All the puzzles from the last Variety week have been grouped in this PDF.

This coming week may make some of you very happy. For the second time in the site’s history, the whole week will be Sudoku and variations. We’ve put together some really incredible puzzles, but many of them are harder than their normal weekly spots so watch out for unexpected tricks.

The bonus puzzle this week for our high-level supporters is a Cave puzzle by Thomas Snyder; we’ve now crossed over 50 Grandmaster level supporters which is a great accomplishment as we close in our the first group milestone goal.

PDF

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

Theme: Four Y Intersection

Author/Opus: This is the 166th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 4th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 7th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30

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; use tab to alternate between ship placement and shading modes. In ship placement mode, right click gives sea, left click gives circle/square, left click and drag for rounded ships.)

Theme: Unbalanced

Author/Opus: This is the 165th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Battleships rules. Use the indicated fleet.

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a ship segment appears (enter both digits if a two-digit number). If the row is empty, enter 0. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:15, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

Solution: PDF

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

All the puzzles from the last week of Masyu and Slitherlink have been grouped in this PDF. If you enjoyed these styles, you will soon be able to get an e-book of Masyu and Slitherlink, the second released part of The Art of Puzzles that our high-level supporters already have.

Next week will be another variety week with these puzzles (highlight to view):

Monday: TomTom by Grant Fikes
Tuesday: Battleships by Thomas Snyder
Wednesday: Tapa (Borders) by Serkan Yürekli
Thursday: Sudoku by Thomas Snyder
Friday: Yajilin by Grant Fikes
Saturday: Fillomino by Prasanna Seshadri

The bonus puzzle for our high-level supporters will be a Cross the Streams by Grant Fikes.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Think Positive (there are no zero clues)

Author/Opus: This is the 164th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Combination of Slitherlink and Masyu rules.

Specifically, draw a single closed loop by connecting neighboring dots horizontally or vertically so that each number represents the number of adjacent edges used by the loop. The loop passes through all large circles. It must go straight through the white circles with at least one side turning at the next dot; it must turn at the black circles and then go straight through the next dot in both directions.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:30, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow these links for other Slitherlink variations and Masyu variations. Or follow these links for classic Slitherlink and classic Masyu puzzles.

All the puzzles from the last Variety week have been grouped in this PDF.

Next week will focus on (highlight to view) Masyu and Slitherlink, with both classic puzzles, combinations, and variations. Puzzles will be from our puzzlemasters Tom Collyer, Grant Fikes, Prasanna Seshadri, Serkan Yürekli, Thomas Snyder, and from guest author Hans van Stippent.

The bonus puzzle for our high-level supporters will be a Masyu (Crosslink) by Grant Fikes.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Diagonal Series

Author/Opus: This is the 163rd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Cave rules.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the cave segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

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

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between Sudoku = big digits and Number candidate = small entries in the corners of cells.)

Theme: Diagonal Series

Author/Opus: This is the 162nd puzzle from Thomas Snyder aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Tight Fit Sudoku rules. Remember, the smaller number goes above the larger number in all slashed cells. The range of this puzzle is 1-9.

Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th row from left to right. (Note: for the tight fit cells, enter the top before the bottom as would be normal for the read order.)

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Tight Fit Sudoku puzzles on this website. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Tight Fit Sudoku to get started on. More Tight Fit Sudoku can be found in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli and in The Art of Sudoku 2.

All the puzzles from Kurotto week have been grouped in this PDF.

Next week will be another variety week with these puzzles (highlight to view):

Monday: Nurikabe Loop by Serkan Yürekli
Tuesday: Tight Fit Sudoku by Thomas Snyder
Wednesday: TomTom by Grant Fikes
Thursday: Cave by Thomas Snyder
Friday: Nurikabe Loop by Serkan Yürekli
Saturday: Statue Park by Prasanna Seshadri

The bonus puzzle for our high-level supporters will be a Fillomino by Grant Fikes. Next weekend marks the next time that rewards will get processed, so if you don’t want to miss some things like a Giant (64×50) LITS puzzle from Grant Fikes, puzzle solution videos, or the Masyu and Slitherlink collection from The Art of Puzzles you should be sure to sponsor us before March. Thanks to all of you who are already patrons.

All the puzzles from last week have been grouped in this PDF.

And we now have a bonus video “talk-through” of the Friday Fillomino puzzle posted on our Patreon page here.

Next week we’ll be debuting a new puzzle style for all six days. What will it be? There might be a few more “easy” puzzles than usual, but with a new type it made sense to start out slow. The bonus puzzle for our high-level supporters will be a Consecutive Sudoku by Thomas Snyder.

Now that we’ve had a few weeks of a “variety one-week, focus on one style the next week” pattern, what do you think of our updated format?