New York Times Crossword Puzzle Editor Will Shortz Books Mississippi College Visit

Shortz owns the Westchester Table Tennis Center, while his friend, Robert Roberts, serves as the club manager.

Defeating the mighty Mississippi College table tennis team remains as challenging as trying to successfully complete a Will Shortz puzzle in “The New York Times.”

Many people try, but it takes amazing mental skills to finish a puzzle crafted by the Times’ crossword editor.

Director of the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament since 1978, Shortz doubles as a terrific table tennis player. He’s played the Olympic sport in 48 states, all except Mississippi and Hawaii. The Magnolia State will soon be scratched off Will’s to-do list.

On April 15, Shortz and his friend, Robert Roberts, a three-time table tennis champion of the Caribbean, will seek to knock off the MC team. The New Yorkers will battle an MC team ranked No. 2 in North America the past three seasons. Matches at Alumni Gym begin that Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.

The games get started after the university’s Leland Speed Library hosts a 5 p.m. reception for Shortz and Roberts at the building’s student fine arts gallery. Shortz hopes to meet crossword fans and sign copies of his popular books. Both events on the Clinton campus are free and open to the public.

Following their clashes with the Choctaws, Shortz and Roberts will face other challengers bringing their paddles. The exhibitions may last about two hours.

National Public Radio’s Puzzlemaster on its Weekend Edition Sunday since the program’s inception in 1987, Will first became fascinated with crosswords as a teen growing up in Indiana. The 62-year-old Indiana University graduate is equally passionate about table tennis.

Will’s table tennis rating is a very respectable 1900. Robert Roberts brings a stronger United States Table Tennis Association rating of 2514 to put him around the same level as Mississippi College’s star players.

Shortz and Roberts are co-owners of the Westchester Table Tennis Center. Open seven days a week, the 14,000-square-foot club in Pleasantville, N.Y. is among America’s premier table tennis facilities.

The New Yorkers will face an MC team fresh from the 2015 national collegiate championships in Eau Claire, Wisconsin April 10-12. A native of China, Cheng Li, 22, serves as coach and team captain. The MC business major emerged at the 2014 collegiate games near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the nation’s No. 1 men’s singles player.

Yi Chi Zhang, who finished No. 2 in men’s singles last season, newcomer Tong Zhang and Tyler Brogdon of Birmingham, Alabama round out the squad.

“We’re delighted to welcome Will Shortz and Robert Roberts to Mississippi for some lively table tennis matches with our players,” said Andy Kanengiser, the MC table tennis sponsor. “It will be a treat for table tennis fans and people who love Will’s brainy puzzles. We hope to see a nice crowd cheering the Choctaws.”

There are a couple of Mississippi College connections to the Westchester Table Tennis Club. MC graduate Bill Cai, is a former table tennis standout who’s shined in Westchester tournaments.

Marty Kanengiser is Andy’s younger brother, and a Westchester club member. The table tennis duo learned the sport playing their older brother, Bill, sister, Francey, and father, Irving Kanengiser, in the basement of their home in West Orange, New Jersey.

Shortz doesn’t just play table tennis in the USA. He’s played the sport in 26 other nations and seldom skips practice. The last time he missed a day was October 3, 2012.

“Table tennis is a thinking person’s game, so it’s my sort of thing,” Will tells “USA Table Tennis” in a recent interview. “I love its speed and challenge. I also like its social nature.”

Will’s knack for words combines with his table tennis talent to bring more national visibility for the New Yorker. Will Shortz was profiled in a story in the March 9 issue of “Sports Illustrated.”

For more information, contact Andy Kanengiser at 601-925-7760 or kanengis@mc.edu