Nancy Schuster

Nancy Schuster was an American crossword puzzle editor and constructor who won the inaugural American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in 1978 on her very first attempt, becoming its first champion. She went on to serve as editor in chief of Dell Champion Puzzles magazines and edited the Random House Crossword Puzzle Dictionary, and for many years tested puzzles for the New York Times, debating clues directly with longtime puzzle editor Will Shortz into her nineties. She remained connected to the tournament she had won in its first year for the rest of her life, taking part in nearly every later edition as a solver, proofreader or judge. Schuster died on April 26, 2024, at the age of 90.