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 131st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: (Variation of Cave/Shading Puzzles). Shade some empty cells black to create a single connected group. Cells with numbers cannot be shaded, and the shaded cells cannot form a 2×2 square anywhere in the grid. Each numbered cell indicates the total count of shaded cells connected vertically and horizontally to that numbered cell.

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 = 8:00, Master = 11:00, Expert = 22:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Cave variations and this link for other classic Caves. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave 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 linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Powers of Two

Author/Opus: This is the 37th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: (Variation of Cave/Shading Puzzles). Shade some empty cells black to create a single connected group. Cells with numbers cannot be shaded, and the shaded cells cannot form a 2×2 square anywhere in the grid. Each numbered cell indicates the total count of shaded cells connected vertically and horizontally to that numbered cell.

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 = 5:30, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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

This shading puzzle variation was created by Prasanna Seshadri and first appeared on the 2014 USPC.

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 130th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: (Variation of Cave/Shading Puzzles). Shade some empty cells black to create a single connected group. Cells with numbers cannot be shaded, and the shaded cells cannot form a 2×2 square anywhere in the grid. Each numbered cell indicates the total count of shaded cells connected vertically and horizontally to that numbered cell.

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 = 4:45, Master = 5:45, Expert = 11:30

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in a composite mode for line/edge drawing)

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 118th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: In this puzzle, the symbols represent a Rock Paper Scissors game (as expected: rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock). Divide the grid into connected regions so that every cell belongs to one region and each region contains exactly two kinds of symbols. In each region there must be only one “winning” symbol and two or more “losing” symbols.

Or see this example:

Answer String: (similar to Fillomino): For each cell in the marked rows, enter the area of the region it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number, and separate the rows by a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:30, Master = 7:45, Expert = 15:30

Solution: PDF

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in a composite mode for line/edge drawing)

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 117th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: In this puzzle, the symbols represent a Rock Paper Scissors game (as expected: rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock). Divide the grid into connected regions so that every cell belongs to one region and each region contains exactly two kinds of symbols. In each region there must be only one “winning” symbol and two or more “losing” symbols.

Or see this example:

Answer String: (similar to Fillomino): For each cell in the marked rows, enter the area of the region it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number, and separate the rows by a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 7:00, Expert = 14:00

Solution: PDF

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in a composite mode for line/edge drawing)

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 116th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: In this puzzle, the symbols represent a Rock Paper Scissors game (as expected: rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock). Divide the grid into connected regions so that every cell belongs to one region and each region contains exactly two kinds of symbols. In each region there must be only one “winning” symbol and two or more “losing” symbols.

Or see this example:

Answer String: (similar to Fillomino): For each cell in the marked rows, enter the area of the region it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number, and separate the rows by a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:15, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF

The most recent week of Sudoku variations can be found in this PDF.

Our next week of puzzles includes two variations that have appeared on recent United States Puzzles Championships, specifically Rock Paper Scissors from 2016 and Tapa View, now renamed as Canal View, from 2014. These puzzles are on the harder end than usual.

Monday: Rock Paper Scissors by Serkan Yürekli
Tuesday: Rock Paper Scissors by Serkan Yürekli
Wednesday: Rock Paper Scissors by Serkan Yürekli
Thursday: Canal View by Prasanna Seshadri
Friday: Canal View by Murat Can Tonta
Saturday: Canal View by Prasanna Seshadri

Our supporters will also be receiving a bonus Cave by Murat Can Tonta, access to puzzle solutions, and a video walkthrough of the Friday puzzle. This week we’ll also be sharing a Tapa and Variations e-book by Serkan Yürekli with our long-time Grandmaster patrons that will be on our e-store later this year. If you’d like to receive some of these special rewards, please click here for more info.

We’ve been doing some late “spring cleaning” around GMPuzzles, editing some Giant puzzles and e-books for our patrons. Our next week of puzzles will start on July 18th with two variations that have appeared on recent United States Puzzles Championships.

Our subscribers receive access to bonus puzzles each week. We make these posts so those supporters have a space to comment on these puzzles, mark as FAVES, or log their solving. If you are interested in subscribing, click here for more info.

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 129th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Isodoku rules, using numbers 1-8.

Answer String: Enter the 5th “row” from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 8th “row” from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 5:30, Expert = 11:00

Note: Follow this link for other Isodoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Isodoku to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: X-Box

Author/Opus: This is the 8th puzzle from guest contributor Swaroop Guggilam.

Rules: Standard Thermo-Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 8th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:30, Master = 13:00, Expert = 26:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for more Thermo-Sudoku puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Thermo-Sudoku to get started on. More Thermo-Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku 2.