Wordplay

Film on crossword puzzles offers clues about enthusiasts | Jamie Dean

Move the letter "d" to the end of the first word in "Dunkin Donuts" and you get "unkind donuts." Flip an "h" and an "s" in the phrase "Noah's ark" and you get "No, a shark." Crossword puzzle constructor Merle Reagle confesses that this is how crossword devotees think in Wordplay, a documentary about puzzle enthusiasts.

But enthusiastic isn't strong enough to describe the film's puzzle gurus who converge in Stamford, Conn., to compete in the 28th annual Crossword Puzzle Tournament. These are people who can blaze through a New York Times puzzle in less than five minutes and impress even Will Shortz, the Times' crossword editor since 1993.

We learn about Shortz's lifelong obsession with crosswords that led him to design his own major at Indiana University in "enigmatology," the study of puzzles. Shortz presides over the annual tournament, and the film follows a close band of top competitors aching to be champion.

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July 22, 2006, Vol. 21, No. 28

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