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List of Previous Battleships Columns in GAMES and World of Puzzles

 

This page provides analyses of Battleship boards published in previous issues of GAMES Magazine and World of Puzzles (WOP). I can only provide puzzles analyses from magazines I have in my possession.

I prefer to consider three periods in the history of Battleships columns in GAMES and WOP: The Peter Gordon / Mike Shenk era (198? - ), the period when I became contributing editor of the Battleships columns (November 1999), and the intervening "wilderness" period (199?-199?). The following tables mirror these three periods.

 

The Peter Gordon / Mike Shenk Era

As far back as I can remember, the GAMES and WOP Battleships columns were edited by Peter Gordon and Mike Shenk, two of the foremost puzzlists today. Their columns were always entertaining and well graded (i.e. a Seaman puzzle was always easier than a Petty Officer, which was easier than an Ensign, etc.).

1992

GAMES

April, October

WOP

1993

GAMES

June

WOP

1994

GAMES

April, July (?)

WOP

1995

GAMES

October, December (Tetris Battleships, page 83)

WOP

1996

GAMES

March, August

WOP

March, March (Battleships/Minesweeper)

 

The Intervening Era

At this point, Gordon and Shenk stopped hosting the Battleships column. The column's contributors now were Mark L. Gottlieb and "J.V. MacFleet". The puzzle gradings were somewhat more difficult than Gordon and Shenk's columns.

1996

GAMES

WOP

March (Battleships/Minesweeper)

1998

GAMES

August

WOP

September, November

1999

GAMES

April, September (Hexagonal Battleships)

WOP

January, March, May, May (Hexagonal Battleships), July, September

 

The Current Era

Beginning with the November 1999 issues of GAMES and WOP, I became a Battleships contributor. The names of other contributors are noted.

1999

GAMES

November

WOP

November

2000

GAMES

May (Joseph Cassavaugh)
September (Lost Armadas, Jane Wykes)
December (Joseph Cassavaugh)

WOP

January
March
May
July
September (Erich Friedman)
September (Battleship Variations)
Fall 2000
November

2001

GAMES

May (Francis Heaney [has ambiguous solutions])
August (Joseph Cassavaugh, all subs are hinted)
September (Joseph Cassavaugh)
October (Digital Battleships variant)
December (Squared Battleships variant)

Note: The December issue has the first "Letter to the Editor" (page 4) I've ever seen referring to a Battleships column.

WOP

January (standard Battleships)
March (standard)
May (standard)
May (World Championship Puzzles: Battleships Variants)
July (Francis Heaney [puzzle #6 has ambiguous solutions])
September

2002

GAMES

March (mini-battleships: it's on page 52, accidentally left off the table of contents)
April (standard)
May (Diagonal Battleships)
July (Squared Battleships)
August (standard)
September (Crowded Battleships)
October (standard)
November (Tetris Battleships)
December (Letter to Editor about alleged ambiguous solutions in previous column -- it was an editorial typo)
December (Heavyweight Battleships)

WOP

January (standard)
March (standard: by Java MacFleet)
July (Digital Battleships)
September (Diagonal Battleships)
November (All-Square Battleships)

2003

GAMES

February (standard)
March (Digital Battleships)
April (Battleships Junior / Kids Stuff)
April (standard)
May (standard)
July (standard)
July (Tents by Dave Tuller)
September (standard)
October (standard)
November (Battleships Junior (7x7 standard) in the Kid Stuff column
November (standard)
December (Digital Battleships)

WOP

January (standard)
January (Tents variant by Dave Tuller)
February (Black-and-White Battleships)
March (standard)
April (Letter to the editor "I love ... Battleships")
April (Digital Battleships)
April (World Championship Puzzles from Oulu 2002: Moving Battleships, Six-Packs, Big Figures)
June (Wraparound Battleships by Dave Tuller)
August (Battleships extravaganza by Dave Tuller, presenting eight different variants: Mini, 9x9, Crowded, Digital, OceanView, Minesweeper, LightHouse, SemiCircle)
August (Letter to the editor mentions Mountain Vista Software and Fathom It!)
December (standard)

2004

GAMES

WOP

This page last modified on: 9 October 2004