PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a composite mode for line/edge drawing and a shading mode.)

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd puzzle from guest contributor Joseph Howard.

Rules: Standard Spiral Galaxies rules.

Answer String: Enter the number of cells in each connected group (between bold lines) in the marked rows. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 3:45, Expert = 7:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for classic Spiral Galaxies puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Spiral Galaxies puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Spiral Galaxies Puzzles to get started on. More Spiral Galaxies puzzles will soon be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

Our master+ subscribers receive access to two bonus puzzles each week in addition to other rewards. We make these posts so those supporters have a space to comment on these puzzles, mark as FAVES, or log their solving. If you are interested in subscribing and seeing these bonus puzzles, click here for more info.

Theme: Antisymmetry

Author/Opus: This is the 77th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Standard Statue Park rules, using a full set of tetrominoes.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the shaded segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:30, Master = 0:45, Expert = 1:30

Note: Follow this link for other Statue Park Puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Statue Parks to get started on.

You can find our “Best of 2017” puzzles gathered in this packet.

This year we are going to be cycling between one variety week and then two focused weeks. We kick off our 2018 schedule tomorrow with a (hard) variety week of puzzles from guest author Joseph Howard. The puzzles start out around “Wednesday” level and go up from there.

Our next two weeks (starting 1/22 and 1/29) will feature a single Loop genre and then a single Object Placement genre and there will be a more complete range of very easy to hard puzzles.

This week, Master+ subscribers to the site are also getting two bonus puzzles: a Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta and a Roller Coaster by Joseph Howard, as well as puzzle solutions and a video talkthrough of the Saturday puzzle. If you want to become a subscriber and get access to bonus puzzles, solutions, e-books, and other rewards, check out this page.

Here are the two best Sudoku puzzles of 2017, as well as our best “Extra” puzzles. We only had 13 Sudoku posted this past year but will have many more in 2018.

One of our patrons requested this unique combination of Arrow, Shape, and Thermo-Sudoku by Prasanna Seshadri, and it was a fantastic puzzle.

The highest-rated Sudoku for 2017 was this challenging Killer Sudoku by Serkan Yürekli.

In addition to our usual puzzles, we sometimes had larger combinations, hidden puzzles, or puzzle hunt style puzzles. Both of the below “extras” got top marks from our fans.

Prasanna returned for his usual “Birthday Surprise” on March 2nd with this combination of Yajisan-Kazusan and Tapa.

Our other best Extra puzzle was “Border Patrol” by Thomas Snyder, a puzzle hunt puzzle without any instructions.

With that, we’re done with the Best of 2017, and you can find all of the puzzles in this PDF.

Here are our best Object Placement puzzles of 2017, selected from the 17 posts over the year. While this style did not feature as often as others in 2017, it includes our runaway vote winner for Puzzle of the Year.

One of the best object placement puzzles of this year was a gem that only our patrons got to see. Murat Can Tonta, practicing the art of Statue Park, made a memorable antisymmetric puzzle. If you want to see all our web puzzles, subscribe to GMPuzzles.

This Battleships by Thomas Snyder was not necessarily meant to have a long shelf life — it was constructed for one specific day — but our solvers enjoyed it and gave it several FAVEs to make the top list.

The best Object Placement puzzle of the year, and also the overall Best Puzzle of the year, goes to this Star Battle by Thomas Snyder, originally for the US Puzzle Grand Prix that Dr. Sudoku authored. The frame in the grid leads to a fun logical solving path in a medium-difficulty puzzle.

Here are our best Loop/Path puzzles of 2017, a style which was featured in 30 posts in 2017.

Puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta brought us our first top loop puzzle, a Yajlin, with a fun logical solving path.

Guest contributor Walker Anderson picked up his third “best of…” award with this easy and elegant Slitherlink.

The best “Loop” puzzle of 2017 pulled out a lot of the stops, as a super-sized combination of four different styles. Those solvers who were able to find their way to the final solution of this 4-Way Loop by Serkan Yürekli surely felt rewarded for the experience.

Here are our best Shading puzzles of 2017, our most frequent category with 60 posts this past year so we’ve selected five total “Best of…” winners here.

Leading off our winners is this classic Tapa by Murat Can Tonta with a Four Squares theme.

Murat brought another highly rated puzzle with this classic LITS with a patterned center.

However, our top three puzzles (all very close in votes) were minor variations on shading styles. Thomas Snyder brought us this Tapa (Different) puzzle that uses 15 different 2×2 blocks in different parts of the solve.

Tying for the best shading puzzle of 2017 is another Tapa variation, Visionary, from Tapa creator Serkan Yürekli that makes you look beyond the normal box to make progress.

The other puzzle tied for Best Shading Puzzle was a challenging Nurikabe by John Bulten where instead of the usual 2×2 rule in a lot of our shading puzzles, there was a no five in a line rule.

Here are our best Number Placement puzzles of 2017 (excluding Sudoku which is treated as its own category). We posted 22 Number Placement puzzles on the web throughout the year.

Two of our best puzzles in 2017, including this Kakuro (Touchy) by Grant Fikes, were exclusive for our patrons. If you want to see all of our puzzles, please subscribe to our site and you’ll get these bonus puzzles and other rewards.

Another Kakuro, this one from guest contributor Walker Anderson, got incredible reviews.

The top-rated Number Placement puzzle of 2017 came from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku, with this TomTom puzzle called Half and Half.

Here are our best Region Division puzzles of 2017, selected from the 42 web posts in this category (our second most frequent class of puzzle).

One of our theme weeks in 2017 was “Just One” with lots of puzzles using just the clue number 1. This Pentominous puzzle from Carl Worth was a very creative use of the just one rule, featuring the Roman numeral I, and was voted one of our best puzzles.

Another of the top puzzles was this Fillomino variation by Murat Can Tonta that required symmetric regions.

Our best Region Division puzzle of 2017 came from a guest constructor who is now a regular US puzzle team member: Walker Anderson (link to his blog). Walker cracks the “best of” listings a few times this year for his contributions, and this Cave puzzle had a really incredible logical flow.

Dear fans of GMPuzzles,

We’ve completed setting up 2018 subscription options for our supporters. You can find full details on this web page including quarterly and annual payment options at three levels. Payments will be through PayPal (no account needed if doing credit card processing).

The Expert level gives you early access to all of our puzzles as well as printed solutions and some solving videos to help you get better at our various styles.

The Master level includes the Expert rewards and adds in two extra puzzles for every posted week of puzzles and gives you your choice of one e-book published each quarter.

The Grandmaster level is the easiest way to get every single puzzle we publish in a year. It includes every e-book we publish (which you’ll receive before anyone else), two giant puzzle rewards, and everything in the other levels.

If you want to support our website in 2018, please consider becoming a subscriber to GMPuzzles.

Cheers,
Thomas