Featured Puzzle: L.I.T.S. #5
Shade four cells in each region to place exactly one L, I, T, or S-tetromino there. Shaded cells form one orthogonally contiguous area.
Featured Puzzle: Leapfrog #1
Happy Leap Day! Every four years, we make up for the fact that the solar year is about 6 hours longer than the 365 days on the Gregorian calendar. To do so, we simply add an extra day at the end of February. This was actually a major plot point in The Pirates of Penzance.
Today’s puzzle is Leapfrog. The Japanese name is Satogaeri, literally “coming home.” This is the first puzzle I’ve introduced in which you must visualize movement. Move the frogs so that each region contains exactly one frog.
Featured Puzzle: Meadows #1 – Isolate the Shamrocks
Saint Patrick was a fifth century Christian missionary in Ireland. Interestingly, he was actually British, kidnapped by pirates and held as a slave in Ireland for 6 years before escaping. Later, he returned to proselytize. Another fun bit of trivia – the four-leaf clover is not a shamrock. A shamrock has only 3 leaves, and Saint Patrick used it during a sermon to illustrate the concept of the Holy Trinity.
Today, we’re playing Meadows. Simply divide the grid into square regions. Every region must contain exactly one four-leaf clover.
Featured Puzzle: Meadows #2 – Black Cat Strut
Today is Black Cat Appreciation Day! Did you know that black cats wait an average of 2-3 days longer to be adopted, because of superstition? It’s a shame, and I can attest to their delight, since I’ve had several pblack cats keep me company throughout my life.
Now, we know that cats are territorial, so today we’ll theme a Meadows puzzle. Simply divide the grid into squares, each containing a single black cat.
Featured Puzzle: Moon or Sun #1 – Path of the Eclipse
Today’s the day of the total solar eclipse! Thousands of people have traveled to visit the path of totality. As you know, a solar eclipse happens when the moon passes in front of the sun. So let’s play with that theme. This grid is divided into regions. Draw a single closed loop that visits every region.
Featured Puzzle: Nondango #1 – Rubber Ducky Hunt
Happy Rubber Ducky Day! I swear, there’s an internet holiday for just about everything. The first patent for a rubber duck was by Landon Smart Lawrence in 1928. But the version we know and love today was designed in the 1940s by sculptor Peter Ganine. He sold millions, but of course, popularity really soared thanks to Ernie on Sesame Street.
Today, we’re retheming a Japanese puzzle called Nondango. Dango is a popular street food, small balls made from rice flour skewered on bamboo sticks. But I thought instead of simply shading circles, we could hide some rubber ducks.
Featured Puzzle: Nondango #2 – Looking for Love
A relatively new trend is the world of speed-dating. A large group of eligible singles gather in one place, and spend a few minutes with other people seeking romantic partners. They quickly gauge their interest in each other, then a bell rings, and they move on to the next potential partner. If nothing else, it’s a way to train your social skills in learning to talk to strangers.
So let’s make it a puzzle!
Featured Puzzle: Nurimaze #1 – Beware the Ides of March
At one point in history, the Ides of a month was simply the middle of it, associated with the first full moon, due to the origins relating to the lunar cycle. But that forever changed in 44 B.C.E., when Roman senators assassinated Julius Caesar. But, can you change history and help Caesar escape to his waiting chariot?
The palace is divided into rooms. Some are impassable because the traitors have set them ablaze! Shade the impassable rooms to reveal the escape route.
Featured Puzzle: Nurimaze #2 – A House Full of Dracula
No, it’s not an early Halloween puzzle – today is World Dracula Day! In 1897, Bram Stoker published his infamous novel. Interestingly, he didn’t make much money from it, but in 1922, the film Nosferatu inflamed interest in the character. Stoker’s widow sued for copyright infringement, and Dracula became the iconic vampire, even though he wasn’t the first.
Today, you’re trapped in a castle with a coven of vampires, and you must escape. But Dracula is clever – there are walls everywhere! Can you discover the secret doors and the path of escape?
Featured Puzzle: Nurimaze #3 – Flee the Castle
You’ve awakened trapped in the vampire castle, and all the doors are hidden! Can you figure out which rooms contain certain death, as well as the way to escape the castle, avoiding vampires, but touching each cross for protection?