Star Battle by Thomas Snyder
See more discussion of the puzzles from the United States’ 2021 Puzzle Grand Prix on this post. Note there are some construction details and potential spoilers on that post so view it after you solve.
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Author/Opus: This is the 403rd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.
Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per row, column, and region.
Difficulty: 4 stars (estimate based off competition points; timing standards not available from our usual testers)
Solution: PDF
Note: Follow this link for other classic Star Battles and this link for Star Battle variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Star Battles to get started on. More Star Battle puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, in the books Star Battle by JinHoo Ahn and Star Battle 2 by JinHoo Ahn and Murat Can Tonta, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.
This one is 4.5 stars for me.
Took the time to solve all Standard Star Battle puzzles, the only one I´ve left is a “Clown” one from 2013-4.
This was a tough one. I could solve it in 14.27 mins.