Puzzlerium tour: Pentominous (Cipher/Borders)

 Finally, it is time to end the year.

Rules: Divide the grid into some Pentomino shapes along the gridlines. The shapes may be used more than once, with rotations and reflections allowed. Identical shapes may not touch each other through the edges. Letters indicate that the corresponding cells are used by the shapes the letters usually represent. However, each letter is encrypted using a letter, each different given letter mapping to a different letter. The original letter for one of the given letters is already revealed below the grid.  Also, some borders are given.

Puzzlerium tour: Divisive Loop

 

Rules: Draw a loop that visits all of the outlined regions, entering and exiting each region  twice. The loop may not intersect itself or pass through a cell more than once. Within each region, the two blocks of consecutively visited cells do not share cell borders with each other. 

About :  Divisive Loop was invented by Anurag Sahay, and debuts with this puzzle.

Second Puzzlerium Optimization Championship : Results

Vladimir Burik won a second straight title. He found optimal solutions to 4 of the 6 puzzles and yet managed to win comfortably, a ghastly downside of inadequate participation. Detailed results were posted a few days ago on the LM forum. The best solutions and results table can be found here. 

Puzzlerium tour: Yajilin

Rules: Shade some cells and draw a single closed loop through all remaining white cells, the loop's path moving horizontally  or vertically through cell centers. Clue cells may not be shaded. The loop may not intersect itself,  or go through a cell more than once. Shaded cells cannot share an edge with each other. Some cells contain a number and arrow, or a question mark, and may not be part of the loop. Numbered arrows in such cells indicate

the total number of shaded cells in the direction of the arrow.