Tapa (Twopa) by Prasanna Seshadri
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode, 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, and a number entry mode for the answer check.)
Theme: Nine Clues
Author/Opus: This is the 157th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.
Rules: Variation of Tapa. There are two grids to solve simultaneously; each number clue must have a different arrangement of shaded cells in its eight neighboring cells from its counterpart clue in the other 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. For entry purposes, the “A/B/C” grid is the grid with the longer entry for its first row. (The “D/E/F” grid has the shorter entry for its first row.)
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:00, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00
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. More Tapa puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles and in Tapa and Variations, both by Serkan Yürekli.
A very interesting puzzle. Thanks, Prasanna!
I did have a tiny bit of trouble with the answer entry as I misinterpreted “longer entry” as “larger initial digit” rather than what was intended. (Maybe the answer key should accept either grid order for this puzzle? But then again, I would imagine that having two possible answer keys is rather anathema for this website.)
The solving path (for me) was rather interesting:
V svefg fbyirq gur arvtuobevat pryyf nebhaq gur guerr yrsgzbfg tviraf ol pbafvqrevat obgu tevqf fvzhygnarbhfyl. (Jryy, rirel pryy rkprcg gubfr vzzrqvngryl gb gur yrsg naq evtug bs gur sbhe.). Ohg ng gung cbvag V fjvgpurq gb pbafvqrevat whfg gur ybjre tevq nybar naq jnf noyr gb pbzcyrgr gur erfg bs vg jvgubhg arrqvat gur gjb-tevq pbafgenvag.
Gura V jnf ernyyl fghpx gelvat gb znxr nal ybtvpny qrqhpgvba ba gur hccre tevq naq riraghnyyl whfg fxrgpurq va n fbyhgvba jvgubhg cebivat havdhrarff. Gung qvq ng yrnfg yrg zr tb onpx naq erfbyir gur ynfg gjb fdhnerf arkg gb gur sbhe va gur ybjre tevq, (juvpu—naq guvf vf ener sbe n chmmyr ba guvf fvgr—jnf n svany fgrc gung qvqa’g raq hc nssrpgvat gur fbyhgvba fgevat).
The answer checker we use from thegriddle.net is not highly customizable. For example, I would love to be able to automatically strip spaces or accept multiple case letters as opposed to requiring one very specifically formatted string.
V guvax ng gur cbvag jurer lbh ner fghpx lbh whfg arrq gb frr gung E3P7 unf gb or funqrq, vs vg vfa’g, gur gjb bs gur 112 trgf hfrq hc va n jnl gung jvyy oybpx bhg gur gbc yrsg nern jura lbh hfr gur 1f.
10:47.Fun puzzle!