Grids that have more open white space are typically harder to solve and to construct.
The "open square count" here is the number of white squares that do not touch a block (black square), even diagonally.
Top constructors and grids:
| U | R | B | A | N | A | R | E | A | C | A | R | P | I | |
| S | E | A | F | A | R | E | R | S | A | B | E | A | M | |
| A | B | R | A | S | I | V | E | S | T | R | A | P | P | |
| G | O | I | T | A | L | O | N | E | B | O | W | E | R | |
| E | X | C | E | L | S | I | O | R | A | G | A | T | E | |
| C | W | T | L | A | K | E | S | |||||||
| S | T | A | R | T | L | E | S | A | L | T | E | R | S | |
| P | A | P | E | R | Y | M | O | O | N | I | E | |||
| A | P | P | L | I | E | S | C | O | U | R | S | E | D | |
| R | E | L | E | T | U | G | O | |||||||
| E | L | E | V | E | B | R | A | S | S | W | A | R | E | |
| T | I | T | A | N | P | O | R | T | W | I | N | E | S | |
| I | N | A | N | E | L | O | S | E | A | S | T | E | P | |
| M | E | R | C | S | O | V | E | N | R | E | A | D | Y | |
| E | S | T | E | S | T | E | N | T | D | R | E | S | S |
| I | S | O | L | A | T | E | D | G | R | O | W | U | P | |
| F | I | V | E | L | O | V | E | R | E | C | I | P | E | |
| I | D | E | A | L | M | A | N | I | S | O | L | D | E | |
| N | E | R | D | I | E | S | T | D | I | N | E | O | N | |
| D | O | W | S | E | S | A | R | I | D | N | E | S | S | |
| O | R | R | I | S | F | L | O | R | I | O | ||||
| U | D | O | N | P | R | I | S | O | N | R | I | O | T | |
| B | E | T | S | E | I | N | I | N | G | M | I | R | ||
| T | R | E | S | P | A | S | S | E | S | V | I | S | A | |
| M | A | R | C | U | S | L | A | T | E | N | ||||
| H | A | M | A | C | T | O | R | M | O | L | A | R | S | |
| A | C | A | C | I | A | A | P | E | R | I | T | I | F | |
| L | O | C | K | E | R | N | O | S | E | D | I | V | E | |
| A | R | R | E | S | T | C | O | N | N | I | V | E | R | |
| S | N | O | R | T | S | E | R | E | A | D | E | R | S |
| B | O | Y | S | C | L | U | B | A | P | A | T | H | Y | |
| A | T | E | A | L | I | V | E | D | E | C | R | E | E | |
| R | O | L | L | O | V | E | R | A | T | T | I | C | S | |
| B | O | L | I | V | I | A | N | S | T | I | C | K | S | |
| E | L | E | V | E | N | T | I | V | O | L | I | |||
| D | E | R | A | N | G | E | D | R | E | A | L | E | R | |
| M | E | G | A | S | T | O | R | E | ||||||
| C | R | O | C | S | A | C | E | T | E | R | S | E | ||
| R | O | N | R | E | A | G | A | N | ||||||
| A | S | P | I | R | E | Y | E | A | R | S | A | G | O | |
| N | E | A | T | E | R | R | O | A | D | E | R | |||
| K | A | R | I | N | A | D | O | G | T | I | R | E | D | |
| S | N | O | C | A | T | I | D | E | A | L | I | Z | E | |
| U | N | L | A | D | E | S | E | N | T | O | V | E | R | |
| P | E | E | L | E | D | C | A | T | E | R | E | R | S |
| V | I | P | P | A | S | S | E | S | A | S | A | M | A | |
| I | N | E | E | D | A | N | A | P | U | C | L | A | N | |
| C | A | N | T | O | N | E | S | E | T | E | T | R | A | |
| E | N | T | E | R | T | A | I | N | O | N | E | I | L | |
| S | E | A | S | N | A | K | E | S | C | A | R | N | Y | |
