Battleships by Thomas Snyder
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between ship placement and shading modes. In ship placement mode, right click gives sea, left click gives circle/square, left click and drag for rounded ships.)
Theme: Logic and Near Symmetry (the row and column clues break into mostly symmetric groups)
Author/Opus: This is the 176th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.
Rules: Standard Battleships rules. Use the indicated fleet.
Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a ship segment appears (enter both digits if a two-digit number). If the row is empty, enter 0. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:00, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00
Solution: PDF
Note: Follow this link for other classic Battleships. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Battleships to get started on.
01:47.
That thing is small yet not trivial. Should I expect a difficult week ahead?
5:39
@chaotic_iak and @skynet: Would either or both of you be willing to share your thoughts on the puzzle? What was difficult? What were your insights that enabled you to solve it? Was your solution “clean” (i.e., the minimal number of steps to solve it)?
IMO, the puzzle is an excellent and satisfying one, falling to a mix of several important but basic strategies.