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: Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor Hans van Stippent (who has also contributed these three Sunday Surprises).

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, there are some sheep (marked S) that must be inside the loop and some wolves (marked W) that must be outside the loop.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments following the arrows for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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

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: Quadrants

Author/Opus: This is the 14th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Combination of Slitherlink and Masyu rules.

Specifically, draw a single closed loop by connecting neighboring dots horizontally or vertically so that each number represents the number of adjacent edges used by the loop. The loop passes through all large circles. It must go straight through the white circles with at least one side turning at the next dot; it must turn at the black circles and then go straight through the next dot in both directions.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:40, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow these links for other Slitherlink variations and Masyu variations. Or follow these links for classic Slitherlink and classic Masyu puzzles.

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: Antisymmetry

Author/Opus: This is the 91st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules.

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

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Slitherlink. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Slitherlink puzzles to get started on.

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: Logical Variation

Author/Opus: This is the 87th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Variation of Slitherlink rules. The loop may now intersect itself at a point (it still may not coincide anywhere). At any dot at which more than 2 segments meet, the segments must all travel straight through the dot. This example may help:

Answer String: For each marked row, enter the length in cells of each connected group inside the loop from left to right. Separate each row’s entry with a comma. Shading the loop so that each fence separates a shaded/unshaded cell can help identify what is inside. For the example, the answer would be “11,12”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

Solution: PDF

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

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: Surrounded!

Author/Opus: This is the 154th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, there are some sheep (marked S) that must be inside the loop and some wolves (marked W) that must be outside the loop.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments following the arrows for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

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

Solution: PDF

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

We started with two loop genres (Slitherlink and Masyu) and added our own take on another (Yajilin) later in the year. But some Snake, Path, and other puzzles came in as well. In this category, variations seemed to get high ratings most consistently, with a surprise favorite among the group.

All for One and One for All, one of our first Slitherlink puzzles with an uncommon center, was the early favorite in this category.

But two Slitherlink variations would end up tied with higher rankings at the end of the year. March brought us Slitherlink (Domino) from Grant Fikes, an entertaining puzzle that gave domino clues and required the loop to be tiled as dominoes (but not necessarily uniquely, which led to much debate).

While there were no wolves in sheep’s clothing in our next favorite, Slitherlink (Sheep/Wolves) from October was also well-received.

Among the Masyu, the most top votes went to Grant’s extra large format puzzle from June (Grant contributed two more large Masyu to The Art of Puzzles which we can’t wait to show you).

But the favorite in the category was a much more recent puzzle, Tapa-like Loop from Serkan Yürekli. Whether this variation has enough steam to become a regular puzzle type remains to be seen, but a lot of solvers enjoyed this one example so we will try to have some more in 2014.

These phenomenal loop puzzles are gathered together in this PDF.

PDF

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

Theme: Symmetry and Logic

Rules: Variation of standard Slitherlink rules. First, place the ten dominoes given below the grid into the gray areas, without overlapping, to form a valid Slitherlink puzzle; dominoes can be rotated. Solve the resulting Slitherlink following normal rules. (Note: The set of digits placed into the grid from the dominoes is unique, but the assignment of dominoes need not be unique.)

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:30, Master = 17:30, Expert = 35:00

Solution: PDF

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: Framed

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:00, Master = 1:45, Expert = 3:30

Solution: PDF

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: Unfriendly Neighbors

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, there are some sheep (marked S) that must be inside the loop and some wolves (marked W) that must be outside the loop.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments following the arrows for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF

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 shading mode to mark true/false clues.)

This is a “Franken-Friday” puzzle variation.

Theme: Logical

Rules: Variation of standard Slitherlink rules. Exactly one clue in each row and column is lying and must represent a different number.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:45, Master = 12:00, Expert = 24:00

Solution: PDF