PDF

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

Theme: JH (for Jamie Hargrove)

Author/Opus: This is the 263rd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Variation of LITS. Shade exactly four cells in each outlined region to form an S, L, I, C, or Y tetrahex. When all regions have been shaded, the following conditions must be true:
1) All shaded cells will be connected through a network of adjacent shaded cells;
2) No three shaded cells will share a common vertex;
3) When two tetrahexes share an edge in adjacent regions, they must not be the same type (S, L, I, C, or Y), regardless of potential rotations or reflections.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:45, Master = 8:00, Expert = 16:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on. More LITS puzzles can be found in LOTS O’ LITS by Grant Fikes and Prasanna Seshadri.

Here are our best Shading puzzles of 2016, now our second most frequent category behind Loop/Path with 50 posts this past year.

Leading off this list was an Easy as LITS variation from Serkan that had a super high FAVE/solve ratio as a patron bonus puzzle. [Note: this is one of two supporter bonuses to win a Best Of award this year, but they’ll stay blurred on this site for non-patrons.]

Prasanna was our shading puzzle master this year, including this surprise of a Nurikabe variation prepared as practice for the WPC with a clean logical theme.

Prasanna also created a new Nanro variation “by accident” this year, which we call Nanro (Signpost). This early Spiral-themed example was well reviewed.

But the two best shading puzzles of this year were a kind of call and response from Prasanna and our audience, based around a “Windows” variation Prasanna experimented with. This Tapa in particular got high scores from the Windows week.

And then inspired guest contributor Jack Lance to make another version, this time with overlapping windows.

Basically tied in votes and clearly connected in origin, these Tapa (Windows) together are the best Shading Puzzle of 2016.

(view directly for a larger image)

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

Theme: GRANDMASTER (see region shapes)

Author/Opus: This is the 19th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard LITS rules.

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 = 3:30, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on. More LITS puzzles can be found in LOTS O’ LITS by Grant Fikes and Prasanna Seshadri and in The Art of Puzzles 2.

PDF

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

Theme: Latin Square

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor and site patron Chris Green.

Rules: Standard LITS rules. Also, as in “Easy as LITS”, the letters outside the grid indicate the first tetromino encountered in the corresponding direction. Also, as in “Signpost LITS”, some cells or groups of cells are outlined and labeled with a letter. If any of these cells is shaded, then the tetromino shape must match the clued letter.

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 = 8:45, Master = 11:00, Expert = 22:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: Orderly Middle

Author/Opus: This is the 33rd puzzle from our contributing Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Variation of LITS. Each region must contain two tetrominoes which do not overlap or touch along their edges. (They can touch each other diagonally.)

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 = 3:00, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: T Junctions

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd puzzle from guest contributor Chris Green.

Rules: Variation of LITS. Some cells or groups of cells are outlined and labeled with a letter. If any of these cells is shaded, then the tetromino shape must match the clued letter.

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 = 8:15, Master = 14:00, Expert = 28:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: One or Another

Author/Opus: This is the 2nd puzzle from guest contributor Chris Green.

Rules: Variation of LITS. Some cells or groups of cells are outlined and labeled with a letter. If any of these cells is shaded, then the tetromino shape must match the clued letter.

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 = 2:00, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: LITS

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Chris Green.

Rules: Variation of LITS. Some cells or groups of cells are outlined and labeled with a letter. If any of these cells is shaded, then the tetromino shape must match the clued letter.

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 = 2:00, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on.

Here are our best Shading puzzles of 2015. As shading puzzles are (still) our most frequent category with 42 posts, there are five awards this year with just four in the other categories.

Leading off this list is a very neat geometry of cages in this Nanro by Grant Fikes.

This classic Tapa puzzle by Tapio Saarinen with an antisymmetry theme also got a lot of Fave votes.

Hex week was by far our most favorited week of puzzles in 2015, and every puzzle from that week was either a Best of … winner or a close runner-up. In the shading genre, Prasanna Seshadri’s Tapa (Hex) was amongst the best shading puzzles of 2015.

Also from Hex week, this SLICY by Thomas Snyder (a LITS variant) was a top shading puzzle and tied for third for votes across the year.

The best puzzle in this category, and the best puzzle of the year based on number of Fave votes, was this Unique Clues variation of Tapa by Tapio Saarinen. It was truly a special puzzle with many different insights hidden in a quite elegant package.

PDF

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

Theme: Four Squares (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 91st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard LITS rules. Also, the letters outside the grid indicate the first tetromino encountered in the corresponding direction. Or see this:

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 = 1:00, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on.