India's Premier School Crossword Competition Begins Scoring Rounds August 3

India’s most prestigious and eagerly awaited school-level crossword competition—the National Inter-School Cryptic Crossword Contest (CCCC)—enters an exciting phase as the scoring online rounds of its 13th edition are set to begin from August 3, 2025.

Following an enthusiastic response to the Practice Round held on July 27, students across the country are now gearing up for the official competitive rounds. The contest continues to attract participation from students of Classes VII to XII across India, offering a unique blend of linguistic acumen, lateral thinking, and teamwork.

Upcoming Online Round Schedule:

• Round 1 – August 3, 2025

• Round 2 – August 10, 2025

• Round 3 – August 17, 2025

On each round day, a crossword grid will be uploaded on the official portal www.crypticsingh.com at 2:00 PM IST, and participants will have three hours (until 5:00 PM) to solve and submit their entries. Points will be awarded for both accuracy and speed, and a cumulative leaderboard will determine which teams move forward.

Registrations Still Open

Registrations for CCCC 13.0 remain completely free of cost and are still open on the official website. Two students from the same school (from Classes VII to XII) can team up—regardless of their specific class levels—and one member must register the team on www.crypticsingh.com.

Three-Stage Hybrid Format

• Stage I: Online Rounds (July–August)

• Stage II: Regional Face-to-Face Rounds (Online/Offline)

• Stage III: National Grand Finale (Offline, New Delhi)

Top 100 teams on the leaderboard after Round 3 will qualify for Stage II. Additionally, the top 20 teams in each round will also progress, even if they are not in the top 100 overall.

Exciting Prizes and Recognition

Top-performing teams will receive exciting prizes, and certificates will be awarded to all participants as a mark of their intellectual effort and competitive zeal.

Since its inception in 2013 by the civil society initiative Extra-C, CCCC has become a nationwide intellectual movement, nurturing young minds and promoting the crossword culture across schools in India—from urban hubs to rural corners.