Local Man Winner of Smithsonian Puzzle Contest

Puzzle master and Jeopardy's All-Time Champion, Ken Jennings recently announced that a Mountain View man had been declared the winner of the Smithsonian Magazines Great American History Puzzle Contest.

Jeffrey Davidson finished 11 puzzles during the month competition, and according to Jenning—who designed the games—there was stiff competition, but since Davidson turned his answer in first, he won!

Davidson won the grand prize, valued at $10,000 which includes a free trip to Washington D.C. and a "Secrets of the Smithsonian" tour behind the scenes of the world's largest museum and research complex. 

In his blog on Smithsonian Magazine Jennings wrote that "when we notified Jeff of his win, he replied by telling us the story of how he first got into puzzles. Apparently it’s partially my fault!"

Apparently it is. Davidson credits his love of puzzles to a day when he was sixteen and attended the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Connecticut, where Ken Jennings handed out trophies to the winners at the final ceremony.

"I credit that night for hooking me on puzzles and introducing me to the community of puzzle addicts that I'm now a proud part of," Davidson said. "So it's truly great to come full circle and be a part of another contest of [Jennings]."

Try solving the puzzles Davdison did!

What's your favorite "brain" game? Do you like crosswords? Sudoku? Trivia? Do you play online? Share with others in the comments below!

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What's your favorite "brain" game? Do you like crosswords? Sudoku? Trivia? Share in the comment section below!