CBSE Cryptic Crossword Contest 2014 to Commence from July

The Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE has introduced an exciting challenge for students of CBSE schools in the form of Cryptic Crossword Contest 2014. The CBSE test has been introduced to help students develop their reasoning skills, lateral thinking and analytical abilities and vocabulary.

Open for students from classes 9 to 12, this CBSE competition will be held in two phases. CBSE board has issued a notice to all the schools associated to it to invite them to participate in the city round of competition in which each school can send in a team of two students to solve a written cryptic crossword puzzle in 30 minutes.

The winner team and the first runner-up team will receive certificates and prizes and a chance to participate in the quarterfinal round to be held in Delhi in December.

City-level competitions will begin on July 16 from Ranchi and will end at Chandigarh on September 6.

In the quarterfinal round, champions of the city rounds will write a cryptic crossword puzzle in 30 minutes. Winner team and the first runner-up team for each of the eight CBSE region will be eligible for the semifinal round. Hence, 16 teams will qualify for the semifinals.

In the semi-finals, teams will be divided into four groups of four teams each. They will compete with each other in four separate, onstage cryptic crossword contests in the power-point format. These contests will have duration of 60 minutes.

The finals will be held to choose the national-level champion team. Each member of the winning team (at the national level) will receive a cash reward of Rs 25,000 each, trophies and certificates. Members of the first-runner up team will receive Rs 15,000 each. Members of teams at third and fourth positions will receive Rs 10,000 each.

For the teams competing the national rounds, CBSE will reimburse the second-class rail fair for two students and one escort from the school.