Brooklyn's Crossword King And Queen Duke It Out

Brooklyn Brainery will present a seminar on "Solving Crossword Puzzles" on Monday, August 15, at 8:30 p.m. Cost is $15. The seminar will be moderated by Brooklyn's own Francis Heaney and Stella Daily Zawistowski, who will compete to see who is the Brooklyn crossword champ. Brooklyn Brainery is at 515 Court Street in Brooklyn.

Puzzle Brothers Set To Do Battle At Lollapuzzoola 4

Originated three years ago by Ryan Hecht and Brian Cimmet, we didn't lend all that much credence to the Lollapuzzoola tournament, but we now admit that the two gentlemen have created a monster, and possibly the best-attended tournament on the East Coast this side of Brooklyn. Last year's champion of the "Express" division was Jeffrey Harris, and the "Local" winner was Jeffrey Dubner.

This year, with Patrick Blindauer taking over co-administrative reins from Hecht, the tournament is moving to Manhattan, to the more spacious All Souls Church on Lexington Avenue. Even more exciting than that, this year, for the first time, The Puzzle Brothers will be there! one Puzzle Brother will be there. Dave is unable to attend due to a family event.

The tournament format will be five puzzles everyone solves plus one challenger at the end, using the same dry-erase boards from the big tournament. The puzzle constructors include Doug Peterson, Elizabeth C. Gorski, Mike Nothnagel, Tony Orbach, Andrea Carla Michaels, and Byron Walden. Solvers can compete in "Express" or "Local" classifications, or can team up. Unlike in the big tournament, solvers can also get help if stuck via something called "Google Tickets". There will also be group games and admittedly modest prizes.

The cost to participate in the tournament is $25, and if you want pizza and ice cream you can kick in another $5. If you just want to stand around and watch, fork over $10.

More information at http://bemoresmarter.squarespace.com. The Puzzle Brothers look forward to seeing you there - and competing.

Westchester Table Tennis Center Grand Opening

Owned and managed by Will Shortz and Robert Roberts, the Westchester Table Tennis Center will have its grand opening on Saturday, July 16, from 10:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. Admission and all play is free on Saturday, including the opportunity to play the master himself as Will has pledged to take on all comers. (Be ready for a workout. Will knows his stuff.) The club had its soft opening in May.

The address is 175 Tompkins Avenue in Pleasantville. This is signficant because sometime in the fall, Shortz will fold up the table tennis tables and host the 15th annual Westchester Crossword Tournament there, moving there from the St. John Episcopal Church.