Puzzle Notes

Hi friends: 

Kameron Austin Collins serves up a fine themeless this week, at 4.5/5 difficulty. This is the sixth themeless we've ever run; we try to be selective! Good luck, it's a tough one.

Thanks to the 85 people who submitted an answer to the bonus puzzle, "Getting Duped," that we sent out this weekend. Our winner, Mr. BurnsRichard Kalustian, has now won TWO AVCX bonus contests in the space of six months, but he definitely did not rig this victory. Great job, Richard, and enjoy your three-month subscription extension! An explanation of the solution is attached here for those who were stumped.

Congratulations to pal-of-the-AVCX Howard Barkin on winning this year's American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, as well as to our longtime friend and equally wonderful human being Dan Feyer, whose remarkable streak of six consecutive championships comes to an end (or perhaps a pause?), but stands nevertheless as a breathtaking achievement. Watch the finals if you haven't had a chance; David Plotkin also competed admirably. A great group and a great finish! Finally, big ups to all the AVCX contributors who competed, and it was great seeing those of you I ran into on Saturday morning.

Yours,

Ben and the AVCX crew [avxwords.com, @AVCXWord]