(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: In Tux

Author/Opus: This is the 91st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Pentominous rules.

Difficulty: 4 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:15, Master = 10:15, Expert = 20:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other Pentominous puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Pentominous to get started on. More Pentominous puzzles can be found in the Plenty o’ Pentominous series by Grant Fikes and Murat Can Tonta 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: Test Your Wits

Author/Opus: This is the 90th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Place the given pentominoes into the grid, rotations and reflections allowed, but without repeats of any shape. Pentominoes cannot cover the numbered cells, and different pentomino shapes cannot be placed in adjacent cells that share an edge or corner. Numbered cells indicate how many of the surrounding cells (including diagonally adjacent cells) contain parts of the pentominoes.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:15, Master = 6:15, Expert = 12:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for classic Minesweeper puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Minesweeper puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Minesweeper Puzzles to get started on. More Minesweeper puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools. Use left click to place 1 or 2 mines, right click (in cell) to mark unused, right click (on edge/corner) to mark a note; hitting tab will also enable a shading mode. If you want more solving options, turn off Penpa-Lite option.)

Theme: Step Wise

Author/Opus: This is the 89th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Variation of Minesweeper rules. Place either 0, 1, or 2 mines into each empty cell so that each number represents the total count of mines in neighboring cells, including diagonally adjacent cells.

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 16:00, Master = 25:00, Expert = 50:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for classic Minesweeper puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Minesweeper puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Minesweeper Puzzles to get started on. More Minesweeper puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

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 seventh Sunday Stumper of 2022 is a variation of Japanese Sums by John Bulten.

PDF

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

Theme: Yamato

Author/Opus: This is the 88th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Japanese Sums rules: Place the numbers in the indicated range (1-9) in some of the cells so that no number is repeated in any row or column. Numbers on the outside of the grid indicate the sums of adjacent number groups in that row or column, in order. Each sum is separated by at least one unused cell. A ? can represent any sum of 1 or larger.

Also, all unused cells must form an unknown fleet of 1-cell wide ships in the grid. Each segment of a ship occupies a single cell, and ships do not touch each other, even diagonally.

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 18:30, Master = 30:00, Expert = 1:00:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other Japanese Sums puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: Victory

Author/Opus: This is the 87th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

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 1-10.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 4:00, Expert = 8:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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, in The Art of Sudoku 2, and in Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 5: Tight Fit Sudoku.

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 shading mode.)

Theme: City Knights

Author/Opus: This is the 86th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Araf rules. Also, numbers outside the grid show the number of separate region segments visible in that direction. A segment of length N in a given direction is taken as a building of height N. Buildings of height N block the view of all buildings behind them of equal or lesser height.

See also this example:

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:15, Master = 15:30, Expert = 31:00

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

Note: Follow this link for more Araf puzzles on this website. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Araf Puzzles to get started on. More Araf puzzles can be found in the ebook Araf by Serkan Yürekli.

PDF

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

Theme: Lampshade

Author/Opus: This is the 85th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per row, column, and region.

Difficulty: 1 star

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:45, Master = 1:15, Expert = 2:30

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

Note: Follow this link for other classic Star Battles and this link for Star Battle variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Star Battles to get started on. More Star Battle puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, in the books Star Battle by JinHoo Ahn and Star Battle 2 by JinHoo Ahn and Murat Can Tonta, 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 a composite mode for line/edge drawing and a shading mode.)

Author/Opus: This is the 84th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Spiral Galaxies rules. Also, there may not be four consecutive cells that are part of a galaxy in any row or column.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

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

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

Note: Follow this link for classic Spiral Galaxies puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Spiral Galaxies puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Spiral Galaxies Puzzles to get started on. More Spiral Galaxies puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2.

PDF

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

Theme: Blokus

Author/Opus: This is the 83rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Statue Park rules. This puzzle uses the set of all unique polyominoes of size 4 or smaller.

Difficulty: 2 stars

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

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

Note: Follow this link for other classic Statue Park and this link for Statue Park variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Statue Parks to get started on. More Statue Park puzzles can be found in the ebook Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta.

PDF

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

Theme: Tearful Symmetry

Author/Opus: This is the 82nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard LITS rules.

Difficulty: 2 stars

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

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

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on. More LITS puzzles can be found in LOTS O’ LITS by Grant Fikes and Prasanna Seshadri, in The Art of Puzzles 2, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.