Earlier in 2021, Thomas Snyder and Serkan Yürekli from Grandmaster Puzzles constructed a Puzzle Grand Prix round. This week we are taking a look back at those puzzles and will be adding some extra notes on the constructions here.
Here are our best Shading puzzles of 2020, in chronological order, selected from the 32 web posts in this category based on FAVE votes, web comments, and tester comments. All of these puzzles are gathered in this PDF file.
A few of our best Shading puzzles were “Skyscrapers” variations with outside clues driving the solve. The first of these comes from guest contributor Freddie Hand: Tapa (Skyscrapers).
More shading + skyscrapers came soon thereafter from Prasanna Seshadri with this great Kurotto (Skyscrapers) puzzle.
Many April Fool’s Days ago I made an audiobook TomTom set of puzzles (that was not just a set of fools) which was followed a few years later by a Cross the Streams (audiobook) by Grant Fikes. Grant revisited this clever idea in 2020 with a new Cross the Streams (audiobook) that was a favorite shading puzzle.
December brought two great LITS puzzles, starting with this LITS by JinHoo Ahn with an elegant theme (and quite approachable difficulty).
Our last best shading puzzle of 2020 is this more challenging LITS by wormsofcan that asked solvers to think outside the box.
2019/09/13 – Battleships (Minesweeper) (+ puzzle page)
2019/08/31 – Tapa (Easy as) (+ puzzle page)
2019/08/24 – Fillomino (NC) (+ puzzle page)
2019/07/04 – Cave and Kurotto (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2019/06/14 – LITS (+ puzzle page)
2019/05/11 – Yajilin (Strict Transparent) (+ puzzle page)
2019/05/10 – Battleships (Minesweeper) (+ puzzle page)
2019/04/20 – TomTom (No Touch) (+ puzzle page)
2019/03/16 – Statue Park (+ puzzle page)
2019/03/15 – Fillomino (+ puzzle page)
2019/02/16 – SSS (Sundoku Snake Shape) (+ puzzle page)
2019/02/15 – Transporter (+ puzzle page)
2019/01/19 – Fillomino (+ puzzle page)
2018/12/14 – Inner Coral (+ puzzle page)
2018/12/12 – Galaxies and Tetrominoes (+ puzzle page)
2018/11/24 – Nurikabe Loop (+ puzzle page)
2018/11/21 – Nurikabe (+ puzzle page)
2018/10/12 – Consecutive Pairs Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2018/09/08 – Pentopia (+ puzzle page)
2018/08/03 – LITS (+ puzzle page)
2018/07/07 – Kakuro (+ puzzle page)
2018/07/06 – Cave (+ puzzle page)
2018/06/09 – Araf (+ puzzle page)
2018/06/08 – Thermo-Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2018/05/12 – TomTom (+ puzzle page)
2018/03/16 – Double LITS (+ puzzle page)
2018/02/14 – Consecutive Pairs Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2018/01/20 – Statue Park (+ puzzle page)
2017/12/27+29 – Minesweeper (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2017/12/17 – Cross the Tapa (+ puzzle page)
2017/12/02 – Tapa (Different) (+ puzzle page)
2017/10/07 – Snake Pit X (+ puzzle page)
2017/09/13 – Cross the Streams (LITS) (+ puzzle page)
2017/09/02 – Pentominous (Borders) (+ puzzle page)
2017/08/19 – Killer Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2017/08/05 – Double Kakuro (+ puzzle page)
2017/07/22 – Tapa (Hex) (+ puzzle page)
2017/06/28-29 – Spiral Galaxies + 2x (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2017/06/15 – Nurikabe (Yajisan-Kazusan) (+ puzzle page)
2017/06/01 – Pentosnake (+ puzzle page)
2017/05/12 – Castle Wall (Hex) (+ puzzle page)
2017/04/12+15 – Double Yajilin (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2017/03/25 – Starship Battle (+ puzzle page)
2017/03/11 – Tapa (Visionary) (+ puzzle page)
2017/03/04 – Fillomino (Symmetry) (+ puzzle page)
2017/02/10 – Cave (+ puzzle page)
2017/01/27 – Masyu or Balance Loop? (+ puzzle page)
2017/01/13 – Pata (+ puzzle page)
2016/12/10 – Fillomino (Kropki) (+ puzzle page)
2016/11/12 – Statue Park (+ puzzle page)
2016/11/05 – Minesweeper (Even Rows/Columns) (+ puzzle page)
2016/10/23 and 2016/10/21 – Tight Fit Sudoku (Classic and Killer) (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2016/10/08 – Roller Coaster (+ puzzle page)
2016/09/30 – Pentominous (Star Battle) (+ puzzle page)
2016/09/17 – Japanese+Latin Sums (+ puzzle page)
2016/09/10 – Fillomino (Symmetry) (+ puzzle page)
2016/08/27 – Castle Wall (+ puzzle page)
2016/08/17 – Gapped Kakuro (+ puzzle page)
2016/08/06 – Slitherlink (Large-Square) (+ puzzle page)
2016/07/29 – Yajilin (+ puzzle page)
2016/07/22 – Canal View (+ puzzle page)
2016/07/09 – Thermo-Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2016/07/01 – Masyu (Regional) (+ puzzle page)
2016/06/10 – Star Battle (Small Regions) (+ puzzle page)
2016/05/13 – Yajilin (Transparent) (+ puzzle page)
2016/04/28 – Cross the Streams (Windows) (+ puzzle page)
2016/04/16 – Range (+ puzzle page)
2016/04/09 – Killer Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2016/03/17 – Ripple Effect (+ puzzle page)
2016/03/12 – Slitherlink (+ puzzle page)
2016/02/27 – Arrow Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2016/02/18 – Kurotto (Windows) (+ puzzle page)
2016/02/13 – Double Kakuro (+ puzzle page)
2015/04/02 – Snake Egg (+ puzzle page)
2015/03/26 – Fillomino (Symmetry) (+ puzzle page)
2015/03/21 – Skyscrapers (+ puzzle page)
2015/03/14 – 2D Top Heavy Number Place (+ puzzle page)
2015/03/05 – Yajilin (+ puzzle page)
2015/02/13 – Balance Loop (+ puzzle page)
2015/02/07 – Kakuro (Hex) (+ puzzle page)
2015/01/31 – Even/Odd Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2015/01/24 – TomTom (+ puzzle page)
2015/01/16 – Unique Clues Tapa (+ puzzle page)
2015/01/10 – Battleships (+ puzzle page)
2014/12/27 – Pentopia (+ puzzle page)
2014/12/17 – Battleships (+ puzzle page)
2014/12/13 – Cross the Streams (LITS) (+ puzzle page)
