PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode, a shape mode for entering stars, and the composite Yajilin mode where left click marks cells, right click marks dots in cells or X’s on edges, left click+drag draws lines.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 79th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, each row and column must contain exactly two stars (one in the example). Stars cannot touch each other, even diagonally, and all stars must be on the Tapa wall.

See also this example:

Answer String: (Like Star Battle) 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 = 4:15, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Self-Centered

Author/Opus: This is the 14th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per 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 = 3:15, Master = 4:45, Expert = 9:30

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.

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 169th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per 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 = 1:25, Master = 1:45, Expert = 3:30

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.

PDF

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

Theme: Twin Galaxies

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd puzzle from guest contributor Bryce Herdt.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per 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 = 2:00, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

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.

PDF

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

Theme: Logical (Originally for the 2015 Polish Puzzle Championship Online Qualifier)

Author/Opus: This is the 28th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Tom Collyer.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per 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 = 3:00, Master = 4:30, Expert = 9:00

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.

PDF

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

Theme: Twelve Pentominoes

Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor Carl Worth. The theme was inspired by a challenge given in the comment thread to this Best of 2014 Object Placement Puzzles post.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per 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 = 2:30, Master = 3:45, Expert = 7:30

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.

We had 47 Object Placement puzzles (Star Battle and Battleships and other variations) this year.

The best Battleships puzzle was “Solved?” by Bram de Laat where a fleet of seas obeys the outside clues. Definitely one of the most original themes we had this year.

We’ve had a bunch of Pentomino placement puzzles and the highest rated was this Pentomino Minesweeper by Thomas Snyder.

There have been a lot of highly rated Star Battles this year. While it has not yet gotten a lot of solvers since it was posted just two weeks ago, guest contributor Carl Worth’s “Star Duel” has already earned a good number of FAVE votes.

(View image directly for larger form)

Not a lot of Monday/Tuesday puzzles got recognized this year with “best” ratings, but Zoltán Horváth’s Pentominoes theme fit the bill. (Full disclosure: Jiří Hrdina independently sent us a puzzle with this same theme earlier without Zoltán knowing. This puzzle was released this year as part of The Art of Puzzles book; Jiří’s Pentomino Star Battle would have probably earned a lot of FAVEs too if it had been on the web and not a book puzzle.)

The Best Object Placement puzzle of 2014 however went to a medium Star Battle with a very visual theme: “Man Made Out of Stars” theme by Thomas Snyder.

These best puzzles have been gathered in this PDF.

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: A Star Battle

Author/Opus: This is the 2nd puzzle from guest contributor Carl Worth.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules with three stars per region. Also, both grids will have the same position of stars. The shading is for aesthetic purposes only.

Answer String: For one of the grids, for each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the column where the middle star appears. Enter just the last digit of any two-digit numbers, and enter all these numbers as a single string with no separators.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 9:30, Master = 18:30, Expert = 37:00

Solution: PDF

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

(View image directly for larger form.)

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 9th puzzle from guest contributor Hans van Stippent.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Three stars per row, column, and region.

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the column where the middle star appears. Enter just the last digit of any two-digit numbers, and enter all these numbers as a single string with no separators.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 5:30, Expert = 11:00

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.

PDF

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

Theme: Four Squares (Originally on 2014 Hungarian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor Zoltán Horváth.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per 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 = 4:15, Master = 5:45, Expert = 11:30

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.