Our first week of puzzles from 2017 can be found in this PDF.
This week will feature two “mini-weeks” with these variations: Balance Loop, and Tapa (Islands). The puzzles are harder than usual (probably starting at mid-week difficulty).
Our supporters will also be receiving a bonus Fillomino by Murat Can Tonta, access to puzzle solutions, and a video walkthrough of the Friday puzzle. If you’d like to receive some of these special rewards, please click here for more info.
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: Triplets
Author/Opus: This is the 55th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.
Rules: Standard Cave rules.
Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the cave 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 = 2:30, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00
Note: Follow this link for other classic Caves. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on. More Cave puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles and in Roger Barkan’s Colossal Cave Collection.
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a composite mode for line/edge drawing and a letter entry mode.)
Theme: Just One (in Roman Numerals)
Author/Opus: This is the 20th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Carl Worth.
Rules: Standard Pentominous rules.
Answer String: Enter the letter associated with the pentomino occupying each cell in the marked rows from left to right and in the marked columns from top to bottom, separating the groups with a comma. Use CAPITAL LETTERS!
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:45, Master = 7:45, Expert = 15:30
Solution: PDF
Note: Follow this link for other Pentominous puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Pentominous to get started on.
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: Just One
Author/Opus: This is the 145th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.
Rules: Variation of Tapa rules. The clue numbers refer to the groups of unshaded segments around that cell. Cells with numbers count as unshaded cells for adjacent clues. All other rules for the shaded Tapa are the same as usual.
Or see here:
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 = 4:15, Master = 6:45, Expert = 13:30
Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.
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. More Tapa puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles and in Tapa and Variations, both by Serkan Yürekli.
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: Just One
Author/Opus: This is the 144th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.
Rules: Standard Cross the Streams rules.
Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the black segments from top to bottom for the marked columns, going in order from A to B to C to D and separating each entry 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 Cross the Streams. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cross the Streams to get started on.
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: Just One
Author/Opus: This is the 262nd 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 just the last digit for any 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 = 2:45, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00
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. More Battleships puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles collection.
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: Just One
Author/Opus: This is the 143rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.
Rules: Standard Castle Wall rules.
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.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 3:15, Expert = 6:30
Solution: PDF
Note: Follow this link for more Castle Wall puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Castle Wall puzzles to get started on.
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use the tab key to alternate between shading and number entry modes)
Theme: Just One
Author/Opus: This is the 227th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.
Rules: Standard Nanro rules.
Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the segments labeled with numbers 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 = 1:15, Master = 2:15, Expert = 4:30
Solution: PDF
Note: Click here for other Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, please first try out the example on the Rules and Info page as well as this easy Nanro post.
We’re starting January with Just One week of puzzles. How often will we publish on the web in 2017? Only time will tell.
Monday: Nanro by Grant Fikes
Tuesday: Castle Wall by Serkan Yürekli
Wednesday: Battleships by Thomas Snyder
Thursday: Cross the Streams by Serkan Yürekli
Friday: Pata by Serkan Yürekli
Saturday: Pentominous by Carl Worth
Our supporters will also be receiving a bonus Cave by Murat Can Tonta, access to puzzle solutions, and a video walkthrough of the Saturday puzzle. If you’d like to receive some of these special rewards, please click here for more info.
All of the puzzles selected by our solvers as the “Best of 2016” are gathered in this PDF. You can read more about them in our other “Best of” posts.