2014/12/05 – Cipher Fillomino (+ puzzle page)
2014/11/28 – (Prime) Cave (+ puzzle page)
2014/11/22 – Pentominous (Cipher) (+ puzzle page)
2014/11/15 – Castle Wall (+ puzzle page)
2014/11/08 – LITS (+ puzzle page)
2014/10/31 – Jack-O’-Lantern Thermo Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2014/10/24 – TomTom (+ puzzle page)
2014/10/17 – RoundTrip (+ puzzle page)
2014/10/04 – Pentomino (+ puzzle page)
2014/09/27 – Tapa (+ puzzle page)
2014/09/18 – Pentominous (+ puzzle page)
2014/09/12 – Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2014/09/06 – Tapa-Like Loop (+ puzzle page)
2014/08/28 – Pentominous (+ puzzle page)
2014/08/23 – Killer Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2014/08/15 – Kuromasu (+ puzzle page)
2014/08/08 – Sum Skyscrapers (+ puzzle page)
2014/08/02 – Repeated Neighbors Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2014/07/24 – Nanro (+ puzzle page)
2014/07/12 – Nurikabe (+ puzzle page)
2014/07/04 and 2014/07/06 – Star Battle (+ puzzle page 1 + email only = no puzzle page)
2014/06/24 and 2014/06/27 – Cross the Streams (B&W Partially Inverted and Pentominoes) (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2014/06/19 and 2014/06/21 – Word Nurikabe and Cipher TomTom from IPC (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2014/06/13 – Transparent Tapa (+ puzzle page)
2014/05/31 – Slitherlink (Portal) (+ puzzle page)
2014/05/22 – LITS (+ puzzle page)
2014/05/08-09 – Araf (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2014/05/03 – Heavy Dots (+ puzzle page)
2014/04/19 – Ripple Effect (+ puzzle page)
2014/04/12 – Checkered Fillomino (+ puzzle page)
2014/04/05 – Audio Cross the Streams (+ puzzle page)
2014/03/28 – Outside Nurikabe (+ puzzle page)
2014/03/21 – Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2014/03/07 – Slitherlink (Sheep and Wolves) (+ puzzle page)
2014/02/27 – Cave (+ puzzle page)
2014/02/14 – Fillomino (+ puzzle page)
Here are all of our book collections in publication order, available for purchase at our e-store!
62. 30th World Puzzle Championship Puzzle Files (November, 2023)
61. 16th World Sudoku Championship Puzzle Files (November, 2023)
60. GMPuzzles Subscription for Season 1 – A Fresh Start (July, 2023)
59. Grandmaster Puzzles Quarterly: Volume 6, edited by Serkan Yürekli and Thomas Snyder (December, 2022)
58. Loop Variety Collection 2, by Ashish Kumar, Murat Can Tonta, Prasanna Seshadri, and Serkan Yürekli (December, 2022)
57. Starter Pack 5: Star Battle by JinHoo Ahn (October, 2022)
56. Grandmaster Puzzles Quarterly: Volume 5, edited by Serkan Yürekli and Thomas Snyder (September, 2022)
55. Slitherlink and Variations 2 by Matej Uher (August, 2022)
54. Starter Pack 4: Slitherlink by Takeya Saikachi (August, 2022)
53. Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 8: Shape Sudoku, edited by Serkan Yürekli (August, 2022)
52. Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 7: Sudoku, edited by Serkan Yürekli (August, 2022)
51. Starter Pack 3: TomTom by Thomas Snyder (July, 2022)
50. Grandmaster Puzzles Quarterly: Volume 4, edited by Serkan Yürekli (June, 2022)
49. Tapa and Variations 3 by Zoltán Horváth and Serkan Yürekli (May, 2022)
48. Grandmaster Puzzles Quarterly: Volume 3, edited by Serkan Yürekli (April, 2022)
47. Starter Pack 2: Tapa by Serkan Yürekli (April, 2022)
46. Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 6: Consecutive Pairs Sudoku, edited by Serkan Yürekli (February, 2022)
45. Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 5: Tight Fit Sudoku, edited by Serkan Yürekli (February, 2022)
44. Starter Pack 1: Fillomino by Grant Fikes (February, 2022)
43. Shading Variety Collection by Prasanna Seshadri (January, 2022)
42. Grandmaster Puzzles Quarterly: Volume 2, edited by Thomas Snyder and Serkan Yürekli (December, 2021)
41. Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 4: Outside Sudoku, edited by Serkan Yürekli (November, 2021)
40. Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 3: Arrow Sudoku, edited by Serkan Yürekli (November, 2021)
39. Star Battle 2, by JinHoo Ahn and Murat Can Tonta (November, 2021)
38. Grandmaster Puzzles Quarterly: Volume 1, edited by Thomas Snyder (September, 2021)
37. Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 2: Thermo-Sudoku, edited by Serkan Yürekli (August, 2021)
36. Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 1: Even/Odd Sudoku, edited by Serkan Yürekli (August, 2021)
35. TomTom, by Ashish Kumar, JinHoo Ahn, Murat Can Tonta, and Serkan Yürekli (July, 2021)
34. Loop Variety Collection, by Ashish Kumar and Murat Can Tonta (April, 2021)
33. The Art of Sudoku 2, edited by Thomas Snyder (March, 2021)
32. Balance Loop by Prasanna Seshadri and Murat Can Tonta (February, 2021)
31. Araf by Serkan Yürekli (January, 2021)
30. Star Battle by JinHoo Ahn (December, 2020)
29. Killer Sudoku by Serkan Yürekli (December, 2020)
28. Kurotto by Prasanna Seshadri (November, 2020)
27. Plenty o’ Pentominous 3 by Grant Fikes and Murat Can Tonta (November, 2020)
26. Yajilin Battleships by Serkan Yürekli (November, 2020)
25. Tapa and Variations 2 by Serkan Yürekli (May, 2020)
24. Plenty o’ Pentominous 2 by Grant Fikes and Murat Can Tonta (February, 2020)
23. Yajilin by Murat Can Tonta and Prasanna Seshadri (November, 2019)
22. The Puzzlemasters’ Workshop, edited by Thomas Snyder (June, 2019)
21. Skyscrapers by Ashish Kumar (March, 2019)
20. Nurikabe by Ashish Kumar (November, 2018)
19. Castle Wall by Serkan Yürekli (October, 2018)
18. Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli (August, 2018)
17. Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta (July, 2018)
