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Theme: Variations on a Hungarian Sudoku in Five Minutes

Author/Opus: Unknown; varied by Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku, as his 545th puzzle.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More Sudoku including variations can be found in these books in our e-store. Also, visit this page to purchase all of the puzzles from the 16th World Sudoku Championship including classic Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our The Twelve Days of Sudoku Discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord.

Note 3: Please check lesson notes from Dr. Sudoku on Google Docs.

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Theme: Lucky Seventeen

Author/Opus: Selected and arranged by Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku, as his 544th puzzle.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 5:30, Expert = 11:00

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More Sudoku including variations can be found in these books in our e-store. Also, visit this page to purchase all of the puzzles from the 16th World Sudoku Championship including classic Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our The Twelve Days of Sudoku Discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord.

Note 3: Please check lesson notes from Dr. Sudoku on Google Docs.

Soundtrack: This, or I guess if younger in heart, this is sufficiently cool and different for a new generation.

Update (1:37, 1/2/25): Our AI-Chemist reports success with turning this morning’s vision into a real power. It took a little more upfront mana than the first sketch, but we can now get rid of something old and find more leadership by completing our summons for 19.

With this, the party has achieved all important objectives on this campaign; unfortunately we haven’t run into either interesting flora or intelligent fauna, so we are beginning to pack up for the move.

Update (1/3/25): This work has been approved to replace one of the earlier motivational posters, and all answer links and rewards have been updated appropriately. Contact leadership if any questions.

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Theme: A Study in Scarlet

Author/Opus: This is the 543rd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:45, Master = 8:15, Expert = 16:30

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More Sudoku including variations can be found in these books in our e-store. Also, visit this page to purchase all of the puzzles from the 16th World Sudoku Championship including classic Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our The Twelve Days of Sudoku Discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord.

Note 3: Please check lesson notes from Dr. Sudoku on Google Docs.

(download directly for a larger image)

Add to protect the innocent: gur ubhfr vg frrzf V nz jnyxvat gbjneqf vf abg zl ubhfr be ba gur fnzr fgerrg. V unq n zntvp zbzrag va gur cnex jvgu gur fbat “Ab Fhecevfrf” naq n fcrpvny guvat ybbxvat va guvf qverpgvba ba Ebhgr Svir.

(download directly for a larger image)

Note: All of these photos were taken on or around Dec. 28th when I was spending time in Boston area. Lots of familiar memories and some new ones, merging with different ideas on my brain around this time.

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Theme: All for one, or one for all?

Author/Opus: This is the 542nd (A), 542nd (B) puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: One of these grids obeys standard Sudoku rules with a unique solution. Solve the Sudoku. The other grid is a Just One Cell Sudoku. This grid has many, many solutions, with only one empty cell that is fixed to one value in all solutions. Find that cell’s location and value.

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

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More Sudoku including variations can be found in these books in our e-store. Also, visit this page to purchase all of the puzzles from the 16th World Sudoku Championship including classic Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our The Twelve Days of Sudoku Discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord.

Note 3: Please check lesson notes from Dr. Sudoku on Google Docs.

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

Theme: Blossom

Author/Opus: This is the 541st puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:15, Master = 7:00, Expert = 14:00

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More Sudoku including variations can be found in these books in our e-store. Also, visit this page to purchase all of the puzzles from the 16th World Sudoku Championship including classic Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our The Twelve Days of Sudoku Discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord.

Note 3: Please check lesson notes from Dr. Sudoku.

PDF

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

Theme: Ceci n’est pas un hot-dog

Author/Opus: This is the 540th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More Sudoku including variations can be found in these books in our e-store. Also, visit this page to purchase all of the puzzles from the 16th World Sudoku Championship including classic Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our The Twelve Days of Sudoku Discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord.

Note 3: Please check lesson notes from Dr. Sudoku.

Museum Note from 2080 centennary exhibition: Unfortunately, the answer to this amazing 18-digit puzzle was not found until well after the crowd’s loud voice had silenced the artist’s pen. Their well-intentioned but not fully accurate cries of mental illness were too focused on a specific aspect of his more logical past. Thankfully these notes were found after the artist’s death so later generations could reassemble his vision here and across other master works (but not the Christmas Miracle puzzle, that seems to just be a countdown 54321 as the author said).

“Note” A. Clear starting points
“Note” B. A splash of color, not always visible with how artist sees to how audience sees

A+B. Exercise for the Reader?

Finished work (Warning: can not be unseen by the mind once clicked!)

Update (1/3/25): Given the degree of hinting needed to make this work, this is now considered an “example” in the Motivational Poster series.