| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993 (age 31–32) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United States |
| Sport | Cruciverbalism, Other puzzling |
Event | Solving |
| Achievements and titles | |
| National finals | 2018: American Crossword Puzzle Tournament Champion |
Erik Agard (born 1993) is acrossword solver, constructor, and editor. He is the winner of the 2016Lollapuzzoola Express Division, the 2018American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (ACPT), a frequent contributor to theNew York Times crossword puzzle, a crossword constructor forThe New Yorker, the formerUSA Today crossword editor, and a formerJeopardy! contestant. He is currently a crossword editor atApple News+.[1]
He was described by theWashington Post in 2013 as "the nation's top teen crossword puzzle solver."[2] He has been celebrated for helping to increase diversity and inclusion in crosswords:[3] the puzzles that he edited atUSA Today were primarily constructed by women and people of color, and contain references to pieces of media and culture that other mainstream outlets do not consider "standard knowledge".[4] For instance, the February 19, 2022 crossword puzzle contained the clue ["you're telling me a cis ___ built this chapel?" (@RileyJohnSavage tweet)] for the entry TEEN.[5]
During his appearance onJeopardy!, his use of a meme in answer to a question gained widespread notice. After beating 5-time champion Alan Dunn, he won $66,802 over the course of four appearances.[6][7]
In 2018, Agard was featured on aReal Sports with Bryant Gumbel segment about crossword puzzles.[8]
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