About us
The National Puzzlers’ League (NPL) has over 900 members united by their love of puzzles of all kinds. Whether you’re a casual solver or a hardcore puzzler, you’ll find your tribe here. We connect online to play games, gather for local puzzle events, and hold an annual Convention to share puzzles and games we’ve created with fellow puzzlers. While most members, also known as “Krewe,” are in the United States and Canada, our community spans the globe! Most members use noms, or puzzle noms de plume to address each other, a tradition among puzzlers that predates the League itself.
The NPL was originally the Eastern Puzzlers’ League (EPL), which had its first meeting on July 4, 1883, at Pythagoras Hall in New York City. It was renamed the National Puzzlers’ League (NPL) in 1920; however, the organization has been in continuous existence ever since that first meeting.
In the early days of the EPL and NPL, conventions consisted mostly of business discussions on League matters and votes on the admission of new members. Modern conventions include a minimum of business discussion, leaving time for dozens of structured and unstructured word-puzzle competitions, game playing into the wee hours, and lots of puzzle talk with good friends. It should be noted that, as members of the Krewe, we are in no sense puzzlers for profit. The verses, articles, and puzzles printed in our monthly magazine, The Enigma, are contributed gratis by members of the League. We indulge in puzzling for the entertainment, recreation, and education that it provides. Anyone interested in words and the pleasure they can bring is cordially invited to join us.
Mission statement
We bring together individuals who are interested in composing and solving word puzzles (primarily in verse). Fostering a diverse, inclusive membership is part of our mission.