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or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use the tab key to alternate between shading, number entry, and composite loop drawing modes)

Theme: Clockwise

Author/Opus: This is the 21st puzzle from guest contributor Bryce Herdt.

Rules: Variation of Nanro rules. Label some cells with numbers to form a single non-intersecting loop; no 2×2 group of cells may be fully labeled, but the loop may touch itself orthogonally or diagonally. The region boundaries divide the loop into segments, and each region must have at least one segment. Numbers denote the length in cells of each segment within a region; all numbers in a region must be the same. When two numbers from different segments are orthogonally adjacent, the numbers must be different. (Consequently, segments in the same region must not share an edge.)

Also see this example:

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:00, Master = 12:30, Expert = 25:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for Nanro puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nanro Puzzles to get started on. More Nanro puzzles can be found in A Number o’ Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use the tab key to alternate between shading and number entry modes)

Theme: L Tetrominoes

Author/Opus: This is the 10th puzzle from guest contributor Michael Tang.

Rules: Standard Nanro rules.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:50, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for Nanro puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nanro Puzzles to get started on. More Nanro puzzles can be found in A Number o’ Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri.

(This is a bonus “second” puzzle that is not connected to the usual Monday-Saturday week difficulty. In fact, this is around Sunday Stumper difficulty.)

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

Theme: Chi

Author/Opus: This is the 6th puzzle from guest contributor David Altizio.

Rules: Variation of Kakuro Rules. One digit must be duplicated and appear exactly twice in each entry (i.e., group of cells connected horizontally or vertically without any black cells between). All other digits must not repeat within an entry.

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 22:30, Master = 37:30, Expert = 1:15:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Kakuro and this link for Kakuro variations. More Kakuro puzzles can be found in Kakuro and Variations by Serkan Yürekli and in The Art of Puzzles 2.

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

Theme: Chi

Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor David Altizio.

Rules: Standard Kakuro rules.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:15, Master = 5:30, Expert = 11:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Kakuro and this link for Kakuro variations. More Kakuro puzzles can be found in Kakuro and Variations by Serkan Yürekli and in The Art of Puzzles 2.

(This is a bonus “second” puzzle that is not connected to the usual Monday-Saturday week difficulty.)

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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: A Tale of Two Cities

Author/Opus: This is the 9th puzzle from guest contributor Michael Tang.

Rules: Standard Cave rules.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 5:30, Expert = 11:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Caves and this link for Cave variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on. More Cave puzzles can be found in Roger Barkan’s Colossal Cave Collection, in The Art of Puzzles, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

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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: A Tale of Two Cities

Author/Opus: This is the 8th puzzle from guest contributor Michael Tang.

Rules: Shade some empty cells black so that each number indicates the total count of white cells connected vertically and horizontally to that number including the numbered cell itself. Black cells cannot share an edge, and all white cells must belong to a single connected group.

Also see this example:

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 4:30, Expert = 9:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for more Kuromasu puzzles.

(This is a bonus “second” puzzle that is not connected to the usual Monday-Saturday week difficulty.)

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: No Four in a Row

Author/Opus: This is the 2nd puzzle from guest contributor Matej Uher.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, the letters X and O stand for two different digits from 0 – 3.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 4:00, Expert = 8:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Slitherlink and this link for Slitherlink variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Slitherlink puzzles to get started on. More Slitherlink puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, Slitherlink and Variations, and our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

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

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Matej Uher.

Rules: Place either an ‘X’ or an ‘O’ into each empty cell so that four consecutive ‘X’s or ‘O’s do not appear horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Difficulty: 2 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:00, Master = 2:45, Expert = 5:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Number Placement puzzles.

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

Theme: Double Trouble

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor David Altizio.

Rules: Form a single non-intersecting loop. Clues inside the grid represent the number of neighboring cells visited by the loop; if there is more than one number in a cell, each number should be represented with a separate loop segment. There is no 2×2 rule of Tapa in this puzzle.

See also this example:

Difficulty: 2 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:45, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Tapa-Like Loop puzzles. More Tapa-Like Loop puzzles can be found in the Tapa-Like Loop Collection by Prasanna Seshadri.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a composite mode for line/edge drawing and a number entry mode.)

Theme: Noughts and Crosses

Author/Opus: This is the 29th puzzle from guest contributor Joseph Howard.

Rules: Divide the grid along the boundary lines so that every cell belongs to a snake. A snake is a one-cell-wide path at least two cells long that does not touch itself, not even diagonally. Circled cells must be at one of the ends of a snake. A snake may contain one circled cell, two circled cells, or no circled cells at all. Numbered cells must be part of a snake with a length of exactly that number of cells. A snake may contain one number, multiple identical numbers, or no numbers at all. Two snakes of the same length cannot touch each other horizontally or vertically. Cells with an X cannot be an end of a snake.

Also see this example:

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 9:30, Master = 14:00, Expert = 28:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for more Snake Pit puzzles. Follow these links for other Fillomino or Snake puzzles.