National Puzzlers' League
[1][2] During World War II, the Signal Intelligence Service recruited several NPL members as government cryptographers based on their puzzling experience.[3] In the 1960s, membership slumped significantly, but began rebounding in the "modern" puzzling era with the promotional efforts of Dmitri Borgmann, Ross Eckler, and others.The use of pseudonyms, also commonly practiced by the compilers of cryptic crosswords, originally helped "to break down barriers of occupation or social class".[7] Puzzle professional Will Shortz (whose "nom", WILLz, is a play on his name - Will+"short Z") is a long-standing member and officer of the NPL, serving as its historian and as co-puzzle director (as of 2022)[8] for the annual convention.The Enigma specializes in the types of puzzles that flourished in the 19th century;[3] the crossword, invented as late as 1913, is spurned[2] by the journal, which relegates it to the category of "extras".In keeping with the members' love of word play, the name of the convention varies with the location: This con's in Wisconsin for Milwaukee; BeaCon for Boston; ConTex for Austin, Texas; OreCon for Portland, Oregon.