like conducting, arranging, and orchestrating. I was born and raised in San Francisco, studied music and theater at Princeton, and moved to New York City to work in musical theater. So Dan, tell us about the guy in the picture. So I got in touch with Dan to ask him one or two questions. Naturally, the ever curious Word-Buff wanted to find out more about this mystery man and his crossword solving secrets. You see, Dan Feyer is a relative newcomer to the world of crossword solving, stealing its most coveted trophy after less than three years of competition!
Now I've read and written quite a bit about some of America's veteran crossword solvers, like Tyler Hinman and Trip Payne, but I had never heard of this guy.
If you're familiar with this wonderful competition, you will know that in recent years the event has been dominated by the incredibly young and talented crossword solver, Tyler Hinman, who has stubbornly held on to the trophy for five consecutive years!īut this year (2010, that is), things would be different. Merl Reagle is referring to crossword solving whiz, Dan Feyer, just minutes before he wins the most prestigious title in the world of American crosswords - the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, or ACPT for short.
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