16. Fill o’ Fillomino 2 by Grant Fikes (June, 2018)
15. A Number o’ Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri (May, 2018)
14. The Art of Puzzles 2: Double Trouble, edited by Thomas Snyder (April, 2018)
13. Plenty o’ Pentominous by Grant Fikes and Murat Can Tonta (March, 2018)
12. Battleships and Variations by Serkan Yürekli (July, 2017)
11. Slitherlink and Variations by Serkan Yürekli (April, 2017)
10. Colossal Cave Collection by Roger Barkan (January, 2017)
9. Logic Puzzles 101 by Grant Fikes (December, 2016)
8. Snake and Variations by Serkan Yürekli (December, 2016)
7. Kakuro and Variations by Serkan Yürekli (September, 2016)
6. Tapa and Variations by Serkan Yürekli (July, 2016)
5. Tapa-Like Loop Collection by Prasanna Seshadri (March, 2015)
4. Fill o’ Fillomino by Grant Fikes (November, 2014)
3. LOTS O’ LITS by Grant Fikes and Prasanna Seshadri (July, 2014)
2. The Art of Puzzles, edited by Thomas Snyder (June, 2014)
1. The Art of Sudoku by Thomas Snyder (April, 2012)
2019/09/13 – Battleships (Minesweeper) (+ puzzle page)
2019/08/31 – Tapa (Easy as) (+ puzzle page)
2019/08/24 – Fillomino (NC) (+ puzzle page)
2019/07/04 – Cave and Kurotto (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2019/06/14 – LITS (+ puzzle page)
2019/05/11 – Yajilin (Strict Transparent) (+ puzzle page)
2019/05/10 – Battleships (Minesweeper) (+ puzzle page)
2019/04/20 – TomTom (No Touch) (+ puzzle page)
2019/03/16 – Statue Park (+ puzzle page)
2019/03/15 – Fillomino (+ puzzle page)
2019/02/16 – SSS (Sundoku Snake Shape) (+ puzzle page)
2019/02/15 – Transporter (+ puzzle page)
2019/01/19 – Fillomino (+ puzzle page)
2018/12/14 – Inner Coral (+ puzzle page)
2018/12/12 – Galaxies and Tetrominoes (+ puzzle page)
2018/11/24 – Nurikabe Loop (+ puzzle page)
2018/11/21 – Nurikabe (+ puzzle page)
2018/10/12 – Consecutive Pairs Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2018/09/08 – Pentopia (+ puzzle page)
2018/08/03 – LITS (+ puzzle page)
2018/07/07 – Kakuro (+ puzzle page)
2018/07/06 – Cave (+ puzzle page)
2018/06/09 – Araf (+ puzzle page)
2018/06/08 – Thermo-Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2018/05/12 – TomTom (+ puzzle page)
2018/03/16 – Double LITS (+ puzzle page)
2018/02/14 – Consecutive Pairs Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2018/01/20 – Statue Park (+ puzzle page)
2017/12/27+29 – Minesweeper (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2017/12/17 – Cross the Tapa (+ puzzle page)
2017/12/02 – Tapa (Different) (+ puzzle page)
2017/10/07 – Snake Pit X (+ puzzle page)
2017/09/13 – Cross the Streams (LITS) (+ puzzle page)
2017/09/02 – Pentominous (Borders) (+ puzzle page)
2017/08/19 – Killer Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2017/08/05 – Double Kakuro (+ puzzle page)
2017/07/22 – Tapa (Hex) (+ puzzle page)
2017/06/28-29 – Spiral Galaxies + 2x (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2017/06/15 – Nurikabe (Yajisan-Kazusan) (+ puzzle page)
2017/06/01 – Pentosnake (+ puzzle page)
2017/05/12 – Castle Wall (Hex) (+ puzzle page)
2017/04/12+15 – Double Yajilin (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2017/03/25 – Starship Battle (+ puzzle page)
2017/03/11 – Tapa (Visionary) (+ puzzle page)
2017/03/04 – Fillomino (Symmetry) (+ puzzle page)
2017/02/10 – Cave (+ puzzle page)
2017/01/27 – Masyu or Balance Loop? (+ puzzle page)
2017/01/13 – Pata (+ puzzle page)
2016/12/10 – Fillomino (Kropki) (+ puzzle page)
2016/11/12 – Statue Park (+ puzzle page)
2016/11/05 – Minesweeper (Even Rows/Columns) (+ puzzle page)
2016/10/23 and 2016/10/21 – Tight Fit Sudoku (Classic and Killer) (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2016/10/08 – Roller Coaster (+ puzzle page)
2016/09/30 – Pentominous (Star Battle) (+ puzzle page)
2016/09/17 – Japanese+Latin Sums (+ puzzle page)
2016/09/10 – Fillomino (Symmetry) (+ puzzle page)
2016/08/27 – Castle Wall (+ puzzle page)
2016/08/17 – Gapped Kakuro (+ puzzle page)
2016/08/06 – Slitherlink (Large-Square) (+ puzzle page)
2016/07/29 – Yajilin (+ puzzle page)
2016/07/22 – Canal View (+ puzzle page)
2016/07/09 – Thermo-Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2016/07/01 – Masyu (Regional) (+ puzzle page)
2016/06/10 – Star Battle (Small Regions) (+ puzzle page)
2016/05/13 – Yajilin (Transparent) (+ puzzle page)
2016/04/28 – Cross the Streams (Windows) (+ puzzle page)
2016/04/16 – Range (+ puzzle page)
2016/04/09 – Killer Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2016/03/17 – Ripple Effect (+ puzzle page)
2016/03/12 – Slitherlink (+ puzzle page)
2016/02/27 – Arrow Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2016/02/18 – Kurotto (Windows) (+ puzzle page)
2016/02/13 – Double Kakuro (+ puzzle page)
2015/04/02 – Snake Egg (+ puzzle page)
2015/03/26 – Fillomino (Symmetry) (+ puzzle page)
2015/03/21 – Skyscrapers (+ puzzle page)
2015/03/14 – 2D Top Heavy Number Place (+ puzzle page)
2015/03/05 – Yajilin (+ puzzle page)
2015/03/01 – Star Battle (bonus) (email only = no puzzle page)
2015/02/22 – Skyscrapers (bonus) (email only = no puzzle page)
2015/02/13 – Balance Loop (+ puzzle page)
2015/02/07 – Kakuro (Hex) (+ puzzle page)
2015/01/31 – Even/Odd Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2015/01/24 – TomTom (+ puzzle page)
2015/01/16 – Unique Clues Tapa (+ puzzle page)
2015/01/10 – Battleships (+ puzzle page)
2014/12/27 – Pentopia (+ puzzle page)
2014/12/17 – Battleships (+ puzzle page)
2014/12/13 – Cross the Streams (LITS) (+ puzzle page)
2014/12/05 – Cipher Fillomino (+ puzzle page)
2014/11/28 – (Prime) Cave (+ puzzle page)
2014/11/22 – Pentominous (Cipher) (+ puzzle page)
2014/11/15 – Castle Wall (+ puzzle page)
