Two announcements

Pleasantville Crossword Contest

This Friday, Sept. 25, will be the 13th annual Westchester Crossword Puzzle Tournament, held in Pleasantville, NY, hosted by Will Shortz. The event goes from 7:30 to about 9:45 p.m. It will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church, 8 Sunnyside Ave. (corner of Bedford Road). The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. The puzzles will consist of the Monday through Thursday crosswords from next week's New York Times. Two of the four constructors are expected to be on hand as officials. Prizes are awarded in many categories. Regular Times constructors can't compete, but are welcome to help judge. The cost to enter is $30 (or $45 for a doubles team), which includes coffee and dessert, with all the proceeds going to the Pleasantville Fund for Learning. Registration can be done at the door. The site is convenient from MetroNorth or by car. For more information, call 914-773-7794 or visit pleasantville-fund-for-learning.com.

Tyler Hinman's Bay Area Crossword Tournament puzzle

If you were holding out for an Across Lite version of Tyler's 21x21 puzzle, you're in luck—it's posted at the Crossword Fiend forum now. There's also a link to the PDF version if that's more your style.