I would like to point to the existence of the 2022 United States Puzzle Championship. Hastily patched together and commenced just before the turn of the year. It runs until January 8th.
My first USPC participation was way back in 2009, not long after discovering WPC puzzles. I have made the effort to take part every year since despite the grueling time difference. (A blog post chronicling my 2017 experience is here.)
This year is different though. The competition is no longer in real-time, and you get to pick the time window that suits you best to attempt the test. It is 30 minutes longer than usual and is now 3 hours long. Unless you plan to finish all 22 puzzles, then strategizing will be a good idea.
An opportunity to be on the organizing side landed on me so this time round I’ll be sitting out. Two puzzles of mine appear in the test – it should be obvious which ones they are even without the author labels.
So sharpen your pencils, bring enough water and all the best to those taking part. Also there is over a week left to submit your answers to the Christmas Quiz.
Enjoy!