2014/11/08 – LITS (+ puzzle page)
2014/10/31 – Jack-O’-Lantern Thermo Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2014/10/24 – TomTom (+ puzzle page)
2014/10/17 – RoundTrip (+ puzzle page)
2014/10/04 – Pentomino (+ puzzle page)
2014/09/27 – Tapa (+ puzzle page)
2014/09/18 – Pentominous (+ puzzle page)
2014/09/12 – Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2014/09/06 – Tapa-Like Loop (+ puzzle page)
2014/08/28 – Pentominous (+ puzzle page)
2014/08/23 – Killer Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2014/08/15 – Kuromasu (+ puzzle page)
2014/08/08 – Sum Skyscrapers (+ puzzle page)
2014/08/02 – Repeated Neighbors Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2014/07/24 – Nanro (+ puzzle page)
2014/07/12 – Nurikabe (+ puzzle page)
2014/07/04 and 2014/07/06 – Star Battle (+ puzzle page 1 + email only = no puzzle page)
2014/06/24 and 2014/06/27 – Cross the Streams (B&W Partially Inverted and Pentominoes) (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2014/06/19 and 2014/06/21 – Word Nurikabe and Cipher TomTom from IPC (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2014/06/13 – Transparent Tapa (+ puzzle page)
2014/05/31 – Slitherlink (Portal) (+ puzzle page)
2014/05/22 – LITS (+ puzzle page)
2014/05/08-09 – Araf (+ puzzle page 1 / 2)
2014/05/03 – Heavy Dots (+ puzzle page)
2014/04/19 – Ripple Effect (+ puzzle page)
2014/04/12 – Checkered Fillomino (+ puzzle page)
2014/04/05 – Audio Cross the Streams (+ puzzle page)
2014/03/28 – Outside Nurikabe (+ puzzle page)
2014/03/21 – Sudoku (+ puzzle page)
2014/03/07 – Slitherlink (Sheep and Wolves) (+ puzzle page)
2014/02/27 – Cave (+ puzzle page)
2014/02/14 – Fillomino (+ puzzle page)
Here are our best Shading puzzles of 2018, selected from the 59 web posts in this category (our most common category, just barely). We had a lot of great Shading puzzles throughout the year and here the best choices were more closely grouped together:
2018 marked the start of Serkan Yürekli doing a lot more work editing and helping the site in other ways. One of these additions was bringing in a lot more puzzle authors including some of our youngest contributors to date. Guest contributor Yunus Emre Büyükkale received a best of prize for this 1ST-themed LITS on the site.
Serkan also continued sharing great puzzles including his original creation Tapa. This particular Two-focused Tapa puzzle that closed out a week with a lot of two-clue Tapa puzzles was one of our best shading puzzles of 2018.
(view directly for a larger image)
This Outside Nanro by Carl Worth was a really fresh variation with a good solving path and earned recognition as well.
However, our best shading puzzle comes from Prasanna Seshadri with another take on the idea of Tapa and Two. Only in this “Twopa” it is that the given grid can lead to two specific answers if none of the clues have repeated shading around them.
17/12/02 – Tapa (Different)
17/10/07 – Snake Pit X
17/09/13 – Cross the Streams (LITS)
17/09/02 – Pentominous (Borders)
17/08/19 – Killer Sudoku
17/08/05 – Double Kakuro
17/07/22 – Tapa (Hex)
17/06/28-29 – Spiral Galaxies + 2x
17/06/15 – Nurikabe (Yajisan-Kazusan)
17/06/01 – Pentosnake
17/05/12 – Castle Wall (Hex)
17/04/12+15 – Double Yajilin
17/03/25 – Starship Battle
17/03/11 – Tapa (Visionary)
17/03/04 – Fillomino (Symmetry)
17/02/10 – Cave
17/01/27 – Masyu or Balance Loop?
17/01/13 – Pata
16/12/10 – Fillomino (Kropki)
16/11/12 – Statue Park
16/11/05 – Minesweeper (Even Rows/Columns)
16/10/23 and 16/10/21 – Tight Fit Sudoku (Classic and Killer)
16/10/08 – Roller Coaster
16/09/30 – Pentominous (Star Battle)
16/09/17 – Japanese+Latin Sums
16/09/10 – Fillomino (Symmetry)
16/08/27 – Castle Wall
16/08/17 – Gapped Kakuro
16/08/06 – Slitherlink (Large-Square)
16/07/29 – Yajilin
16/07/22 – Canal View
16/07/09 – Thermo-Sudoku
16/07/01 – Masyu (Regional)
16/06/10 – Star Battle (Small Regions)
16/05/13 – Yajilin (Transparent)
16/04/28 – Cross the Streams (Windows)
16/04/16 – Range
16/04/10 – Killer Sudoku
16/03/17 – Ripple Effect
16/03/12 – Slitherlink
16/02/27 – Arrow Sudoku
16/02/18 – Kurotto
16/02/13 – Double Kakuro
15/04/02 – Snake Egg
15/03/26 – Fillomino (Symmetry)
15/03/21 – Skyscrapers
15/03/14 – 2D Top Heavy Number Place
15/03/05 – Yajilin
15/03/01 – Star Battle (bonus)
15/02/22 – Skyscrapers (bonus)
15/02/13 – Balance Loop
15/02/07 – Kakuro (Hex)
15/01/31 – Even/Odd Sudoku
15/01/24 – TomTom
15/01/16 – Unique Clues Tapa
15/01/10 – Battleships
14/12/26 – Pentopia
14/12/17 – Battleships
14/12/13 – Cross the Streams (LITS)
14/12/05 – Cipher Fillomino
14/11/28 – Prime Cave
14/11/22 – Cipher Pentominous
14/11/15 – Castle Wall
14/11/08 – LITS
14/10/31 – Jack-O’-Lantern Thermo Sudoku
14/10/24 – TomTom
14/10/17 – RoundTrip
14/10/04 – Pentomino
14/09/27 – Tapa
14/09/18 – Pentominous
14/09/12 – Sudoku
14/09/06 – Tapa-Like Loop
14/08/28 – Pentominous
14/08/23 – Killer Sudoku
14/08/15 – Kuromasu
14/08/08 – Sum Skyscrapers
14/08/02 – Repeated Neighbors Sudoku
14/07/24 – Nanro
14/07/12 – Nurikabe
14/07/04 and 14/07/06 – Star Battle
14/06/24 and 14/06/27 – Cross the Streams (B&W Partially Inverted and Pentominoes)
14/06/09 and 14/06/21 – Word Nurikabe and Cipher TomTom from IPC
14/06/13 – Transparent Tapa
14/05/31 – Slitherlink (Portal)
14/05/22 – LITS
14/05/08-09 – Araf
14/05/03 – Heavy Dots
14/04/19 – Ripple Effect
14/04/12 – Checkered Fillomino
14/04/05 – Audio Cross the Streams
14/03/28 – Outside Nurikabe
14/03/21 – Sudoku
14/03/07 – Slitherlink (Sheep and Wolves)
14/02/27 – Cave
14/02/14 – Fillomino
Below you will find a set of links to every weekly PDF file we’ve posted here, at least up to our last update of this page.
