The third online round of the National Inter-College Crossword Expedition (NICE) 2025 — popularly known as Round ‘C’ — turned out to be a thrilling display of skill, speed, and mental agility. With participation pouring in from colleges across the country, the round saw an intense battle among the top contenders, where the top five scorers were separated by a razor-thin margin points and speed.
Emerging as the national topper in this fiercely contested round was VKS Gayatri, an engineering student from BITS Pilani, Hyderabad campus. Gayatri not only demonstrated exceptional command over crossword-solving techniques but also reaffirmed her standing as one of the most consistent performers in the circuit.
She was the first runner-up in the previous edition, NICE 2024, and her latest feat marks a significant milestone in her journey. Closely following is Bhargav Vinayak from Ludhiana. Bhargav, a name well-known in crossword circles, is a former champion of the National Inter-School Cryptic Crossword Contest (CCCC) 2024, and his transition to the inter-college format has been nothing short of seamless.
Securing the third position with an impressive performance is Adya Singh from Patna, another former CCCC champion from 2023. Her remarkable performance continues to underscore the strength and depth of talent that the CCCC platform has nurtured over the years. The Zonal Winners of NICE “C” Round were from East Zone Shivani Kumari (GEC, Vaishali),
West Zone Ayush Sah (ABVIIITM, Gwalior), North Zone Vijval Ekbote (IIIT, Delhi), South Zone Ashish CT (IIT Madras) and North-East Zone winner was Kirhen Bhargavath S from IIT Guwahati.
While some of the State Level Winners included Isha from JNU, New Delhi, Kuhu Goel from Telangana BITS, Hyderabad, Kushagra Chandra from IIT Kanpur and Sushil Ekka from Chhattisgarh.
“As the NICE 2025 journey progresses, the leaderboard is already witnessing a mix of emerging talent and seasoned champions. With the stakes rising and competition heating up, all eyes are now set on the upcoming rounds of this prestigious national-level crossword tournament. The fourth and last online round of the contest-Round “E” will be conducted on June 8, 2025,” said Amitabh Ranjan, COO, Extrac-C.