STASHED away in one corner of Joe Albuquerque's Chira Bazaar flat, is a set of dust-layered books and dictionaries that emerge from the stack, every now and then. In between a difficult crossword, the 85-year-old picks up a hardbound, skims its pages for hidden solutions, before unsteadily scrawling alphabets on newsprint. There isn’t a time of the day when Albuquerque is not vexing over that 'word' or 'clue' that has left his grid barren.

Joe Albuquerque, a retired government official, says the club would meet at least thrice a week at his neighbour’s home to crack the clues, before posting their entries to publications. PIC/DATTA KUMBHAR