About Serkan Yürekli

Serkan Yürekli is a veteran puzzle constructor and since early 2020 has been the Managing Editor for Grandmaster Puzzles.

Serkan was born in Austria in 1981. He has a graduate degree from İstanbul Technical University, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Having worked in the field of puzzles since 2005, Serkan has introduced about 130 new puzzle types and variations to the world. Tapa is probably the most famous puzzle type among his creations. He has authored a large number of puzzle books, and also edited together many more including several for GMPuzzles.

Serkan is a Turkish Brain Team member and has been representing his country in the World Puzzle and Sudoku Championships for a long time. He was one of the organizers of the 18th World Puzzle Championship in Antalya, Turkey in 2009. Serkan also contributes to other international puzzle competitions, including regular submissions to the United States Puzzle Championship since 2009.

Serkan also organizes courses to help students and teachers learn how puzzles can be solved and designed. He has trained nearly 1000 teachers about solving and making puzzles in Turkey. Serkan created a special puzzle program for gifted kids (The Education Program of Mind Game Athletes); the first step of the program was completed in 2018 and it graduated nearly 60 gifted puzzle students. The program has led to some incredible things in the puzzle area, such as “Turkish Puzzle Champion in the kids category” and “Turkish Brain Team Member under 18”, as the next generation of puzzle solvers and puzzle makers starts to arise.

Serkan is the founder of the PAKO Publishing house. The main goal of the company is to produce books containing puzzles and school courses.

"Serkan