COLLABORATIVE CRYPTIC CROSSWORD CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP (C5) CHAMPIONSHIP # ____ SEGMENT LETTER ____ Welcome to C5, in this contest (no prizes) the idea is to construct an actual 15x15 cryptic crossword puzzle through the collaborative efforts of all the participants over a period of several months. For each installment, three new words are entered in the supplied grid and the contestants are asked to clue them. The entrant who supplies the best three-clue package wins that segment. There is, in addition to the segment Hosts, an overall moderator who has the authority to intervene should any unforseen difficulties arise. The puzzle Champion may assume this role for the next contest. THE WORDS Word 1 - _________________________________ Word 2 - _________________________________ Word 3 - _________________________________ TO ENTER Please include your 3 clues; an explanation of how they are solved; your E-Mail address; and whether or not you are able to host the next segment. E-Mail entries to: ________________________________ ___________________________________ DEADLINES Entries must be received no later than _________________________________ The results will be posted as soon as practicable thereafter. THE RULES The entrants are asked to submit a separate clue for each of the three words. Each clue should be of a different type - ie. charade; anagram; etc. This is to ensure that the finished puzzle has good balance. These three-clue packages are judged as a separate entry, with the winner assuming (or passing on) the responsibility of filling three new words on the grid and hosting the next segment. Only one three-clue entry per contestant please. There is no spelling or clue-format protocol that we are adhering to for this contest. Whatever standard you are used to using is acceptable. The moderator may edit the bracketed enumeration at the end of the clue to a uniform look for aesthetic purposes however. This is not to suggest that this is a free-form contest, but merely acknowledges that there are many different accepted standards. Hyphenated words are acceptable as are linked words (clue may require more than one clue space), but be aware that these linked words may create unforseen problems later on when trying to fill the grid. THE SCORING 3 points for winner 2 points for runner-up 1 point for honourable mention Benevolent points 1 additional point will be awarded to the person who agrees to host the next installment (the winner has right of first refusal). For each segment, there is only one winner whose three clues were deemed to be the best of the field. The runner-up and honourable mention points are awarded in recognition of good efforts - perhaps the best overall clue was not accompanied by two sufficiently good entries to merit first place. As these points are accumulated throughout the contest, the Champion could feasibly have not fielded any first place winners. MODIFICATIONS Inevitably, as the contest progresses, there will be a point where the moderator faces an impasse - there are no legitimate words which will occupy the remaining spaces. At this point (or before), the moderator can remove anywhere from one to three previously clued entries and replace them with a word/words deemed easier to work with. The choice of which word/words to remove is solely at the discretion of the host, and requires no explanation or apology. There is no time limit set on how quickly this puzzle must be completed, so please don't feel compelled to include questionable words for the sake of expediency. Also, just because a particular clue is a real knockout is not justification for leaving it intact if all the other strategic considerations point to a need to remove a particular word. In the event that less than three new words are available when completing the puzzle, whatever number remain will comprise the contest for that final segment. The Champion is the one who has accumulated the most points when the puzzle is completed. That person wins bragging rights and the opportunity to choose the grid and enter the initial three words for the next contest. In the event of a tie, a joint-champion will be declared and the person with the most 1st place wins will have the right to initiate the next contest. The Host/Judge is NOT required to critique all the entries or provide a rationale for choosing (or not) the winning entries - though you may do this if you wish. A short overall commentary should accompany the winners list and updates however. ____________________________________________________________________________ THE GRID The grid below shows the clue answer words entered to date. _____________________________________________________________ |###|1 | | | | | |###|2 |###|3 | | | |###| |###|_D_|_E_|_S_|_I_|_G_|_N_|###|_A_|###|_G_|_R_|_I_|_D_|###| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|___| +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The Host of each segment is responsible for updating the puzzle grid by adding the three new words to be clued, and removing those which became redundant. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE WINNING CLUES - The Host must add the new clues to the list. - If a word has been replaced or removed, that clue must also be deleted from this list. ACROSS **NOTE** The numbers below are an example from the first contest. Change to suit new grid layout. 1) 5) 9) 10) 12) 13) 15) 18) 23) 24) 26) 27) 28) 29) DOWN 1) 2) 3) 4) 6) 7) 8) 11) 14) 16) 17) 19) 20) 21) 22) 25) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEGMENT 1 THE WORDS - WINNER - CLUE 1 - CLUE 2 - CLUE 3 - RUNNER-UP - CLUE 1 - CLUE 2 - CLUE 3 - HONOURABLE MENTION - CLUE 1 - CLUE 2 - CLUE 3 - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SEGMENT 2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *The Hosts should append their winners to this list so there is a complete record of all the winning clue-packages. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE POINTS LEADERS (running tally) *The Hosts should update this list to keep it current. ____________________________________________________________________________ The Overall Moderator for this Championship is: ______YOUR NAME____________ E-Mail:____YOUR ADDRESS____ **NOTE** Do 'NOT' send entries to this E-Mail address. Submissions should be sent only to the segment Host. ____________________________________________________________________________ Murray W Smith Vancouver, BC, Canada Email: smithmw@direct.ca