Competitors had no problem finding the words to describe their night at the 15th Annual Westchester Crossword Puzzle Tournament on Friday.

The event was held at the Westchester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville, which is owned by the legendary New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor, Will Shortz, who lives in the village.

Seventy two participants of all different ages and skill levels joined in on the friendly competition, which featured some of the area's most experienced players. The challenge was to solve three previously unpublished New York Times crosswords—a 15-minute Monday, a 20-minute Tuesday and a 20-minute Wednesday puzzle. The quickest solver of each of the three rounds advanced to the finals, where they faced off in front of the whole audience on giant crossword boards.

Awards were distributed in numerous age and experience categories, including a Pleasantville division which was won by resident, David Phethean. At the end of the night, though, three competitors received the top recognition: Bob Mackey (first), Jeffrey Schwartz (second) and Elaine Lippman (third)—all three have won the Westchester Crossword Puzzle Tournament in previous years.

The event was sponsored by The Village Bookstore and all proceeds went to the Pleasantville Fund for Learning, a nonprofit that offers grants to teachers and students in the Pleasantville Union Free School District.