PDF

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

Theme: 4×4×4

Author/Opus: This is the 216th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Place some of the given pentominoes into the grid, rotations and reflections allowed, but without repeats of any shape. 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.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:00, Master = 2:00, Expert = 4:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Minesweeper puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Minesweeper puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Minesweeper Puzzles to get started on. More Minesweeper puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

Our past week of Nanro puzzles is collected in this PDF and the solutions are in this PDF. Also, we just finished digitizing all of our Nanro puzzles for Penpa-Edit solving so check out our archive.

The daily solution videos are on the posts and linked below:

We’re reaching the end of 2021 with two more weeks of puzzles. This next week features six different puzzles involving Pentominoes.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use the tab key to alternate between shading, number entry, and composite loop drawing modes)

Theme: Clockwise

Author/Opus: This is the 21st puzzle from guest contributor Bryce Herdt.

Rules: Variation of Nanro rules. Label some cells with numbers to form a single non-intersecting loop; no 2×2 group of cells may be fully labeled, but the loop may touch itself orthogonally or diagonally. The region boundaries divide the loop into segments, and each region must have at least one segment. Numbers denote the length in cells of each segment within a region; all numbers in a region must be the same. When two numbers from different segments are orthogonally adjacent, the numbers must be different. (Consequently, segments in the same region must not share an edge.)

Also see this example:

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:00, Master = 12:30, Expert = 25:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for Nanro puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nanro Puzzles to get started on. More Nanro puzzles can be found in A Number o’ Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use the tab key to alternate between shading and number entry modes)

Theme: Six Afraid of Seven

Author/Opus: This is the 55th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Palmer Mebane.

Rules: Standard Nanro rules.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for Nanro puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nanro Puzzles to get started on. More Nanro puzzles can be found in A Number o’ Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use the tab key to alternate between shading and number entry modes)

Theme: Tetrominoes

Author/Opus: This is the 359th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Variation of Nanro rules. Label some cells with numbers to form a single connected group of labeled cells. No 2×2 group of cells may be fully labeled. Each label number must be equal to the total count of labeled cells in that bold region, and all bold regions contain at least one labeled cell. The given numbers indicate how many cells are labeled in that region (but not necessarily which cells are labeled). When two label numbers are orthogonally adjacent across a region boundary, the numbers must be different.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 4:00, Expert = 8:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for Nanro puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nanro Puzzles to get started on. More Nanro puzzles can be found in A Number o’ Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use the tab key to alternate between shading and number entry modes)

Theme: Colosseum

Author/Opus: This is the 82nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Ashish Kumar.

Rules: Standard Nanro rules.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for Nanro puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nanro Puzzles to get started on. More Nanro puzzles can be found in A Number o’ Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use the tab key to alternate between shading and number entry modes)

Theme: Centered Squares

Author/Opus: This is the 396th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Nanro rules.

Difficulty: 2 stars

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

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for Nanro puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nanro Puzzles to get started on. More Nanro puzzles can be found in A Number o’ Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use the tab key to alternate between shading and number entry modes)

Theme: L Tetrominoes

Author/Opus: This is the 10th puzzle from guest contributor Michael Tang.

Rules: Standard Nanro rules.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:50, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for Nanro puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nanro Puzzles to get started on. More Nanro puzzles can be found in A Number o’ Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri.

(This is a bonus “second” puzzle that is not connected to the usual Sunday Stumper difficulty from this morning.)

PDF

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

Theme: Pairs

Author/Opus: This is the 215th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Standard Kurotto rules.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:00, Master = 4:30, Expert = 9:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Kurotto puzzles and this link for variations on Kurotto puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Kurotto to get started on. More Kurotto puzzles can be found in the ebook Kurotto by Prasanna Seshadri.

This year, we started posting some extra difficult Sunday Stumpers, about once a month. These will be quite tough puzzles, but with a logical path to be found (and solution videos to help). This eleventh Sunday Stumper is a challenging (anti-)XV Sudoku by Murat Can Tonta.

PDF

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

Theme: Pairs

Author/Opus: This is the 214th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Also, whenever the numbers in two adjacent cells sum to exactly 10 or 5, an X or V is placed on the edge between cells reflecting the Roman numerals for 10 or 5. All adjacent cells not marked with an X or V cannot add up to 10 or 5.

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 17:30, Master = 30:00, Expert = 1:00:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

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