XYZZY Awards (Best Individual Puzzle)

Browse the XYZZY Awards either by year:

• 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Or by category:

• Best Game | Best Writing | Best Story | Best Setting | Best Puzzles | Best NPCs | Best Individual Puzzle | Best Individual NPC | Best Individual PC | Best Use of Medium (1997–2009) | Best Implementation (2010–) | Best Use of Innovation (2010–) | Best Technological Development (2010–) | Best Supplemental Materials (2010–2013) | Best Use of Multimedia (2014–) | Other awards

See also:

• Statistics

Best Individual Puzzle Winners

• 1996 Best Individual Puzzle: Opening the gate, in So Far (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
• 1997 Best Individual Puzzle: The language puzzle, in The Edifice (Lucian P. Smith; TADS 2).
• 1998 Best Individual Puzzle: Getting out of the chair, from Spider and Web (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
• 1999 Best Individual Puzzle: The maze, in Hunter, in Darkness (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
• 2000 Best Individual Puzzle: The whole game of Rematch (Andrew Pontious).
• 2001 Best Individual Puzzle: Deciphering the language, in The Gostak (Carl Muckenhoupt; Z-code).
• 2002 Best Individual Puzzle: Setting the traps in Lock & Key (Adam Cadre; Glulx).
• 2003 Best Individual Puzzle: The purple room in The Recruit (Mike Sousa; TADS 2).
• 2004 Best Individual Puzzle: The time travel puzzle in All Things Devours (half sick of shadows; Z-code).

Best Individual Puzzle Winners and Finalists

• 1996 Best Individual Puzzle: Opening the gate, in So Far (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The crystals, in Fear (Chuan-Tze Teo; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The elephant, in The Meteor, The Stone And A Long Glass Of Sherbet (Graham Nelson; Z-code).
  • Finalist: (cramped, crawling), in So Far (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
  • Finalist: Riding the creature, in So Far (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
• 1997 Best Individual Puzzle: The language puzzle, in The Edifice (Lucian P. Smith; TADS 2).
  • Finalist: Setting the digital clock, in Heist (Andy Phillips; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The whole game of Pick Up The Phone Booth And Die (Rob Noyes; Z-code).
  • Finalist: Defeating the Kunkel, in Sins Against Mimesis (Adam Thornton; Z-code).
  • Finalist: Building the sand castle, in Sunset Over Savannah (Ivan Cockrum; TADS 2).
• 1998 Best Individual Puzzle: Getting out of the chair, from Spider and Web (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The snack machine, in Little Blue Men (Michael Gentry; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The granite cube, in Losing Your Grip (Stephen Granade; TADS 2).
  • Finalist: Getting out of the maze, in Photopia (Adam Cadre; Z-code).
  • Finalist: Entering the warehouse, in The Plant (Michael J. Roberts; TADS 2).
• 1999 Best Individual Puzzle: The maze, in Hunter, in Darkness (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
  • Finalist: Break-In (Jon Ingold; Z-code).
    • Baf's lists this as a finalist; Dylan's XYZZY page does not.
  • Finalist: Stopping the flood, in For a Change (Dan Schmidt; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The clone puzzle, in The Frenetic Five vs. Mr. Redundancy Man (Neil deMause; TADS 2).
  • Finalist: The gypsum flowers, in Jewel of Knowledge (Francesco Bova; Z-code).
    • Dylan's XYZZY page lists this as a finalist; Baf's does not.
  • Finalist: Getting the light upstairs, in The Mulldoon Legacy (Jon Ingold).
• 2000 Best Individual Puzzle: The whole game of Rematch (Andrew Pontious).
  • Finalist: The whole game of 9:05 (Adam Cadre; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The mannequin, in Above and Beyond! (Mike Sousa; TADS 2).
  • Finalist: The letter rooms, in Ad Verbum (Nick Montfort; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The recursive room, in Being Andrew Plotkin (J. Robinson Wheeler; Z-code).
• 2001 Best Individual Puzzle: Deciphering the language, in The Gostak (Carl Muckenhoupt; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The birds, in All Roads (Jon Ingold; Z-code).
  • Finalist: Switching the glasses, in Pytho's Mask (Emily Short; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The chess game, in Silicon Castles (David Given; Z-code).
  • Finalist: [unspecified], in Textfire Golf (Adam Cadre; Z-code).
  • Finalist: Disarming the bomb, in Vicious Cycles (Simon Mark; Z-code).
• 2002 Best Individual Puzzle: Setting the traps in Lock & Key (Adam Cadre; Glulx).
  • Finalist: The maze in Constraints (Martin Bays; Z-code).
  • Finalist: Entering the church in Forever Always (Iain Merrick; TADS 3).
  • Finalist: Decoding the letter in Savoir Faire (Emily Short; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The computer password in Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish Out of Me! (Jon Ingold and Mike Sousa; TADS 2).
• 2003 Best Individual Puzzle: The purple room in The Recruit (Mike Sousa; TADS 2).
  • Finalist: Escaping the quicksand in Max Blaster and Doris de Lightning Against the Parrot Creatures of Venus (Dan Shiovitz and Emily Short; TADS 3).
  • Finalist: Making the sandwich in Max Blaster and Doris de Lightning Against the Parrot Creatures of Venus (Dan Shiovitz and Emily Short; TADS 3).
  • Finalist: Creating the black powder in Risorgimento Represso (Michael Coyne; Z-code).
  • Finalist: Getting into the farm in Risorgimento Represso (Michael Coyne; Z-code).
• 2004 Best Individual Puzzle: The time travel puzzle in All Things Devours (half sick of shadows; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The toilet in Blue Chairs (Chris Klimas; Z-code).
  • Finalist: The cistern in The Dreamhold (Andrew Plotkin; Z-code).
  • Finalist: Cracking Eno's computer in Future Boy! (Kent Tessman; Hugo).
  • Finalist: The poltergeist in Necrotic Drift (Robb Sherwin; Hugo).