Loop the Loops by Thomas Snyder
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)
Theme: Think Positive (there are no zero clues)
Author/Opus: This is the 164th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.
Rules: Combination of Slitherlink and Masyu rules.
Specifically, draw a single closed loop by connecting neighboring dots horizontally or vertically so that each number represents the number of adjacent edges used by the loop. The loop passes through all large circles. It must go straight through the white circles with at least one side turning at the next dot; it must turn at the black circles and then go straight through the next dot in both directions.
Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:30, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30
Solution: PDF
Note: Follow these links for other Slitherlink variations and Masyu variations. Or follow these links for classic Slitherlink and classic Masyu puzzles.
6:27, on my second solve. I have GOT to get better MS Paint skills.
Why? For some other types sure, but loop puzzles like this will always be faster solved with a pen than with Paint. If you use Paint then don’t be too concerned about slow times.
Even so, I’m aiming for faster times with MS Paint, maybe something below 5:00 on this puzzle.
15:48
3:30? Did I read this right? My sheet said that my time was 3:26 on this one.
I may have been a little conservative in my call here. The record time of our nine testers was 3:00 flat, but there was a lot of crawl into the 4:30+ range by our two strongest loop solvers so I wasn’t sure how much to discount potential luck from strong solving. Making the proper time calls is still very much an art, even with so much testing data.