CROSS WORDS

by Michael Rich

READERS will have discovered with today's paper a supplement concerning The Mind Sports Olympiad, which has changed venue yet again, this year being at Kensington Olympia, West London. Those of you taking part in The Times National Crossword Championship will already have noted this fact in sending off the qualifying puzzle published on Thursday.

I hope that the lack of notice, and also the potential clash with holiday arrangements, will not have prevented, too many competitors from taking part. As the venue can cope with great numbers, it has been decided to hold a single heat in the afternoon followed by a final in the evening limited to 20 people irrespective of the number in the heat. I do appreciate that this arrangement may cause some difficulty for those travelling from further afield who would hope to reach the final, for it will involve a degree of hubris to arrange overnight accommodation on the assumption that one may miss the last train home. However, I felt most people would prefer this format to other options, and the time for the start of the final is now confirmed as 7.l5pm.

I have mentioned in a previous column the fraternity of solvers who meet each year for this occasion. For me, the event has already started. I had to visit the venue to assess its suitability and envisage how to set things out and, arriving early, I sat down for a cup of tea in the café opposite - where I was approached by a gentleman who knew my name. He turned out to be a regular competitor in the annual event who happened to live nearby.

I have the, feeling that the widespread field from which we draw our competitors could make this sort of meeting likely to happen almost anywhere.

The writer is co-editor of The Listener crossword and organiser of The Times National Crossword Championship