PDF

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

Theme: Tulip (Originally for 2014 Arlington Puzzle Festival)

Author/Opus: This is the 209th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

Solution: PDF

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 classic Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku, The Art of Sudoku 2 and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

PDF

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

Theme: X’s and O’s (Originally for 2014 Arlington Puzzle Festival)

Author/Opus: This is the 208th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 3:45, Expert = 7:30

Solution: PDF

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 classic Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku, The Art of Sudoku 2 and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

PDF

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

Theme: Seeing Double (Originally for 2014 Arlington Puzzle Festival)

Author/Opus: This is the 207th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 5th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th column from top to bottom.

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

Solution: PDF

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 classic Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku, The Art of Sudoku 2 and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

All the puzzles from last week’s Castle Wall collection can be found in this PDF.

We had 57 solvers for Dr. Sudoku’s 200th puzzle contest. Two random numbers were selected from 1-57 using random.org marking solvers 30 and 52 as the winners of a free puzzle book. Those lucky solvers are (30.) Projectyl and (52.) phlebowitsh.

For anyone who was stumped by the lack of rules for the TomTomTom, and didn’t catch on to the hint provided by the title, here are complete rules. The six 6×6 grids make up a Latin Cube where no digit repeats in any row or column within a grid, or within any cell in the same position across the grids (i.e., stack the grids on top of each other and no digit repeats within a position in that stack). While none of the starting grids have a unique solution without the Latin Cube constraint, with this constraint all five regular looking TomToms can now be uniquely solved. Use the remaining digits in each location to fill in the last grid. Assign number values to those cases keeping in mind operations when present and convert 1=A, 2=B, …, to read out the solution in left-to-right, top-to-bottom order.”

This next week will feature both letters and numbers. Specifically, a set of Pentominous puzzles by Grant Fikes and Sudoku puzzles by Thomas Snyder. The bonus puzzle for our high-level supporters will also be a Pentominous by Grant Fikes.

All the puzzles from last week’s LITS collection can be found in this PDF.

Entry into our 200th Puzzle Contest Spectacular is now closed and we will be determining the winners soon. Winners will be contacted by email and announced in this space next weekend.

This next week will be a set of Castle Wall puzzles, a style originally created by Palmer Mebane and where both Palmer and Prasanna have written good challenges. The bonus puzzle for our high-level supporters will also be a Castle Wall by Prasanna Seshadri.

PDF

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

Theme: PAFCIO (This is a thank you puzzle to one of our major patrons)

Author/Opus: This is the 206th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard LITS rules.

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.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: LITS

Author/Opus: This is the 205th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard LITS rules.

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.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 13:30, Expert = 27:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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

PDF

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

Theme: Unfriendly Neighbors

Author/Opus: This is the 204th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard LITS rules.

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.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:20, Master = 2:00, Expert = 4:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 203rd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard LITS rules.

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.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:40, Master = 1:20, Expert = 2:40

Solution: PDF

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

All the puzzles from last week’s variety week can be found in this PDF.

There is still one week to enter my 200th Puzzle Contest Spectacular. Check it out here. Answers submitted before November 9th will be eligible to win one of my/Grandmaster’s books.

This next week will be a set of LITS puzzles including a variation suggested from one of our super grandmaster patrons, and a puzzle I wrote to honor another of our super grandmaster patrons. You can find more details about our website patronage on the left sidebar. The bonus puzzle for our high-level supporters will be a Cross the Streams by Grant Fikes.