Sunday Stumper: Tapa (Mastermind) by Serkan Yürekli
Since 2021, we have posted 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 first Sunday Stumper of 2022 is a Tapa variation from Serkan Yürekli.
(view directly for a larger image)
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: Mastermind 2022
Author/Opus: This is the 357th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.
Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, the numbers given between the grids show the total number of black cells in the same position in that row or column. A row or column without such a clue may have any number of common black cells including zero.
See also this example:
Difficulty: 5 stars
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 33:00, Master = 55:00, Expert = 1:50:00
Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.
Note: Follow this link for classic Tapa and this link for Tapa variations. 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, in Tapa and Variations, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles, all by Serkan Yürekli.
1:17:35 very nice puzzle. I like how it start, and the skill of marking cross to identify the block is also very helpful. The ending is little complicated. spending 20 mins to figure out how final few cell go.
Very nice puzzle something to really sink teeth into. Struggled at the end as well, had to cut some holes in paper to methodically count parallel cells finally found what I was missing!
That was a long (multi-day) solve, but fun all the way through!