We still lag behind in Puzzles with more concentration on Sudoku in India. The new participants started the test but were not able to complete it due to less exposure. In addition, there was less participation from the regular participants.

Personally, in my limited time due to personal priorities, I was able to solve the puzzles, which were familiar to me in addition to Number puzzles like Hidoku. I am not comfortable with the Loop and Snake puzzles, which I may need to improve. I got stuck in Nurikabe and I will solve it in my leisure.

Last year the number was around 16. But the numbers have been less in general, and not a surprise either. It is also one of the reasons I have doubts if a puzzle ramayana contest will do even half as well as SM (with respect to Indians' participation numbers).

One way of bringing more Indians to Puzzles is to organize few Puzzle contests in association with colleges as part of their festivals.

Example, we conducted a Saarang Sudoku contest. IITM has a Puzzle competition as part of their Shastra festival. We can talk with them to partner in the event, which can be conducted as a complement. This will be win-win situation for us. We can provide exposure to puzzles, advertisement for LMI as well as a quality event for IITM.

As Rakesh specified, there is no point in conducting Puzzle Ramayana kind of event when there are less participants for Puzzles.

I doubt it will too. But its still worth having an easy puzzle series. We can't really downgrade the difficulty of IPC too much, or shouldn't anyway.

Under the discussed circumstances, what is the benefit of Puzzle Ramayan over Beginners' Puzzle Contests?

puzzle ramayan can ensure regular monthly rated puzzle contests. beginners' contests are not rated.

Exactly. Gives something with ratings, and also a combined ranking at the end so there is more reason for them to participate more and also more leeway for us to have just one puzzle type per set or something as simple (which we may need to, looking at the interest in puzzles right now).

I really appreciate the quality of the competitions being organized this year. I am sure you guys have put in a lot of time, effort and money into this, and its already bearing fruit with many new people from India participating and doing well.

My perspective as a semi-regular participant this year. I participate only when I need to spare 2 - 3 hours in a month at most, and when practice isn't needed since the types are familiar. The Sudoku Mahabharat and Beginners Contests fit in nicely. The puzzle marathon needs a much longer time commitment, both for practice and participation; so I gave it a miss this time around.