Best of collections:
2021: Sudoku, Number Placement, Object Placement, Region Division, Shading, Loop and Path
2020: Sudoku, Number Placement, Object Placement, Region Division, Shading, Loop and Path
2019: Sudoku, Number Placement, Object Placement, Region Division, Shading, Loop and Path
2018 – all grouped in one PDF
2017 – all grouped in one PDF
2016 – all grouped in one PDF
2015 – all grouped in one PDF
2014: Sudoku, Number Placement, Object Placement, Region Division, Shading, Loops
2013: Sudoku, Number Placement, Object Placement, Region Division, Shading, Loops
Weekly Puzzle Sets:
2022:
Bonus – Sunday Stumpers and Giant Puzzles, updated throughout year (solutions)
Week 50 – Variety mix as in GPQ6 book (solutions)
Week 49 – Loop Variety Collection 2 mix (solutions)
Week 48 – Starter Pack mix (solutions)
Week 47 – Nanro (solutions)
Week 46 – Sudoku (solutions)
Week 45 – Kuromasu and Spiral Galaxies (solutions)
Week 44 – Yajilin (solutions)
Week 43 – Cross the Streams (solutions)
Week 42 – Variety (Starter Pack) (solutions)
Week 41 – Hexagonal Object Placement Mix (solutions)
Week 40 – Easy as ABC variations (solutions)
Week 39 – Castle Wall (solutions)
Week 38 – Pentominous (solutions)
Week 37 – Variety mix as in GPQ5 book (solutions)
Week 36 – Sudoku (solutions)
Week 35 – Variety Mix (Pentominoes) (solutions)
Week 34 – LITS (solutions)
Week 33 – Slitherlink (solutions)
Week 32 – Smashed Sums and Terra X (solutions)
Week 31 – Variety (Starter Pack) (solutions)
Week 30 – Takeya Saikachi’s Debut Week (solutions)
Week 29 – Sudoku (solutions)
Week 28 – Minesweeper (solutions)
Week 27 – Nurikabe (solutions)
Week 26 – Variety (Starter Pack) (solutions)
Week 25 – Japanese Sums (solutions)
Week 24 – Balance Loop (solutions)
Week 23 – Sudoku (solutions)
Week 22 – Snake Pit (solutions)
Week 21 – Battleships (solutions)
Week 20 – Variety mix (hexagonal grids) (solutions)
Week 19 – Tapa (solutions)
Week 18 – Skyscrapers (solutions)
Week 17 – Sudoku (solutions)
Week 16 – Slitherlink (solutions)
Week 15 – Variety Mix (Starter Pack) (solutions)
Week 14 – Cave (solutions)
Week 13 – Statue Park (solutions)
Week 12 – Kakuro (solutions)
Week 11 – Variety mix as in GPQ3 book (solutions)
Week 10 – Tapa-Like Loop (solutions)
Week 9 – Araf (solutions)
Week 8 – Tight Fit and Consecutive Pairs Sudoku (solutions)
Week 7 – Star Battle (solutions)
Week 6 – Variety Mix (Starter Pack) (solutions)
Week 5 – Aqre (solutions)
Week 4 – Shading variety mix (solutions)
Week 3 – TomTom (solutions)
Week 2 – Sudoku and Variations (solutions)
Week 1 – Welcome to 2022 Variety Mix (solutions)
2021:
Bonus – Sunday Stumpers and Giant Puzzles, posted throughout year (solutions)
Week 51 – US Puzzle Grand Prix Round from 2021 (solutions)
Week 50 – Sudoku and Variations (solutions)
Week 49 – Pentomino Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 48 – Nanro (solutions)
Week 47 – Two Puzzles, One Grid Variety Week (solutions)
Week 46 – Tapa-Like Loop (solutions)
Week 45 – Kuromasu and Snake Pit (solutions)
Week 44 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 43 – Sudoku and Variations (solutions)
Week 42 – Cross the Streams (solutions)
Week 41 – Kakuro (solutions)
Week 40 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 39 – Star Battle (solutions)
Week 38 – Round Trip (solutions)
Week 37 – Spiral Galaxies (solutions)
Week 36 – Last Days of SUM-mer (arithmetic puzzles) (solutions)
Week 35 – Tapa (solutions)
Week 34 – Statue Park (solutions)
Week 33 – Sudoku and Variations (solutions)
Week 32 – Castle Wall (solutions)
Week 31 – Cipher Variety week (solutions)
Week 30 – Smashed Sums and Japanese Sums (solutions)
Week 29 – Minesweeper (solutions)
Week 28 – Cave (solutions)
Week 27 – Sudoku and Variations (solutions)
Week 26 – Slitherlink (solutions)
Week 25 – LITS (solutions)
Week 24 – Variety Mix (hexagonal puzzles) (solutions)
Week 23 – TomTom (solutions)
Week 22 – Yajilin (solutions)
Week 21 – Battleships (solutions)
Week 20 – Fillomino (solutions)
Week 19 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 18 – Skyscrapers (solutions)
Week 17 – Sudoku and Variations (solutions)
Week 16 – Nurikabe (solutions)
Week 15 – Loop Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 14 – Kakuro (solutions)
Week 13 – Statue Park (solutions)
Week 12 – Pentominous (solutions)
Week 11 – Sudoku and Variations (solutions)
Week 10 – Tapa (solutions)
Week 9 – Variety Week: Even Rows and Columns (solutions)
Week 8 – TomTom (solutions)
Week 7 – Balance Loop (solutions)
Week 6 – Star Battle (solutions)
Week 5 – JinHoo Ahn debut week of variations (solutions)
Week 4 – Kurotto (solutions)
Week 3 – Araf (solutions)
Week 2 – Sudoku (solutions)
Week 1 – Welcome to 2021 Variety Mix (solutions)
2020:
Week 30 – Fillomino (solutions)
Week 29 – LITS (solutions)
Week 28 – Star Battle (solutions)
Week 27 – Kakuro (solutions)
Week 26 – Sudoku (solutions)
Week 25 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 24 – Balance Loop (solutions)
Week 23 – Cave (solutions)
Week 22 – Cross the Streams (solutions)
Week 21 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 20 – Statue Park (solutions)
Week 19 – Skyscrapers (solutions)
Week 18 – Sudoku and variations (solutions)
Week 17 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 16 – Snake and Snake Variations (solutions)
Week 15 – Kurotto (solutions)
Week 14 – Skyscrapers (solutions)
Week 13 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 12 – Araf (solutions)
Week 11 – Battleships (solutions)
Week 10 – Sudoku and variations (solutions)
Week 9 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 8 – Slitherlink (solutions)
Week 7 – Tapa (solutions)
Week 6 – TomTom (solutions)
Week 5 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 4 – Pentominous (solutions)
Week 3 – Star Battle (solutions)
Week 2 – Sudoku and variations (solutions)
Week 1 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Reopening – Four Teasers (solutions)
2019:
Week 27 – Sudoku, and World Puzzle Championship (solutions)
Week 26 – Masyu (solutions)
Week 25 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 24 – Tapa (solutions)
Week 23 – Fillomino (solutions)
Week 22 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 21 – Star Battle (solutions)
Week 20 – Skyscrapers (solutions)
Week 19 – Ashish Kumar debut week with double puzzles (solutions)
Week 18 – Arrow, Thermo, and Even/Odd Sudoku Variations (solutions)
Week 17 – Castle Wall (solutions)
Week 16 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 15 – Cave (solutions)
Week 14 – Cross the Streams (solutions)
