Tyler Hinman
Encyclopedia
Tyler Hinman is a crossword
solver and constructor and a five-time winner of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
(ACPT). He won the tournament for the first time as a 20-year-old in 2005 and by 2009 had won five consecutive titles, a feat unprecedented in the 32-year history of the tournament. Hinman was also one of the featured players in the award-winning 2006 documentary film Wordplay
.
and raised in Connecticut and in England
. While a 9th grade student at The American School In England
(TASIS), Hinman was introduced toThe New York Times
crossword puzzle and became immediately interested.
He first entered the ACPT as a 16-year old in 2001, finishing 101st out of the 322 entered contestants.
(RPI) where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology in 2006 and joined the Phi Mu Delta
fraternity. After graduating, he accepted a job in Chicago, Illinois as a bond trader
at Darwin Capital Trading through a connection from the producer of the film Wordplay
. After a little more than a year, Hinman reported that the position "wasn't working out" and left in October 2007 to move to the San Francisco Bay Area
where in June 2008 he took a job as a developer at Google
.
Hinman is also a crossword puzzle constructor, creating original puzzles for publications including The New York Times
and The Onion
. He is also a contributor to the CrosSynergy Syndicate. Hinman, along with fellow puzzlemaker Jeremy Horwitz, received national attention when they fulfilled a wish of San Francisco Giants
pitcher Brian Wilson by including his name in a puzzle for the Times. The theme consisted of World Series
-winning pitchers who share a name with vocalists on #1 hits.
Crossword
A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of white and shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer...
solver and constructor and a five-time winner of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
American Crossword Puzzle Tournament
The American Crossword Puzzle Tournament is a crossword-solving tournament held annually in late February or early March. Founded in 1978 by Will Shortz, who still directs the tournament, it is the oldest and largest crossword tournament held in the United States; the 2009 event attracted nearly...
(ACPT). He won the tournament for the first time as a 20-year-old in 2005 and by 2009 had won five consecutive titles, a feat unprecedented in the 32-year history of the tournament. Hinman was also one of the featured players in the award-winning 2006 documentary film Wordplay
Wordplay (film)
Wordplay is a 2006 documentary film directed by Patrick Creadon. It features Will Shortz, the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, crossword constructor Merl Reagle, and many other noted crossword solvers and constructors...
.
Early life
Hinman was born in Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
and raised in Connecticut and in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. While a 9th grade student at The American School In England
The American School In England
TASIS England, also known as "The American School in England," is one of five American schools located in and around London. It was founded in 1976 in the village of Thorpe, Surrey, south west of London....
(TASIS), Hinman was introduced toThe New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
crossword puzzle and became immediately interested.
He first entered the ACPT as a 16-year old in 2001, finishing 101st out of the 322 entered contestants.
Education and career
After graduating from TASIS in 2002, Hinman returned to the United States to attend Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
(RPI) where he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology in 2006 and joined the Phi Mu Delta
Phi Mu Delta
Phi Mu Delta is a small, national fraternity founded on March 1, 1918 at the Universities of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The fraternity is focused on the three ideals of democracy, service, and brotherhood.-Founders' Creed:...
fraternity. After graduating, he accepted a job in Chicago, Illinois as a bond trader
Bond (finance)
In finance, a bond is a debt security, in which the authorized issuer owes the holders a debt and, depending on the terms of the bond, is obliged to pay interest to use and/or to repay the principal at a later date, termed maturity...
at Darwin Capital Trading through a connection from the producer of the film Wordplay
Wordplay (film)
Wordplay is a 2006 documentary film directed by Patrick Creadon. It features Will Shortz, the editor of the New York Times crossword puzzle, crossword constructor Merl Reagle, and many other noted crossword solvers and constructors...
. After a little more than a year, Hinman reported that the position "wasn't working out" and left in October 2007 to move to the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
where in June 2008 he took a job as a developer at Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
.
Puzzle career
Hinman first entered the ACPT as a sixteen-year-old in 2001, finishing 101st in a field of 322 competitors. He continued to enter each year, capturing the tournament title for the first time in 2005 as a 20-year-old, making him the youngest-ever winner of the tournament. He won the next four tournaments even as they were growing in both size and competitiveness. In 2009 there were nearly 700 competitors, and with his fifth win Hinman had solved 40 consecutive tournament puzzles without making a single error. His winning streak came to an end in 2010 when he finished fourth overall in the tournament.Hinman is also a crossword puzzle constructor, creating original puzzles for publications including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and The Onion
The Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
. He is also a contributor to the CrosSynergy Syndicate. Hinman, along with fellow puzzlemaker Jeremy Horwitz, received national attention when they fulfilled a wish of San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
pitcher Brian Wilson by including his name in a puzzle for the Times. The theme consisted of World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
-winning pitchers who share a name with vocalists on #1 hits.