The IXL cryptic crossword contest saw 30 puzzle enthusiasts qualify for the written prelims in Bengaluru, with six advancing to the final round. Computer scientist Ramki Krishnan from Chennai emerged as the winner for the eighth time. The competition involved online rounds over 10 Sundays, attracting 800 participants, followed by a challenging prelims round designed by Bhalchandra Pasupathy and S Sreenivasan. Other finalists included Shashwat Salgaocar, Aashirwad Viswanathan, Venkatraghavan Sahasranaman, Sohil Bhagat, and Jose A.