15 round format (new)
In accordance with Channel 4's rearrangement of Countdown's commercial break times, a new 15 round format was introduced for the show. It replaced the previous 15-round format on 25 March 2013, a couple of weeks into the Series 68 preliminaries and has eventually remained in use today.
The new format consists of ten letters rounds, four numbers rounds and a conundrum. Each contestant selects five letters rounds and two numbers rounds that makes the games fairer than those in the original 15-round format in which the challenger (C2) got an extra, often crucial numbers pick. It is similar to the 14 round format used in grand finals between Series 2 and Series 45, with the exception that the first conundrum has been removed and two additional letters rounds have been inserted before the final numbers game.
The celebrity guest's anecdote is moved to the middle of the second half, between Rounds 6 and 7; while Susie Dent's Origins of Words slot is between Rounds 11 and 12.
Rounds
| Rnd | Selection | Champion (C1) | Score | Challenger (C2) | Others | Max. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C1LETTERS | – | ||||
| 2 | C2LETTERS | – | ||||
| 3 | C 1 N U M S → | – |
|
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| TTT | TEATIME TEASER | |||||
| 4 | C2LETTERS | – | ||||
| 5 | C1LETTERS | – | ||||
| 6 | C 2 N U M S → | – |
|
|||
| 7 | C1LETTERS | – | ||||
| 8 | C2LETTERS | – | ||||
| 9 | C 1 N U M S → | – |
|
|||
| TTT | TEATIME TEASER | |||||
| 10 | C2LETTERS | – | ||||
| 11 | C1LETTERS | – | ||||
| 12 | C2LETTERS | – | ||||
| 13 | C1LETTERS | – | ||||
| 14 | C 2 N U M S → | – |
|
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| 15 | CONUNDRUM | – | ||||
| Chosen by champion | Chosen by challenger | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letters rounds | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Numbers rounds | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Conundrums | 1 |
