India, Jan. 2 -- Solving cryptic crosswords is a niche art, and this isn't an easy club to break into. There are few places, even online, where one can turn, for help getting started.

That's one reason Vivek Singh launched his hobby group, Extra-C, and the club's marquee event: the Indian Crossword League (IXL) in 2013. (Singh, incidentally, is an IAS officer who heads the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) in Bihar.)

For beginners and lovers of cryptic clues alike, he has roped in freelance enthusiasts to set A Clue A Day (ACAD) contests on crypticsingh.com. There are annual competitions at the inter-school and inter-collegiate level too. When it comes to the marquee events, however, it's serious business. Only seasoned experts ne...