January MMMM – 2020 Contest Begins!

14 Jan

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Welcome to the 2020 MMMM!

Can you believe this is our ninth year? If you’ve been with us for a while, you can check out your all-time record here.

A big THANK YOU to all of you who contributed to our Tip Jar in 2019. We raised a total of $2,807 from 114 people, all donated to the BerkleeNYC Community Fund.

I’m pleased that the puzzles will again be featured in the Washington Post in 2020.

Notes for 2020:

Mega-meta:  There will once again be a mega-meta hidden in the 12 puzzles. This year’s mega-meta will be a little harder than last year’s, and unlike last year, there are no (***) clues.

Red Herring:  There is also a red herring this year, but unlike past years where you lost a point if you guessed the red herring, guessing the red herring this year instead of the mega-meta will give you 5 extra points.

Hints:  The website will be updated with a hint to the meta solution each Sunday night at 11pm, right after the contest closes.

OK, let’s get started.  The first contest puzzle of 2020 is now published – you can find it here.  The meta for this puzzle is a band that would complete this puzzle’s theme.

Enter your solution to the meta on the right side of this page, where you can also rate the puzzle and/or leave a comment. The submission deadline is 11pm Sunday, January 19. Please enter your screen name each time you submit to have it count for the Leaderboard.

The 2020 mega-meta is a song from the ’80s. Guessing the mega-meta early earns you lots of bonus points. If you want to submit a guess for the mega-meta, use the appropriate form on the right sidebar.

Click + to see more notes on the 2020 MMMM

2020 MMMM notes

Basics:

Musical taste and experience vary. You may not have heard of some of the meta songs or bands, but they will always be gettable via an online search once you figure out what’s going on in the puzzle.

The first few metas will start off pretty easy. Difficulty will grow throughout the year, with a slight pullback in December.

The 2020 contest once again features a mega-meta, hidden in the 12 monthly puzzles. Puzzle clues related to the mega-meta are not marked, it’s up to you to figure out what’s going on.

You can enter your solution to the mega-meta in the box at the right at any time during the year, and the scoring is the same as last year: The earlier you solve the mega-meta, the more bonus points you get. Full details can be found in the Contest Rules.

Because the reward is so large for getting the mega-meta before the final puzzle, there may be some tricks designed to throw solvers off the track. Consider yourself warned. Click here (SPOILER ALERT) for the write-up on last year’s mega-meta (and here for the 2018 mega-meta).

You need to get 9 out of 13 metas AND correctly guess the mega-meta early to qualify for the Grand Prize drawing.

New for 2020:

  • This year’s mega-meta is a bit harder than last year’s, and there are no (***) clues this year.

 

  • There is also a red herring this year, but unlike past years where you lost a point if you guessed the red herring, guessing the red herring this year instead of the mega-meta will give you 5 extra points and no penalty. See the Contest Rules for more.