PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the composite Yajilin mode where left click marks cells, right click marks dots in cells or X’s on edges, left click+drag draws lines.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 78th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, unpainted cells form separated areas, “islands”, that contain at most one clue cell. If there is a clue cell in an island, at least one digit of the clue equals the area of the island in cells.

See also this example:

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the shaded segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 3:45, Expert = 7:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Tapa variations and this link for classic Tapa. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Tapa puzzles to get started on.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the composite Yajilin mode where left click marks cells, right click marks dots in cells or X’s on edges, left click+drag draws lines.)

Theme: Corners

Author/Opus: This is the 77th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, there may not be four consecutive black cells in any row or column.

See also this example:

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the shaded segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:45, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Tapa variations and this link for classic Tapa. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Tapa puzzles to get started on.

The second week of Indian Puzzle Championship puzzles from Prasanna Seshadri is in this PDF.

This week we have a set of Tapa Variations from the genre’s creator, Serkan Yürekli. The exact schedule is:

Tuesday: Tapa (Line)
Thursday: Tapa (Islands)
Saturday: Tapa (Star)

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode, a number/letter entry mode for placing the word list, and the composite Yajilin mode where left click marks cells, right click marks dots in cells or X’s on edges, left click+drag draws lines.)

Theme: IPC Message (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 96th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, all of the empty cells will be filled by letters/numbers so that each word/number next to the puzzle appears once reading across or down in the grid and no other words are formed in the grid by adjacent letters. Words can cross, but they do not all need to be connected. Some letters (in red) are already given in the grid and will be part of one or more words in the grid.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the shaded segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:00, Master = 9:15, Expert = 18:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Tapa variations and this link for classic Tapa. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Tapa puzzles to get started on.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a letter entry mode and a shading mode. CAPS LOCK is recommended for letter entry.)

Theme: TWENTY-15 (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 95th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Fill some empty cells with the letters E, N, T, W, Y (A, B, C, D, E in the example) so that each row and column contains each letter exactly once. Also, each bold outlined region as well as the set of gray cells contains each letter exactly once. Some cells will remain blank. The clues outside the grid, which contain a letter ‘X’ and a number ‘N’, indicate that X is the Nth letter seen in that row or column.

Answer String: Enter the letters in the marked rows in order from left to right, separating each row’s entry with a comma. Use an X for empty cells, and USE CAPITAL LETTERS. This example has the key “XDACEBX,CBXDXEA”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other less common Number Placement variations.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 94th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: (Standard Balance Loop rules.) Draw a single, non-intersecting loop that passes through all circled cells. All white circles must have equal segment lengths on both sides of the circle before turning. All black circles must have unequal segment lengths on both sides of the circle before turning. Numbers indicate the sum of the segment lengths on both sides of the circle.
Also, see this example:

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of the horizontal loop segments from left to right in the marked rows, starting at the top. If the loop only has vertical segments in the marked row, enter 0. Separate each row’s entry with a comma. This example has the key “11,311”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other less common Loop variations.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a letter entry mode and a shading mode. CAPS LOCK is recommended for letter entry.)

Theme: AUGUST (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 93rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Fill some empty cells with the letters A, G, S, T, U (A, B, C in the example) so that each row and column contains each letter exactly once. Some cells will remain blank. The letters outside the grid indicate the first letter seen from that direction.

Answer String: Enter the letters in the marked rows in order from left to right, separating each row’s entry with a comma. Use an X for empty cells, and USE CAPITAL LETTERS. This example has the key “CBAX,XCBA”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:00, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other less common Number Placement variations.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 92nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: (Standard Balance Loop rules.) Draw a single, non-intersecting loop that passes through all circled cells. All white circles must have equal segment lengths on both sides of the circle before turning. All black circles must have unequal segment lengths on both sides of the circle before turning. Numbers indicate the sum of the segment lengths on both sides of the circle.
Also, see this example:

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of the horizontal loop segments from left to right in the marked rows, starting at the top. If the loop only has vertical segments in the marked row, enter 0. Separate each row’s entry with a comma. This example has the key “11,311”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:00, Master = 1:45, Expert = 3:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other less common Loop variations.