| R | I | R | E | A | R | N | A | Z | ||||||
| C | A | R | T | O | N | R | A | D | I | A | T | E | ||
| T | A | M | E | R | S | L | E | S | T | E | R | |||
| A | R | A | B | I | A | N | B | A | S | T | E | D | ||
| K | A | Z | A | N | A | T | O | B | ||||||
| E | C | O | L | I | N | O | N | A | C | T | I | V | E | |
| M | A | N | A | T | E | Y | E | S | H | A | D | E | S | |
| I | R | A | N | I | T | E | S | T | A | T | O | R | S | |
| N | A | N | C | E | T | R | U | E | F | A | L | S | E | |
| E | S | T | E | S | E | S | P | R | E | S | S | O | S |
| A | S | S | O | C | I | A | T | E | D | P | R | E | S | S |
| T | H | E | B | A | C | H | E | L | O | R | E | T | T | E |
| F | I | R | S | T | H | A | N | D | R | E | P | O | R | T |
| A | R | I | E | S | S | O | N | A | R | |||||
| U | K | E | S | A | T | B | A | Y | T | I | N | A | ||
| L | E | S | S | C | R | E | D | I | T | A | G | T | ||
| T | R | I | E | S | H | A | R | D | E | R | N | E | E | |
| S | A | I | N | T | O | L | A | F | ||||||
| D | A | G | S | E | C | O | N | D | C | L | A | S | S | |
| R | U | E | S | V | E | L | T | E | A | C | T | I | ||
| O | R | T | S | A | S | T | O | R | T | E | E | N | ||
| P | E | E | P | S | A | T | T | I | C | |||||
| L | O | V | E | A | N | D | M | A | R | R | I | A | G | E |
| E | L | E | C | T | R | I | C | T | O | A | S | T | E | R |
| T | E | N | S | E | A | T | M | O | S | P | H | E | R | E |
*** See the rest of the grids or view the view the wide open Sunday grids. ***
Click a date below to see the full puzzle. Only 15 by 15 puzzles are considered here.
Here are the top 100:
| Rank | Date | Open Squares | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sat Oct 28, 2017 | 132 | Roland Huget |
| 2. | Sat Aug 19, 2017 | 131 | Mark Diehl |
| Sat Apr 20, 2019 | 131 | Kevin Adamick | |
| 4. | Sat Sep 19, 2015 | 130 | Kevin Adamick |
| 5. | Fri Dec 10, 2004 | 127 | Frank Longo |
| Sat Apr 14, 2007 | 127 | Sherry O. Blackard | |
| Sat Nov 22, 2008 | 127 | Frank Longo | |
| Sat Jun 9, 2018 | 127 | Roland Huget | |
| 9. | Sat Feb 15, 1997 | 125 | J. Clonick |
| Sat Jan 23, 1999 | 125 | Frank Longo | |
| Sat Dec 22, 2001 | 125 | Trip Payne | |
| Sat Feb 14, 2004 | 125 | Frank Longo | |
| Sat Jul 28, 2007 | 125 | Manny Nosowsky | |
| Fri Aug 13, 2010 | 125 | Manny Nosowsky | |
| Sat Jun 3, 2017 | 125 | Roland Huget | |
| Sat Feb 15, 2020 | 125 | Randolph Ross | |
| 17. | Sat Nov 13, 2004 | 124 | Frank Longo |
| Fri Aug 22, 2008 | 124 | Kevin G. Der | |
| 19. | Sat May 16, 2015 | 123 | Byron Walden |
| Sat Oct 15, 2016 | 123 | Mark Diehl | |
| 21. | Sat May 6, 2023 | 122 | Carter Cobb |
| 22. | Sat Dec 15, 2001 | 121 | Frank A. Longo |
| Sat Aug 24, 2002 | 121 | Chuck Menning | |
| Fri Oct 17, 2008 | 121 | Patrick Berry | |
| Sat Jul 5, 2014 | 121 | David Steinberg | |
| Sat Mar 19, 2016 | 121 | Byron Walden | |
| 27. | Fri Mar 11, 2005 | 120 | Manny Nosowsky |
| Sat Jul 15, 2006 | 120 | Patrick Berry | |
| Sat Dec 22, 2007 | 120 | Harvey Estes | |
| Fri Feb 15, 2008 | 120 | Patrick Berry | |
| Sat Mar 20, 2010 | 120 | Joe Krozel | |
