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The Crossword Capital Times
About

Rules, help & how things work

Everything you need to know - from your first cell to the Champions League.

Rankings & divisions

Two separate ladders, and they never touch each other - solo play is ranked one way, multiplayer another. Here's the short version; the full ruleset, every band and tiebreaker, lives on its own page.

Single-player
Four leagues
League Two → Premier League

A football-league ladder. Your points over the last 90 days rank you against everyone else, split into four quarters. Rewards showing up and doing the work.

Multiplayer
Seven tiers
Bronze → Grandmaster

A Glicko-2 skill rating, the same maths chess uses. Each tier splits into three divisions. Rewards winning head-to-head.

See the full ranking rules →

Two ways to compete

Match mode
Turn-based
1v1 and 2v2 · ranked or practice

One shared grid and one move a turn: a whole word or a single letter. Your clock only runs on your move, like chess. Three wrong guesses are free; after that, every miss costs 10 points and reveals a letter your opponent can use.

Match mode
Free-for-All
1v1 and 2v2 · ranked

No turns. Everyone solves the same puzzle at the same time on their own grid, and the first correct answer takes the word's full points. In 1v1 you get three tries a word; in 2v2, one each. The game ends when the countdown runs out or the grid is full, and most points wins.

1v1 rules →2v2 rules →

How to play

Tap a cellSelect a word and start typing
Double-tapSwitch between Across and Down when words intersect
TypeThe cursor moves automatically to the next cell
BackspaceDeletes and moves back

2v2 teams

The turn rules below are for turn-based 2v2. The Free-for-All race has its own, in the 2v2 rules.

Create a teamPick a friend and choose a team name
CaptainWhoever creates the team captains it, and only the captain can search for a match - but either teammate can take the captaincy at any time, so a sleeping captain never leaves you stuck
Turn rotationPlayers alternate: Team A P1, Team B P1, Team A P2, Team B P2
Team clockBoth teammates share one time bank
Turn time limitEach turn is capped at a tenth of the team clock - 3 minutes on a 30-minute game
Missed turnsCost you and your team 10 points and take that time off the shared clock, then play moves on. They count against the team, not the player, and from your team's fourth onwards the cost is 20 - but no letter is ever given away, and a missed turn can never end the game
Wrong answersThree fails each. Once yours are gone, every wrong guess costs you and your team 10 points and reveals a random letter on the grid - which helps your opponents too
ScoringEach player earns individual points - your team's total decides the winner
MVPThe highest individual scorer across all 4 players is crowned MVP
Team ratingA separate Glicko-2 rating for 2v2 - it never affects your 1v1 rating

The crosswords

Crossword Capital serves daily challenges, competitive leaderboards, and real-time multiplayer matches - with boards from both sides of the Atlantic.

UK boardsClassic, Jumbo and Quick - British English spelling
US boardsMini, Big Mini and Daily - American English spelling

Subscription

Plan
Free
No card, no expiry
  • 1 daily single player crossword per day
  • Unlimited multiplayer
  • Ads enabled
Plan
Premium
£1.99/month or £19.99/year
  • Unlimited daily crosswords
  • No ads
  • Archive access
  • Friends feature

Credits

Credits are an in-game currency earned through competitive play. They cannot be purchased - only earned by placing on leaderboards. Credits reward skill and consistency.

Daily leaderboards

1st place+10 credits
2nd place+5 credits
3rd place+3 credits

Weekly leaderboards

1st place+20 credits
2nd place+10 credits
3rd place+6 credits

How to spend

Premium (1 month)100 credits

Redeem from your Profile, Credits section. One pack at a time - you can redeem again when your current premium expires.

Champions League entry100 credits

Masters division players can spend 100 credits to enter Champions League qualifiers. Grandmaster division qualifies automatically.

Made by

Developed by Rhubarb Press.

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