Puzzle and game competitions

FILE - In this Friday, May 31, 2019 file photo,T he eight co-champions of the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee, from left, Shruthika Padhy, 13, of Cherry Hill, N.J., Erin Howard, 14, of Huntsville, Ala., Rishik Gandhasri, 13, of San Jose, Calif., Christopher Serrao, 13, of Whitehouse Station, N.J., Saketh Sundar, 13, of Clarksville, Md., Sohum Sukhatankar, 13, of Dallas, Texas, Rohan Raja, 13, of Irving, Texas, and Abhijay Kodali, 12, of Flower Mound, Texas, hold the trophy at the end of the competition in Oxon Hill, Md. The Scripps National Spelling Bee is undergoing a major overhaul to ensure it can identify a single champion, adding vocabulary questions and a lightning-round tiebreaker to this year's pandemic-altered competition, Friday, April 23, 2021. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Vocabulary, lightning round added to National Spelling Bee

By Ben Nuckols Apr. 23, 2021 01:03 AM EDT

Members of the Women's Texas A&M basketball team take a riverboat tour Friday, March 26, 2021, in San Antonio. Boat rides, TikTok videos and Uno. Lots and lots of Uno, in fast-paced games where the cards fly in a frenzy. The men's and women's NCAA tournaments in Indianapolis and San Antonio aren't all COVID-19 tests, basketball and contact tracing. But being in quasi-isolation with any movement inside and outside their hotels restricted, teams had to get creative during the days and weeks between games and nasal swabs to find ways to stay entertained. - (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Bored games: Teams find fun ways to fill gaps at tourneys

By Jim Vertuno Mar. 31, 2021 03:05 AM EDT

FILE - In this May 29, 2014 file photo, Paige Kimble, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, applauds during the Scripps National Spelling Bee at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. Breaking from a tradition of being led by former contestants, the Scripps National Spelling Bee has hired a nonprofit leader with no history in the competition as its executive director, signaling a new era for the nearly century-old showcase for the top spellers in the English language. Cincinnati-based Scripps announced Monday, March 1, 2021, that J. Michael Durnil will take over immediately as bee director. He replaces Kimble, who stepped down last year. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

Nonprofit leader takes over as National Spelling Bee chief

By Ben Nuckols Mar. 01, 2021 11:01 AM EST

Following COVID-19 pandemic safety guidelines, masked competitors in the 75th annual Yuma County Spelling Bee are seated six feet apart in the first four rows on the floor, instead of being seated traditionally side-by-side on stage, inside the Schoening Conference Center at Arizona Western College, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Also, each competitor was allowed to be accompanied by one parent, who are seated behind the competitors, and socially distanced and masked. (Randy Hoeft/The Yuma Sun via AP)

National Spelling Bee to return in mostly virtual format

By Ben Nuckols Feb. 22, 2021 08:05 AM EST

Longtime National Spelling Bee director steps down

By Ben Nuckols Dec. 07, 2020 04:04 PM EST

This image released by ESPN Films shows Bruce Lee, the subject of the the documentary "Be Water." The film, which details the movie star's tragically short career, captures the cool power of Lee, an early Asian American big-screen hero. It airs Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT on ESPN as part of the network's “30 for 30” documentary series. (Bruce Lee Family Archive/ESPN Films via AP)

New this week: Apollo benefit, docs on Bruce Lee, spelling

By The Associated Press Jun. 01, 2020 02:18 PM EDT

In this screenshot provided by SpellPundit, spellers and organizers of the SpellPundit Online National Spelling Bee participate in semifinals Tuesday night, May 26, 2020. The bee was launched after the Scripps National Spelling Bee was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. (SpellPundit via AP)

Tough words, little drama, familiar champ in virtual bee

By Ben Nuckols May. 28, 2020 10:43 PM EDT

Top spellers prepare to crown national champion, from home

By Ben Nuckols May. 28, 2020 07:23 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 26, 2020, file photo, Jason Hackedorn looks into Progressive Field, home of the Cleveland Indians baseball team, in Cleveland. With the distinct possibility of pro sports resuming in empty venues, a recent poll suggests a majority of U.S. fans wouldn't feel safe attending games anyway without a coronavirus vaccine.(AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)

The Latest: Churchill Downs to open stables, race minus fans

Apr. 29, 2020 05:28 AM EDT

FILE - In this June 1, 2017 file photo, Shourav Dasari, 14, from Spring, Texas, correctly spells his word during the finals of the 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md. With the 2020 Scripps National Spelling Bee canceled because the coronavirus pandemic, an online spelling bee launched by two Texas teenagers is offering a consolation prize of sorts, with competitors nationwide including many of the kids who were considered favorites for the Scripps title.(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

With spelling bee canceled, ex-spellers launch their own bee

By Ben Nuckols Apr. 22, 2020 09:48 AM EDT

Nurses attend a demonstration outside a public hospital to protest their lack of protective gear, in Mexico City, Tuesday, April 21, 2020. The government has extended its social distancing measures through the end of May, predicting that the cases of the new coronavirus will peak in Mexico in about three weeks. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

What you need to know today about the virus outbreak

By The Associated Press Apr. 21, 2020 09:08 AM EDT

FILE - In this May 31, 2019 file photos, eight co-champions celebrate after winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md. The Scripps National Spelling Bee has been canceled after organizers concluded there was “no clear path to safely set a new date in 2020” because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

National Spelling Bee canceled for first time since 1945

By Ben Nuckols Apr. 21, 2020 09:05 AM EDT

A man holds a flag as he attends a rally to protest stay-at-home orders put into place due to the COVID-19 outbreak Tuesday, April 21, 2020, outside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City, Mo. Several hundred gathered to protest the restrictions and urge the reopening of businesses closed in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus . (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Virus cancels events worldwide; opinions on reopening mixed

By Colleen Long And Kate Brumback Apr. 21, 2020 01:46 AM EDT

MLS to get its kicks with 5-week video game tournament

By Anne M. Peterson Apr. 18, 2020 12:17 PM EDT
Sporting Kansas City midfielder Wan Kuzain is more than your average gamer. He's got street cred. That's because when he was 17, Kuzain...