Week 13 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 12 – Minesweeper (solutions)
Week 11 – TomTom (solutions)
Week 10 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 9 – Pentominous (solutions)
Week 8 – Nanro (solutions)
Week 7 – Variety Mix + Pi Day puzzles (solutions)
Week 6 – Sudoku Variations Mix (solutions)
Week 5 – Battleships (solutions)
Week 4 – Toketa Variety Week (solutions)
Week 3 – Kakuro (solutions)
Week 2 – Yajilin (solutions)
Week 1 – Fillomino and Fillomino Cipher (solutions)
2018:
Week 38 – Sudoku and Variations (solutions)
Week 37 – Spiral Galaxies (solutions)
Week 36 – Variety Mix from Palmer Mebane for WPC (solutions)
Week 35 – Nurikabe (solutions)
Week 34 – TomTom (solutions)
Week 33 – Variety Week (solutions)
Week 32 – Battleships (solutions)
Week 31 – Castle Wall (solutions)
Week 30 – Sudoku, in many styles like the upcoming Art of Sudoku 2 (solutions)
Week 29 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 28 – Fillomino (solutions)
Week 27 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 26 – Intro to GMPuzzles sampler week (solutions)
Week 25 – LITS (solutions)
Week 24 – Kakuro (solutions)
Week 23 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 22 – Statue Park (solutions)
Week 21 – Masyu (solutions)
Week 20 – Variety Mix including guest contributions (solutions)
Week 19 – Arrow and Even/Odd Sudoku (solutions)
Week 18 – Cave (solutions)
Week 17 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 16 – Nanro (solutions)
Week 15 – Skyscrapers (solutions)
Week 14 – Variety Mix revisiting earlier 2018 themes (solutions)
Week 13 – Minesweeper (solutions)
Week 12 – Yajilin (solutions)
Week 11 – Variety mix (solutions)
Week 10 – Sudoku mix (solutions)
Week 9 – (special) Quintessence by John Bulten (solutions)
Week 8 – Pentominous (solutions)
Week 7 – Pi week; a lot of 3.1415… themed puzzles (solutions)
Week 6 – Tapa (solutions)
Week 5 – TomTom (solutions)
Week 4 – Variety mix from all our puzzlemasters (solutions)
Week 3 – Star Battle (solutions)
Week 2 – Slitherlink (solutions)
Week 1 – Variety Mix from Joseph Howard (solutions)
2017:
Week 26 – Minesweeper and Double Minesweeper week (solutions)
Week 25 – ? themed puzzles by Serkan Yürekli, Cross the Tapa by Chris Green (solutions)
Week 24 – Patrons week (puzzles written for our top patrons); (solutions)
Week 23 – Bonus Sudoku and puzzle hunt puzzles from Thomas Snyder (solutions)
Week 22 – Snake Pit and Sunglasses puzzles from the Toketa book authors (solutions)
Week 21 – Variety Mix from Guest Authors (solutions)
Week 20 – Variety mix from Grant Fikes (solutions)
Week 19 – “Turkish Delight” – Tapa from Murat and Sudoku from Serkan (solutions)
Week 18 – Kakuro and Double Kakuro week (solutions)
Week 17 – Patrons week (puzzles written for our top patrons) (solutions)
Week 16 – Spiral Galaxies and Double Spiral Galaxies week (solutions)
Week 15 – Nurikabe and Yajisan-Kazusan from Jamie Hargrove (solutions)
Week 14 – Variety Mix from Guest Authors (solutions)
Week 13 – Puzzles from US Puzzle Grand Prix Round (+ Fillomino bonus); (solutions)
Week 12 – Patrons week (puzzles written for our top patrons); (solutions)
Week 11 – LITS and Double LITS week (solutions)
Week 10 – Yajilin and Double Yajilin week (solutions)
Week 9 – “Leftovers” from Dr. Sudoku (solutions)
Week 8 – Variety Mix from six GM puzzlemasters, with Battleships mini theme (solutions)
Week 7 – Tapa variations by Serkan Yürekli (solutions)
Week 6 – Masyu, Fillomino, and related variants (solutions)
Week 5 – Patrons week (puzzles written for our top patrons); (solutions)
Week 4 – Variety Mix from Guest Authors (solutions)
Week 3 – Colossal Cave Collection Teaser Week by Roger Barkan (solutions)
Week 2 – Balance Loop and Tapa (Islands) Mini Weeks (solutions)
Week 1 – Just One Week – Variety Mix (solutions)
2016:
Week 32 – Snake Pit (Carl Worth debut week); (solutions)
Week 31 – Patrons week (puzzles written for our top patrons); (solutions)
Week 30 – World Puzzle Championship Practice from Prasanna Seshadri (solutions)
Week 29b – Sudoku + Puzzle Championship puzzles from Thomas Snyder (solutions)
Week 29 – Variety Mix from six GM puzzlemasters (solutions)
Week 28 – Even Rows and Columns variations (solutions)
Week 27 – Tight Fit Sudoku variations by Serkan Yürekli (solutions)
Week 26 – Patrons week (puzzles written for our top patrons); (solutions)
Week 25 – Puzzle variations from Grant Fikes (solutions)
Week 24 – Last days of SUM-mer: arithmetic puzzles from Serkan and Thomas (solutions)
Week 23 – Variety Mix from six GM puzzlemasters (solutions)
Week 22 – Castle Wall and Myopia Yajilin puzzles from Murat Can Tonta (solutions)
Week 21 – Patrons week (puzzles written for our top patrons); (solutions)
Week 20 – Variety Mix from Guest Authors (solutions)
Week 19 – Variety Mix by Grant Fikes (solutions)
Week 18 – Rock Paper Scissors and Canal View variations (solutions)
Week 17 – Sudoku Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 16 – Patrons week (puzzles written for our top patrons); (solutions)
Week 15 – Serkan (Star Battle Variations) and Murat (elegant classics); (solutions)
Week 14 – US Grand Prix Round selections (2 of 2); (solutions)
Week 13 – US Grand Prix Round selections (1 of 2); (solutions)
Week 12 – “Transparent” puzzle variations by Prasanna Seshadri (solutions)
Week 11 – Grant Fikes week (solutions)
Week 10 – Range Puzzles by Serkan Yürekli (solutions)
Week 9 – Patrons week (puzzles written for our top patrons); (solutions)
Week 8 – Grant Fikes Mix (TomTom, Ripple Effect, Pentominous); (solutions)
Week 7 – Guest Week (solutions)
Week 6 – Sudoku Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 5 – “Windows” Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 4 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 3 – LITS and Nanro Signpost Variations (solutions)
Week 2 – Snake Variations by Serkan Yürekli (solutions)
Week 1 – Variety Mix from Murat Can Tonta (solutions)
2015:
Week 32 – Murat Can Tonta debut week (solutions)
Week 31 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 30 – Sudoku by Thomas Snyder and Word Connection by Serkan Yürekli (solutions)
Week 29 – Fillomino by Grant Fikes and Tapa (Skyscrapers) by Prasanna Seshadri (solutions)
Weeks 27-28 – Pentomino Puzzles by Serkan Yürekli (solutions)
Week 26 – Nanro + Fillomino by Grant Fikes and two bonus (solutions)
Week 25 – “Inspired by …” mini-week (solutions)
Week 24 – Tapa Variants: Serkan Yürekli mini-week (solutions)
Week 23 – 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship (2 of 2) (solutions)
