The finals of the Times Crossword Championship 2007 will take place on Sunday October 7, from 10am to 4.30pm at the Elwes Building on Park Campus, University of Gloucester.

It is one of the events of the Cheltenham Literature Festival. There will be two preliminary one-hour sessions, with 125 competitors in each, during which contestants will be given three puzzles to solve. The fastest 12 in each session who solve all three puzzles correctly will go through to the grand final in the afternoon, where again there will be one hour in which to solve three puzzles.

The grand final, with 24 contestants, will take place at 3pm. Because of the large number of competitors for the two preliminary sessions - 250 - the public will be admitted to the grand final only.

The Times Crossword Editor, Richard Browne, will adjudicate if there is a question about a solution word.

The qualifiers consist of 50 qualifiers from the 2006 championship (the fastest 25 all-correct solvers from each preliminary session), plus the fastest 50 correct solvers from each of the four qualifying puzzles earlier this year.

The winner will be the fastest contestant who solves all three puzzles in the grand final. There will be two runners-up, who will be selected from the next two fastest with three correctly completed answers in the grand final. The winner will receive a trophy and a cheque for £1,000 and the runners-up will each receive a Times Book of Crosswords.

In addition, the fastest 25 all-correct solvers in each of the preliminary sessions will be given free qualifying places for finals day for the 2008 championship.

Prize-giving will take place at approximately 4.15pm in the Elwes Building.

Schedule of events, Crossword Championship finals day, October 7

10am-10.50am Arrival of contestants at the Elwes Building for first session. Registration in the reception area.

11am-12noon First session of preliminaries, with three puzzles. 60 minutes allowed.

12noon-12.50pm Arrival of contestants at the Elwes Building for second session. Registration in the reception area.

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