| Fri Jul 27, 2012 | 120 | Joe Krozel | |
| Sat Jan 26, 2013 | 120 | Raymond C. Young | |
| Fri Apr 13, 2018 | 120 | Joe Krozel | |
| 35. | Fri Jan 19, 2001 | 119 | Joe DiPietro |
| Fri Jan 21, 2005 | 119 | Frank Longo | |
| Sat Aug 7, 2010 | 119 | Joe Krozel | |
| Fri Mar 9, 2012 | 119 | Tim Croce | |
| Fri Mar 15, 2013 | 119 | Joe Krozel | |
| Sat Sep 28, 2013 | 119 | Joe Krozel | |
| 41. | Fri Jul 24, 1998 | 118 | Manny Nosowsky |
| Sat Aug 7, 2004 | 118 | Patrick Berry | |
| Sat Sep 24, 2005 | 118 | Byron Walden | |
| Sat Oct 8, 2005 | 118 | Byron Walden | |
| Sat Mar 22, 2008 | 118 | Byron Walden | |
| Sat Jul 18, 2009 | 118 | Joe Krozel | |
| Sat Oct 31, 2009 | 118 | Robert H. Wolfe | |
| Sat Jan 2, 2010 | 118 | Robert H. Wolfe | |
| Fri Jul 30, 2010 | 118 | Kevin G. Der | |
| Sat Oct 6, 2012 | 118 | Steve Salitan | |
| Sat Feb 7, 2015 | 118 | Byron Walden | |
| Sat Jan 9, 2016 | 118 | Jason Flinn | |
| 53. | Fri Oct 24, 1997 | 117 | Frank Longo |
| Sat Oct 21, 2000 | 117 | Bob Klahn | |
| Sat Sep 25, 2004 | 117 | Byron Walden | |
| Fri Dec 9, 2005 | 117 | Sherry O. Blackard | |
| Fri Jan 27, 2006 | 117 | Sherry O. Blackard | |
| Sat May 8, 2010 | 117 | Mark Diehl | |
| Sat Jun 19, 2010 | 117 | Samuel A. Donaldson | |
| Sat Sep 21, 2013 | 117 | Tim Croce | |
| Sat Nov 29, 2014 | 117 | Elizabeth C. Gorski | |
| Sat Aug 8, 2015 | 117 | Alan Arbesfeld | |
| Sat Nov 5, 2016 | 117 | David Phillips | |
| Sat Dec 3, 2016 | 117 | Jason Flinn | |
| Sat Mar 17, 2018 | 117 | Roland Huget | |
| Sat Mar 8, 2025 | 117 | Joe Deeney | |
| 67. | Sat Aug 3, 2002 | 116 | Patrick Berry |
| Fri Aug 20, 2004 | 116 | Harvey Estes | |
| Sat Sep 4, 2004 | 116 | Patrick Berry | |
| Sat May 7, 2005 | 116 | Patrick Berry | |
| Fri Aug 12, 2005 | 116 | Manny Nosowsky | |
| Fri Feb 3, 2006 | 116 | Manny Nosowsky | |
| Fri Dec 7, 2007 | 116 | Patrick Berry | |
| Fri Apr 11, 2008 | 116 | Manny Nosowsky | |
| Sat Jan 14, 2012 | 116 | Mark Diehl | |
| Fri Jan 31, 2014 | 116 | Chris A. McGlothlin | |
| Sat Oct 17, 2015 | 116 | Timothy Polin | |
| Sat Nov 25, 2017 | 116 | Kevin G. Der | |
| Sat Jan 8, 2022 | 116 | Freddie Cheng | |
| Sat Dec 23, 2023 | 116 | Will Nediger | |
| 81. | Sat May 31, 1997 | 115 | Frank Longo |
| Fri Nov 6, 1998 | 115 | Bob Klahn | |
| Sat May 25, 2002 | 115 | Frank Longo | |
| Sat Nov 8, 2003 | 115 | Sherry O. Blackard | |
| Sat Nov 5, 2005 | 115 | Patrick Berry | |
| Sat Sep 8, 2007 | 115 | Brendan Emmett Quigley | |
| Fri Feb 12, 2010 | 115 | Kevin G. Der | |
| Fri May 14, 2010 | 115 | Barry C. Silk | |
| Sat Jul 10, 2010 | 115 | Joe DiPietro | |
| Fri Oct 18, 2013 | 115 | David Steinberg | |
| Sat May 31, 2014 | 115 | John Lampkin | |
| Sat Mar 24, 2018 | 115 | Byron Walden | |
| 93. | Sat Jun 15, 1996 | 114 | R. Ross |
| Sat Jan 29, 2005 | 114 | Patrick Berry | |
| Sat Apr 2, 2005 | 114 | Byron Walden | |
| Fri Jun 17, 2005 | 114 | Manny Nosowsky | |
| Sat Mar 18, 2006 | 114 | Patrick Berry | |
| Sat Dec 9, 2006 | 114 | Robert H. Wolfe | |
| Sat Jul 21, 2007 | 114 | Raymond C. Young | |
| Sat Dec 1, 2007 | 114 | Robert H. Wolfe |