PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)

Theme: Bow Tie

Author/Opus: This is the 324th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Yajilin rules.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:00, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for classic Yajilin and this link for Yajilin variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Yajilin to get started on. More Yajilin puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2, in Yajilin by Murat Can Tonta and Prasanna Seshadri, and in our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

Here are our best Loop/Path puzzles of 2019, selected from the 42 web posts in this category based on your FAVE votes:

A couple of our “Best of” in this category are variety puzzles, starting with this loop + word puzzle combination O’utcast from Serkan Yürekli.

Guest contributor Bryce Herdt created a quite unusual Castle Wall puzzle that got a fair number of FAVE votes.

Another guest contributor, Joseph Howard, put together this challenging Yajilin variation with some “false” clues that might be covered up. The solvers who found their way to end enjoyed the journey.

Another Castle Wall, this one by Murat Can Tonta, was our second best in this category, with a noteworthy solving path if you can find it.

The best Loop/Path puzzle of 2019, and also the top vote getter across all categories as the best puzzle of 2019, is an absolutely crazy variation by Yuki Kawabe. It combines some shading, object placement, and snake path genres into a hybrid called SSS (Sundoku Snake Shape).

All of these best Loop/Path puzzles are collected in this PDF file.

Our most recent week of Slitherlink puzzles can be found in this PDF and the solutions are all grouped in this PDF and have also been linked to the individual posts. We also have two solution video for this week for the Thursday and Friday puzzles.

Later today we’ll post our Best of 2019 Loop/Path puzzles including our best puzzle of 2019 as voted on by our solvers. This upcoming week will feature a mix of puzzles across all of our categories.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s and a number-entry mode)

Theme: Conjunction T

Author/Opus: This is the 286th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, enter a number from 0 to 3 into each gray cell as additional Slitherlink clues. Numbers in the gray cells cannot repeat in any row, column, or gray tetrominoes.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:45, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for classic Slitherlink and this link for Slitherlink variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Slitherlink puzzles to get started on. More Slitherlink puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, Slitherlink and Variations, and our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Parallel Universes

Author/Opus: This is the 170th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 4:45, Expert = 9:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Slitherlink and this link for Slitherlink variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Slitherlink puzzles to get started on. More Slitherlink puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, Slitherlink and Variations, and our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Clover

Author/Opus: This is the 46th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Ashish Kumar.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Slitherlink and this link for Slitherlink variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Slitherlink puzzles to get started on. More Slitherlink puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, Slitherlink and Variations, and our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: White Hole

Author/Opus: This is the 9th puzzle from guest contributor Freddie Hand.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:45, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for classic Slitherlink and this link for Slitherlink variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Slitherlink puzzles to get started on. More Slitherlink puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, Slitherlink and Variations, and our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Plaid

Author/Opus: This is the 44th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Tom Collyer.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules.

Difficulty: 2 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:00, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for classic Slitherlink and this link for Slitherlink variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Slitherlink puzzles to get started on. More Slitherlink puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, Slitherlink and Variations, and our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Long Lines

Author/Opus: This is the 323rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:50, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for classic Slitherlink and this link for Slitherlink variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Slitherlink puzzles to get started on. More Slitherlink puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, Slitherlink and Variations, and our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

Here are our best Shading puzzles of 2019, selected from the 41 web posts in this category based on your FAVE votes:

Our first best shading puzzle of 2019 is actually two puzzles. As part of his debut week at GMPuzzles, Ashish Kumar created a set of puzzles that each had two different solving options from the same clues. With some help from editor (becoming co-author) Thomas Snyder, this Kurotto (and Cave) came together really well and got a lot of favorite votes.

Many of our “best of” puzzles get attention due to unusual clues and fun Aha moments, and the center of this Nanro by John Bulten certainly fits that description.

John Bulten also was the author behind this favorite LITS puzzle with a Pi theme and a fun easter egg for our regular solvers.

Our top two were both Tapa puzzles of different forms by Murat Can Tonta. This Tapa (Regional) puzzle combined some different ways of thinking about clues in a clever and challenging package.

And our Best Shading puzzle of 2019 was this classic Tapa by Murat. While on the easier end (usually our top vote getters are very difficult puzzles), the visual theme and smooth solve stood out for our voters.

All of these best Shading puzzles are collected in this PDF file.