Crosswords West tournament recap

Guess what? I don't have much in the way of a recap as I wasn't there. What I do know is that rookie competitor Jordan Chodorow swooped to the top of the standings heading into the finals, where he was joined by two ACPT divisional finals veterans, Eric LeVasseur and Eric Maddy. John Farmer reported that the three finalists all finished the finals puzzle correctly in the 7- to 12-minute range, with Eric M. taking 1st place, Eric L. in 2nd, and Jordan in 3rd. Tyler Hinman was supposed to split color commentary duties with a TV guy, who had to leave before the finals and so Andrea Carla Michaels filled in.

If you attended Crosswords West, please share a few thoughts about the day in comments—but do avoid relaying any spoilers about the crosswords, as the rest of us will be doing the puzzles in the New York Times this week.

So: How was it? Was a good time had by all? Did anything embarrassing happen? Anyone have great photos to share?