My Puzzle: US & Canada CCC 2026 - Practice Round Cryptic

The practice round of the US & Canada Cryptic Crossword Championships has concluded, so I'm sharing my practice puzzle here for anyone to solve!

It's a 15x15 cryptic with some topical theme elements and it's on the easier side.

US & Canada CCC 2026 - Practice Round Cryptic (PDF)

US & Canada CCC 2026 - Practice Round Cryptic (PUZ)

SOLUTION - US & Canada CCC 2026 - Practice Round Cryptic (PDF)

Thanks to Steve Mossberg for editing and Liari for test-solving. Special thanks to the Vivek Singh, Unsa Siddiqui, and the rest of the Extra-C team. Additional thanks to Viresh Ratnakar and Sowmya Ramkumar.

Enjoy! Leave a comment if you solve it and feel free to contact me.

Update: On July 12, this puzzle was featured as the Sunday Special on The Hindu Crossword Corner, a popular cryptic-solving blog in India! Thanks to Deepak Gopinath.

 

US & Canada Cryptic Crossword Championships!

I'm helping coordinate and promote the inaugural US & Canada Cryptic Crossword Championships! I've created the Practice Round puzzle and I'm editing the championship cryptics by Steve Mossberg and Viresh Ratnakar!

These online events for the United States and Canada are using the same cryptic crosswords and schedule for both countries, but are separate for results and prizes. Solving takes place on Sundays in July, starting with the practice round on July 5.

The organizing team is Extra-C. It's a non-profit group that runs the Indian Crossword League (IXL), A Clue A Day (ACAD), and school competitions across India.

Extra-C held the first-ever World Cryptic Crossword Championship (WCCC) last year in London, England and launched the World Crossword Federation (WCWF). I was the Canadian participant for WCCC and now I'm the volunteer Canadian rep for WCWF.

Registration is free and open to solvers of all ages and skill levels. If you live in Canada or the US, visit crypticsingh.com and sign up now!

My Puzzle: Browser Cryptic #241

This is my fifth cryptic crossword for The Browser. Sadly, its weekly cryptics will be stopping at the end of 2025, so this will probably be my last one. (The Browser plans to feature puzzles from time to time for special occasions, though.)

Thanks as always to Dan Feyer for his exquisite editing.

Browser Cryptic #241 (PDF)

Browser Cryptic #241 (PUZ)

Browser Cryptic #241 - SOLUTION (PDF)

[Posted in July 2026 with the kind permission of The Browser's former crossword editor, Dan Feyer]