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: Triplets

Author/Opus: This is the 78th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Ashish Kumar.

Rules: Standard Spiral Galaxies rules.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:50, Master = 1:20, Expert = 2:40

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

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 can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 37th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Carl Worth.

Rules: First, solve the top grid puzzle as a Mirror Universe puzzle: Divide the grid along the indicated lines into connected regions – “galaxies” – so that every cell is part of one galaxy and every galaxy has one circle clue inside it. If the galaxy contains a plain circle without any lines, the galaxy must be rotationally symmetric with that circle being the center of rotational symmetry. If the galaxy contains a circle with a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, the galaxy must have mirror symmetry when reflecting across the line given in the circle. Also, some cells contain black dots – “asteroids” – which must be symmetrically arranged based on the rules of symmetry (rotational or mirror) for every galaxy that contains them.

Mirror Universe + Asteroids Example by Carl Worth:

Then, copy all ten of the galaxy regions from the solved Mirror Universe into the bottom grid. Solve this puzzle as a Star Battle puzzle with two stars in every row, column, and region.

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a star appears. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 8:00, Master = 10:15, Expert = 20:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Star Battles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Star Battles to get started on. More Star Battle puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

This week we are sharing easy sample puzzles from our ebook The Puzzlemasters’ Workshop which showcases six authors exploring new puzzle styles or variations with 8-10 challenges in each section. Today’s post is Mirror Universe.

PDF

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

Theme: Circle

Background: Variation of the region division puzzle Spiral Galaxies, with new clues indicating galaxies with mirror symmetry. This variation was created by Carl Worth.

Rules: Divide the grid along the indicated lines into connected regions – “galaxies” – so that every cell is part of one galaxy and every galaxy has one circle clue inside it. If the galaxy contains a plain circle without any lines, the galaxy must be rotationally symmetric with that circle being the center of rotational symmetry. If the galaxy contains a circle with a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line, the galaxy must have mirror symmetry when reflecting across the line given in the circle.

Example by Carl Worth:

(No official times or solution entry for this week; just click “SOLVE?” when finished.)

Solution: Last page of PDF

Note: More Mirror Universe puzzles can be found in The Puzzlemasters’ Workshop.

Here are our best Region Division puzzles of 2018, selected from the 56 web posts in this category (you’ll noticee that with our new publication schedule, the categories were more balanced in representation in 2018):

Looking across each month of posts, we find that the last couple months of the year always receive fewer votes. This isn’t that hard to understand when you consider we posted 311 puzzles in the year so some solvers will fall behind / catch up at different rates with our publishing scheduling. We take this into account by looking at relative FAVE rates towards the end of the year to identify any outliers. A few puzzles then stand out including this Spiral Galaxies with a hidden message from Grant Fikes that we posted a couple weeks ago.

(view directly for a larger image)

Two Cave puzzles received top marks this year, starting with this variation Formed Cave including pentominoes by Serkan Yürekli.

The other top Cave puzzle in this category comes from Murat Can Tonta where a logical theme might lead to a fun surprise at the end?

Our top puzzle in this category, and the 4th best of 2018 across the whole site by number of votes, comes from our “grandmaster” John Bulten who pursued another grandmaster-type theme with Chess. John probably has a few different hallmarks to his design style; one is to take a creative new theme idea and execute it to perfection. This Fillomino (Cipher) “A Novelty Against the French Defense” is a great addition to his overall body of work, which you can further explore on the web here and in collections like The Art of Puzzles 2 (just watch out for another hallmark which is high difficulty/Aha nature of the solves)

(view directly for a larger image)

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: Something Meta?

Author/Opus: This is the 289th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Spiral Galaxies rules (treat white and black circles the same when solving). After completing the grid, there is a secret message to find.

Answer String: Enter the hidden word in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 20:00, Master = 30:00, Expert = 60:00

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 can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

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 number entry mode.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 36th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Carl Worth.

Rules: Combination of Spiral Galaxies and Fillomino rules. Divide the grid along the dotted lines into regions, each of which must contain either exactly one circle, or one or more identical given numbers. (Note that there are no “hidden polyominoes” in this puzzle meaning there are no regions without a given number or a given circle.) Each region containing a circle is a “galaxy” and must have rotational symmetry with the circle at its center. Each region with given numbers must be the same size in cells as those numbers. Two regions with numbers of the same size cannot share an edge, but a region with numbers and a region with a circle in it can be the same size.

Answer String: For each cell in the marked rows, enter the area of the region it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number. Start with the 4th row, followed by a comma, followed by the 8th row.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:00, Master = 13:45, Expert = 27:30

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 can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

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: Hidden?

Author/Opus: This is the 288th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

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 = 3:45, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

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 can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

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: Hidden?

Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor William Hu.

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 = 3:00, Master = 4:15, Expert = 8:30

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 can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

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 287th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Spiral Galaxies rules. Then shade some dominoes (two-cell connected blocks) so that no two dominoes share an edge and so that every “galaxy” in the solved puzzle contains exactly two shaded cells.

Answer String: Enter the total number of horizontal dominoes (i.e., dominoes with two cells in the same row) in each row, starting at the top and proceeding to the bottom.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:15, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

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 can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

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: Think Outside the Box

Author/Opus: This is the 329th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

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 = 2:00, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

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 can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.