Puzzle solvers gathered at St. John’s Episcopal Church October 6th for the 20th annual Westchester Crossword Puzzle Tournament. The event benefited the Pleasantville Fund for Learning.

Pleasantville resident Will Shortz, who ran the event, has been the crossword director for The New York Times since 1993. Shortz developed a love for puzzles when he was young. Although he considered studying law or mathematics, when he went to Indiana University he became the first person to graduate with a degree in enigmatology, the study of puzzles.

Shortz said the tournament had a good turnout. However, “top solvers don’t come to this,” he said. “It’s more for enjoyment.” A bigger event is the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, which is held in March in Stamford, Connecticut.

When constructing a crossword puzzle, Shortz said you need to create a theme. “A good puzzle has everything in life,” Shortz said. Shortz usually publishes around 160 puzzles a year. The New York Times also publishes puzzles created by other people who submit them. The hardest part of creating puzzles is fitting everything into the right format, Shortz said.