Home | PUZZLES for PROGRESS

Jacob Cohen

Aug 1

Bulk PDFs & Book Behind-the-Scenes

Hello everyone! Two quick bits of news for y'all. (1) Bulk-Print PDFs Going on a long plane flight or train ride? In the kind of mood...

Puzzles from Proofniks & Less-on-Line Sudoku

Jacob Cohen

Jun 22

Puzzles from Proofniks & Less-on-Line Sudoku

I've got some grid puzzles to share — and they come from two interesting, different origins!

[insert puzzle hunt party here] (Part 3)

Jacob Cohen

Apr 26

[insert puzzle hunt party here] (Part 3)

“Got excited and had to solve this afternoon. The family ended up piling in with me and we had a great time going through it together. Thank

[insert puzzle hunt party here] (Part 2)

Jacob Cohen

Apr 19

[insert puzzle hunt party here] (Part 2)

“Welcome! I’m so glad you made it,” I say as you walk in. “I hope you made it through the time vortex okay. Only nine minutes late? That’s

[insert puzzle hunt party here] (Part 1)

Jacob Cohen

Apr 11

[insert puzzle hunt party here] (Part 1)

When Yapa walks up to me — holding a scrap of paper with the letter C and the phrase “we've chromatized the conflux” — and asks whether his

#120: Capsules, The Digits from 1 to 9, Crossword

Jacob Cohen

Oct 13, 2023

#120: Capsules, The Digits from 1 to 9, Crossword

Three years, three months. 120 issues of Puzzles for Progress. 362 puzzles in all — not counting the 45 computer-generated Building...

#119: Puzzle Spotlight: Cell Blocks (Shikaku)

Jacob Cohen

Sep 29, 2023

#119: Puzzle Spotlight: Cell Blocks (Shikaku)

Today, we're shining the spotlight on a puzzle type I first discovered in The Wall Street Journal (under the name Cell Blocks), but that is

Jacob Cohen

Sep 14, 2023

#118: Simple Loop, KenKen, Spiral

This week, three puzzles with visual themes I think are neat. Hopefully solving does them justice. But first, it's Puzzles fordle Progress,

#117: Arrow Sudoku (8×8), Norinori, For Enders

Jacob Cohen

Aug 31, 2023

#117: Arrow Sudoku (8×8), Norinori, For Enders

Mostly business as usual today. Today's edition of Puzzles fordle Progress, my custom wordle, is brought to you by Allison, who said "Omg

#116: Chocolate Banana (Pie), Regionless Star Battle, Building Blocks

Jacob Cohen

Aug 17, 2023

#116: Chocolate Banana (Pie), Regionless Star Battle, Building Blocks

For superfans (millions, if not billions, I assume?) of my internet presence, this is perhaps the all-time craziest week. I released Episode

Jacob Cohen

Aug 3, 2023

#115: Mini Crosswords Meta: Ebbed Cafe

I must say this is one of my all-time favorite issues of Puzzles for Progress so far. Even if you don't usually solve PfP, I recommend this

#114: Sextet Cycles, Chocolate Banana, Iron Norinori

Jacob Cohen

Jul 20, 2023

#114: Sextet Cycles, Chocolate Banana, Iron Norinori

Today for you I've made three puzzles with two-word names: one original, one non-original, and one variant that isn't really original but th

#113: Connections Wall, The Gold General's Tour, Linguistics Is a Puzzle

Jacob Cohen

Jul 6, 2023

#113: Connections Wall, The Gold General's Tour, Linguistics Is a Puzzle

I'm writing this past 2am in New York (it's like midnight or 1am according to my Californian Circadian rhythms since I've only been here a f

#112: Star Battle, The Gold General's Tour, Crossword

Jacob Cohen

Jun 22, 2023

#112: Star Battle, The Gold General's Tour, Crossword

These last two weeks have really shown off the capriciousness of the puzzler creative process for me; I had a bit of puzzler's block last we

#111: Puzzle Spotlight: Chocolate Banana

Jacob Cohen

Jun 8, 2023

#111: Puzzle Spotlight: Chocolate Banana

It's been, oh, just a year and a bit since the last time I did an official Puzzle Spotlight. Nevertheless, I still think it's a great way to

#110: Cell Blocks, L33t Like A Linguist, Upon Reflection

Jacob Cohen

May 25, 2023

#110: Cell Blocks, L33t Like A Linguist, Upon Reflection

Did anyone have "Indonesian-language YouTube feature" in their Puzzles for Progress predictions? Well, you'd have been right! Some Star Batt

My Last NYT Puzzle; PfP Book 2: Puzzle Projects Past and Present

Jacob Cohen

May 18, 2023

My Last NYT Puzzle; PfP Book 2: Puzzle Projects Past and Present

Hi everyone! Just some quick announcements today. I've got my final Upon Reflection puzzle airing in The New York Times Magazine this weeken

#109: Chocolate Banana, Enclosures, Overpath

Jacob Cohen

May 11, 2023

#109: Chocolate Banana, Enclosures, Overpath

My covid-free streak finally ended ... but if you thought such mere mortal encumbrances would prevent Puzzles for Progress from coming out o

The Puzzling XLNC of Jack Lance (1997–2023)

Jacob Cohen

May 4, 2023

The Puzzling XLNC of Jack Lance (1997–2023)

Zachary Polansky, who made puzzles under the name "Jack Lance," passed away on May 1. He was 25. Here's a link to his obituary. I...

#108: Enclosures, Word Ladder: Crescendo, musi toki: A Linguistics Puzzle

Jacob Cohen

Apr 27, 2023

#108: Enclosures, Word Ladder: Crescendo, musi toki: A Linguistics Puzzle

I'm shaking things up with today's puzzles: each one brings something new, or at least something that hasn't been seen on Puzzles for Progre

Puzzles: Blog2