Big Edit: Someone from an early taping recently commented, and there are a few differences in the rules for them.  Did they switch rules after a few weeks?  You be the judge; click here.

A source who wished to remain anonymous supplied us with the rules for Merv Griffin’s Crosswords, which debuts Monday, September 10th, across the country. It’s looking pretty good; here they are:

Two contestants start with a full puzzle on the board. They get a clue to one of the words given. The player that buzzes in and answers correctly gets $100. At some points there will be a “Crossword Getaway”, where a right answer adds a trip to your total. Also included is a “Crossword Extra”, where the person who answers correctly can bet as much of their winnings up to that point as they’d like on the next question. This goes on for a bit. Round two adds a new game element: three contestants known as “Spoilers” come in. They also play the game. If a Spoiler gets a question correct, they can take the place of either of the two players and capture all of their money. Answers in round two are $200. Whoever controls the most money at the end of round two is the winner and plays the bonus. In the bonus, contestants have 130 seconds (at least for that episode) to solvethe rest of the puzzle. They call out a placement and get a clue.

Sadly this is where our information ends. On the episode we were told about, we’re assuming there was no bonus round win since the total for the champion was rather low; around GSN level low. We’re also guessing that the 130 seconds isn’t static, as that’s just a really bizarre number. But there you have it. It sounds very enjoyable, fast paced, exciting, and we’re hearing the feel is laid back. The only real issue I have is how easy it is for a spoiler to take all of a player’s money, especially on such a non-cut throat show. However, that’s a minor annoyance. Everything else seems terrific. Be sure to look for it in syndication on September 10th. Hopefully we’ll be getting some reports on Temptation and The Price is Right for you soon.