Week 22 – 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship (1 of 2) (solutions)
Week 21 – Non-Consecutive Puzzles mini-week (solutions)
Week 20 – Sudoku Variants: Prasanna Seshadri mini-week (solutions)
Week 19 – Golem Grad: Serkan Yürekli mini-week (solutions)
Week 18 – Consecutive Pairs Sudoku: Tom Collyer mini-week (solutions)
Week 17 – John Bulten mini-week (solutions)
Week 16 – Grant Fikes mini-week (solutions)
Week 15 – Variety Mix (restarting on “half week” schedule after hiatus) (solutions)
Week 14 – Sudoku Variant Examples (solutions)
Week 13 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 12 – John Bulten’s Debut Week (solutions)
Week 11 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 10 – Variety Mix by Guest Contributors (solutions)
Week 9 – Loops (solutions)
Week 8 – Sudoku Mix (solutions)
Week 7 – Variety Mix (Antisymmetry) (solutions)
Week 6 – Fillomino and Balance Loop (solutions)
Week 5 – Variety Mix (Hexagonal puzzles) (solutions)
Week 4 – Even/Odd Sudoku and Top Heavy Number Place (solutions)
Week 3 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 2 – Tapa (solutions)
Week 1 – Variety Mix (solutions)
2014:
Week 51 – Pentominous and Pentopia (solutions)
Week 50 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 49 – Variety Mix by Grant Fikes (solutions)
Week 48 – Fillomino (solutions)
Week 47 – Variety Mix by Guest Contributors (solutions)
Week 46 – Sudoku and Pentominous (solutions)
Week 45 – Castle Wall (solutions)
Week 44 – LITS, Easy as LITS (solutions)
Week 43 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 42 – TomTom (solutions)
Week 41 – Golem Grad and Round Trip (solutions)
Week 40 – Variety Mix by Guest Contributors (solutions)
Week 39 – Variety Mix by Zoltán Horváth (solutions)
Week 38 – Variety Mix by Prasanna Seshadri (solutions)
Week 37 – Pentomino Variety (solutions)
Week 36 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 35 – Loops (solutions)
Week 34 – Variety Mix by Grant Fikes (solutions)
Week 33 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 32 – Kuromasu (solutions)
Week 31 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 30 – Sudoku Mix (solutions)
Week 29 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 28 – Liars’ Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 27 – Nurikabe (solutions)
Week 26 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 25 – Cross the Streams (solutions)
Week 24 – Variety Mix by Bram de Laat plus IPC puzzles (solutions)
Week 23 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 22 – Tapa-Like Loop, Light and Shadow (solutions)
Week 21 – Variety Mix (Twin Puzzles) (solutions)
Week 20 – Variety Mix (with hidden theme) (solutions)
Week 19 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 18 – Araf (solutions)
Week 17 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 16 – Skyscrapers by Roland Voigt plus 24HPC puzzles (solutions)
Week 15 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 14 – Fillomino (solutions)
Week 13 – April Fools’ Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 12 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 11 – Sudoku Mix (solutions)
Week 10 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 9 – Loops (solutions)
Week 8 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 7 – Kurotto (solutions)
Week 6 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 5 – Tapa (solutions)
Week 4 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 3 – Cave (solutions)
Week 2 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 1 – Prasanna Seshadri’s Debut Week (solutions)
2013:
Week 52 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 51 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 50 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 49 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 48 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 47 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 46 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 45 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 44 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 42-3 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 41 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 40 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 39 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 38 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 37 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 36 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 35 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 34 – Serkan Yürekli’s Debut Week (solutions)
Week 33 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 32 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 31 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 30 – Tom Collyer’s Debut Week (solutions)
Week 29 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 28 – LITS (solutions)
Week 27 – Palmer Mebane’s Debut Week (solutions)
Week 26 – Contributions to 2013 US Sudoku Qualifying Test (solutions)
Week 25 – Contributions to 2013 US Puzzle Championship (solutions)
Week 24 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 23 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 22 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 21 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 20 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 19 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 18 – Sudoku Mix with Tile Sudoku (solutions)
Week 17 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 16 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 15 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 14 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 13 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 12 – Variety Mix (solutions)
Week 11 – Grant Fikes’ Debut Week (solutions)
Week 10 – Isodoku and Fillomino (solutions)
Week 9 – Surplus/Deficit Sudoku and Slitherlink (solutions)
Week 8 – Battleship Sudoku and Battleships (solutions)
Week 7 – Sudo-Kurve and Tapa (solutions)
Week 6 – Outside Sudoku and Skyscrapers (solutions)
Week 5 – Consecutive Sudoku and Masyu (solutions)
Week 4 – Arrow Sudoku and Cave (solutions)
Week 3 – Thermo-Sudoku and Star Battle (solutions)
Week 2 – Tight Fit Sudoku and Nurikabe (solutions)
Week 1 – Sudoku and TomTom (solutions)
While all of the last posts had easily defined categories, we did have a few puzzles this past year that went well outside of the box. We wanted to give them some recognition as our Best of 2013 comes to a close.
