No new puzzles this week, but next week will bring a loaded 6+1 puzzles from Grant Fikes and Prasanna Seshadri.

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 to mark off cells).

Theme: Just Pentomino Letters

Author/Opus: This is the 86th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Locate the given words in the grid, reading across and down. All words should be interconnected and no words other than those in the word list should appear. All cells that are not part of the crisscross belong to one of the twelve pentominoes. Pentominoes can only touch each other at corners. Rotations and reflections of the pentominoes are allowed. The letters inside the grid are either part of the words, or part of a pentomino (and they must belong to a pentomino shape with that letter).

Or see this example:

Answer String: Enter all crisscross letters (ignore pentominoes) from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma. Use CAPITAL LETTERS.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:45, Master = 10:15, Expert = 20:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other puzzles involving Pentominoes.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 85th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Place all twelve pentominoes into the grid a single time, rotations and reflections allowed. Pentominoes can touch each other, but cannot overlap. When all pentominoes are placed, none of them should be able to move in any of the four directions; pentomino movement is blocked by other pentominoes and by clue cells. Each clue cell contains the letters of all pentominoes that touch that cell, even diagonally. (A blank, black cell has no pentominoes touching it.)

Or see this example:

Answer String: Enter a single CAPITAL letter representing each pentomino appearing 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 = 4:30, Master = 7:00, Expert = 14:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other puzzles involving Pentominoes.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools).

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 84th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Place the twelve pentominoes into the grid, rotations and reflections allowed. Pentominoes cannot touch each other, not even diagonally. Letters outside the grid indicate the first pentomino seen in that direction. Some cells are blackened and cannot be used by any pentomino.

Or see this example:

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the pentominoes 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 = 3:30, Master = 6:15, Expert = 12:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other puzzles involving Pentominoes.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools).

Theme: Wide Open Corner

Author/Opus: This is the 83rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Place the twelve pentominoes into the grid, rotations and reflections allowed. Pentominoes can touch each other only diagonally. All places where pentominoes touch are marked with a dot.

Or see this example:

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the pentominoes 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 = 3:00, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other puzzles involving Pentominoes.

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 82nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, the Tapa wall in this puzzle is made using one of each pentomino given below the grid with no overlaps. Rotations and reflections are allowed. (Note: There is no P pentomino here because it would violate Tapa rules).

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 = 6:15, Master = 8:45, Expert = 17:30

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 edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s and a shading mode.)

Theme: Pentomino Clues

Author/Opus: This is the 81st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Draw a set of twelve pentomino-shaped loops consisting of vertical and horizontal segments between the dots. Numbers inside a cell indicate how many of the edges of that cell are part of the loops. The pentomino-shaped loops cannot touch each other, even diagonally, but may be rotated or reflected.

Or see this example (with the four indicated pentominoes):

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments following the arrows for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:30, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)

Theme: Pentomino Clues

Author/Opus: This is the 80th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Place the twelve pentominoes into the grid, rotations and reflections allowed. Pentominoes cannot cover the numbered cells, and different pentomino shapes cannot be placed in adjacent cells that share an edge or corner. Numbered cells indicate how many of the surrounding cells (including diagonally adjacent cells) contain parts of the pentominoes.

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 = 3:30, Master = 4:15, Expert = 8:30

Solution: PDF

Over the next two weeks, every other day starting Tuesday, we will have some pentomino puzzles from Serkan Yürekli. Enjoy!