Patna Student Shraddha Shree Tops National Cryptic Crossword Competition
The much-anticipated results of the A Clue A Day (ACAD) Quad – May 2025 have been declared, celebrating the sharpest minds from schools, colleges, and beyond who conquered the daily cryptic clue challenge. The May edition witnessed vibrant participation from across India and abroad, with hundreds of participants solving a clue each day to climb the leaderboard in their respective categories.
With razor-sharp solving and unshakable consistency, Shraddha Shree from St. Michael's High School, Patna emerged as the star performer of the May leg of ACAD, leaving a trail of awe among fellow quizzers and solvers. In the ACAD Plus category, it is Goa Dental College student Samruddhi Salgaonkar who dazzled with her speed and smarts, clinching the top honours and making her state proud. In the fiercely contested ACAD Global arena, Harish Kamath from Bengaluru triumphed, lifting the prestigious trophy with a performance that blended grit, guile, and brilliance. Rounding off the leaderboard, Dhirendra Tripathi from Ahmedabad reigned supreme in the ACAD Senior division, showcasing remarkable command and puzzle prowess to secure the top rank.
Here are the National and International winners across four categories:
ACAD Winners
For school-going participants, the competition turned into a display of exceptional talent from Patna-based institutions:
• Rank-1: Shraddha Shree – St. Michael's High School, Patna
• Rank-2: Dhairya Pandey – Don Bosco Academy, Patna
• Rank-3: Saptak Gupta – Delhi Public School (DPS), Patna
ACAD Plus Winners
The college division saw remarkable performances, with brilliance flowing in from Goa to the United States:
• Rank-1: Samruddhi Salgaonkar – Goa Dental College, Goa
• Rank-2: Shyam Krishna Shenoy – Virginia Tech, USA
• Rank-3: Aryan Singh – Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur
ACAD Senior Winners
This open category for senior citizens showcased some of India's most seasoned solvers:
• Rank-1: Dhirendra Tripathi – Ahmedabad
• Rank-2: N. Rengaswamy – Chennai
• Rank-3: Kolluru Koteswar Rao – Hyderabad
ACAD Global Winners
While open to solvers worldwide, India continued to dominate even on the global stage:
• Rank-1: Harish Kamath – Bangalore, India
• Rank-2: Ramakrishnan Krishnan – Chennai, India
• Rank-3: Samit Kallianpur – Secunderabad, India
The ACAD Quad is a year-long initiative celebrating the art of cryptic crosswords and building a global community of solvers. The May Quad was particularly competitive, with solvers facing daily mental workouts through uniquely crafted clues by leading Indian and global setters. With the grand finale of ACAD Quad scheduled later this year, these champions now hold key positions in the leaderboard and have set a benchmark for what lies ahead.