First, our reward for “Best Puzzle Response” has to go to Craig Kasper for one of his Sunday Surprises. After Grant Fikes posted a Doctor Who-themed “Seek and Spell Sudoku”, Craig put together a quite appropriate and humorous retort from the Daleks. It was certainly one of our more memorable jokes of the year.
“Best Repeat” has to go to Grant’s LITS + Double Back puzzle from July. While it scored ok in each category, that it actually worked as two kinds of puzzle made it something we didn’t mind posting twice. We’ll try to double back on Double Back puzzles later this year.
Finally, “Best Surprise” was clearly won by Dr. Sudoku’s April 1st Word Search puzzle. If you haven’t tried it yet, you really should without any spoilers so we won’t say anything more except our readers thought it was awesome.
2013 was an incredible year for us. Many years ago Wei-Hwa Huang and I came up with a dream to build a daily puzzle site. While we never had the time to get it off the ground then, Grandmaster Puzzles is now a clear destination site for logic puzzle fans around the world. We currently have five regular authors and one more on the way starting tomorrow. In 2014 we hope to have a few more guest authors appear here and there. There will also be a few format changes to make the site more accessible to newcomers, which you’ll notice in the coming weeks. One of the larger ones is that we will have a return to having some focused weeks where a particular puzzle type will be highlighted.
One big change in 2014 is that we will plan to put out regular PDF “Puzzle Packs” for sale every month. Our long awaited “The Art of Puzzles” will actually be released first as five separate puzzle packs currently planned to start at the end of this month, with a Tapa and Nurikabe collection, and then two more in February, and the last two in March. The complete set will then be published as a print-on-demand book for solvers who’d prefer a hard copy. After that we have a few different sudoku and other puzzle packs in the works — some from individual authors and others from a mix of contributors. I don’t know if I can meet my New Year’s Resolution of getting one out each month in 2014, but with more help on the site now we should be able to get close.
I’ll close this post with some solving stats from the first year. We posted 322 puzzles and actually had several solvers complete them all (or come very close). At 99+% completion when we last checked were lukabear, achan1058, muhorka, kiwijam, Projectyl, sknight, sworls, JooMY, and FoxFireX, while migross76, uvo, Alien, and sfcorgi were quite close. These are clearly our top fans for the year! Once we have a nice prize to raffle off we will give something out to at least one of these frequent solvers. We had 30 solvers register solutions to at least 200 puzzles and in total had over 15,000 correct answers this year. (Many visitors just download the puzzles and don’t track their answers on the webpage, but to make our leaderboard you’ll need to submit.)
Our most solved puzzle is surprisingly our very first prescription, Dr. Sudoku Prescribes #1, which had the benefit of lots of direct links in January and has slowly been gaining finishers throughout the year. With so many puzzles now, a lot of solvers have certainly put some of these on their “backlog”. In terms of web traffic, we outgrew our first server set-up by the midyear, but have been stable and on-line consistently since then after a change of hosts/servers. I hope we continue steady growth in 2014 without needing to again rebuild things.
Most important to me, we had 0 broken puzzles for the whole year; every single one had just one solution. Some of the credit for this goes to our authors who are diligent about their submissions, but some thanks must also go to our many test-solvers for double- and triple-checking. There are a few computer-generated puzzle makers that write things like “our automatic process guarantees no broken puzzles” as if this is some unique benefit of their process. Proper development, editing, and testing can be done with more elegant hand-crafted puzzles too. While we might eventually make an error once in a blue moon, our solvers should consider our puzzles quite reliable.
As always, we appreciate your input on what you’d like to see here, and we thank you for your readership over the year.
I’m sure many of you were expecting ANOTHER version of the Christmas Tree puzzle from the last two weeks. I mean, I did get a very nice Double Back from Robert Vollmert (which cannot be confused as a Star Battle or a LITS). But posting such a puzzle wouldn’t be a surprise.
No, today’s Sunday Surprise comes from the pile of submissions I’ve received over the year from Hans van Stippent, who played with the usual rules of Skyscrapers a bit by hiding some of the cells from consideration. It yielded a very interesting puzzle which is Hans’ gift to you this Sunday.
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: New Variation/Logic
Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Also, standard Skyscrapers rules. Additionally, the cells in gray are “underground” and cannot be seen for any of the outside skyscraper clues (think of them as starting with a negative sign if necessary). As an example, the 4 in row 2 refers only to seeing four buildings in columns 3 through 7, even if there is a 9 in column 1 or column 2 as that 9 cannot be seen.
Answer String: Enter the 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th row from left to right.
Solution: PDF