The Puzzle Solver started as a one-trick-pony idea — a single sudoku solver, nothing more — and grew from there into a full library of free printable and interactive puzzles, guides, and tools. Here's the story so far, told through the milestones along the way.
A Note From Mr. Puzzle
I built this place in one sitting.
That's not an exaggeration for effect — I sat down with a simple idea (a sudoku solver, maybe a unit converter, something small and useful) and by the time I stood back up, I had a whole puzzle site staring back at me. Three columns, a black-red-cream newspaper look I stole shamelessly from the old Drudge Report, and a name that stuck: The Puzzle Solver.
That was June 2nd. I've barely stopped since.
What started as "one trick, done well" turned into dozens of puzzles, then a hundred, then a library — word searches, crosswords, nonograms, sudoku, cryptograms, logic grids, and whatever half-baked idea I get excited about next. Somewhere in there I started writing solving guides too, because it turns out explaining how to think through a puzzle is almost as fun as building one.
I'm not a big operation. It's just me, a stubborn streak, and an unreasonable love of grids that make sense once you find the right thread to pull. Every puzzle here is free, always will be, and if you ever get stuck — that's what the guides and tools are for.
Thanks for stopping by. Now go solve something.
— Mr. Puzzle
-
June 2, 2026 — Founding Day
Built from scratch, in one sitting
The site began as a "one-trick-pony" concept — something simple like a sudoku solver or a unit converter. By the end of the same session it had grown into something bigger: a Drudge Report–style puzzle link directory, with a three-column newspaper layout, Playfair Display & Courier Prime type, and the black/red/cream look the site still wears today.
-
June – July 2026
Filling the shelves
The first wave of content went up: 52 original blog posts, a growing shelf of printable puzzles, a daily rotating fact box, a monthly Top 5 rotation, and a weekly blog teaser on the homepage — the beginnings of "something new every visit."
-
July 21, 2026
First Search Impact badge
Google awarded the site its "Search Impact" badge after crossing 10 clicks from Search in a 28-day span — a small number, but the first real sign the site was being found.
-
August 2026
Finding things got easier
A client-side site search landed on the homepage, covering every puzzle, tool, guide, and blog post in one search box. Around the same time, a low-key email signup went up for anyone who wants new puzzles delivered "now and then."
-
August 2026
100 free puzzles
The puzzle library crossed its first 100 free, printable puzzles — word searches, crosswords, nonograms, sudoku, cryptograms, and more, all built from scratch. Browse the
full printable library.
-
August 22, 2026
Make Me A-Mazed
Blank dot-grid maze sheets launched — a build-your-own-maze twist for anyone who'd rather design a puzzle than just solve one.
-
August 27, 2026
Ink Saver mode
A lighter-ink print option started rolling out puzzle by puzzle, for anyone printing on a budget.
-
August 29, 2026
Logic Grid Puzzles arrive — and go interactive first
A brand-new puzzle type joined the library — pure deduction, no numbers or letters required. These were the site's
first interactive puzzles: click right on the page, or print blank and solve by hand. Visit the
Logic Grid hub.
-
August 30, 2026
Sudoku goes interactive — the second wave
All 8 sudoku puzzles became fully playable in the browser, following Logic Grid Puzzles as the
second wave of interactive puzzles on the site. Click a cell, type a number, check your work instantly. Visit the
Sudoku hub.
This page covers the story as best we can reconstruct it — exact dates for the earliest weeks are approximate. Curious what's new lately? Check the full "What Else Is New" archive for the running list of recent updates.