PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between lineox mode where left click+drag draws lines and left click in a square marks O and X, and a Letter entry mode.)

Theme: Days of the Week

Author/Opus: This is the 87th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Place the words into the grid (one letter per cell) so that they do not touch each other, not even diagonally, and so that they can be read in a straight line in a vertical or horizontal direction. Some letters in the words are already given in the grid. Then find a path that passes through every cell of the grid, starting with the first letter of the first word, passing through the words in order from their first letters to their last letters, and ending at the last letter of the last word.

Or see this example:

Answer String: Enter the number of turns the path takes between each of the words in order as a single string of numbers. (Ignore turns in cells with letters.) The answer for this example is “224”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:00, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:30

Solution: PDF

PDF

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

Theme: Birthday Mystery

Author/Opus: This is the 108th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Draw a single loop of horizontal and vertical segments that passes through all of the white cells (and only the white cells) exactly once. Like last week’s puzzles, there is also a second puzzle style that this grid can be solved as. Doing so will help you find a secret answer word.

Answer String: Enter the final answer word in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.

Solution: PDF

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

View image directly for larger form.

PDF

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

Theme: The Magic of 23

Author/Opus: This is the 31st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: In this variation of Nurikabe, the no 2×2 ocean rule is removed and instead all ocean cells must belong to a single closed loop.

Specifically: Divide the grid into regions called “islands”, each containing exactly one of the given numbers and with the same area as that number. Islands can only touch diagonally. A single closed loop (without intersection or crossings) must be drawn in all remaining cells.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of the horizontal loop segments from left to right in the marked rows, starting at the top. If the loop only has vertical segments in the marked row, enter 0. Separate each row’s entry with a comma. This example has the key “12,3”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:45, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for classic Nurikabe puzzles on this website and this link for other variations on Nurikabe puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nurikabe puzzles to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: An Odd Introduction

Author/Opus: This is the 30th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: In this variation of Nurikabe, the no 2×2 ocean rule is removed and instead all ocean cells must belong to a single closed loop.

Specifically: Divide the grid into regions called “islands”, each containing exactly one of the given numbers and with the same area as that number. Islands can only touch diagonally. A single closed loop (without intersection or crossings) must be drawn in all remaining cells.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of the horizontal loop segments from left to right in the marked rows, starting at the top. If the loop only has vertical segments in the marked row, enter 0. Separate each row’s entry with a comma. This example has the key “12,3”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:45, Master = 1:20, Expert = 2:40

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for classic Nurikabe puzzles on this website and this link for other variations on Nurikabe puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nurikabe puzzles to get started on.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools using a composite mode where left click inside cell shades square, left click + drag draws line segment, right click inside cell adds dot, and right click on cell edge adds an x; an additional shading mode is available by hitting the tab button if that is preferred.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Rules: Blacken some cells and then draw a single non-intersecting loop through all remaining white cells. Outside clues indicate the size of all groups of blackened cells in that row or column in order. There must be at least one white cell between each of these groups. When no clues are given, any number of cells may be shaded in that row/column. Or see here.

Answer String: For each marked column, enter the length in cells of the longest vertical segment. Enter 0 if there are no vertical segments. Enter these values as a single string (eg “230124”).

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:15, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools using a composite mode where left click inside cell shades square, left click + drag draws line segment, right click inside cell adds dot, and right click on cell edge adds an x; an additional shading mode is available by hitting the tab button if that is preferred.)

Theme: Hidden

Rules: Blacken some cells and then draw a single non-intersecting loop through all remaining white cells. Outside clues indicate the size of all groups of blackened cells in that row or column in order. There must be at least one white cell between each of these groups. When no clues are given, any number of cells may be shaded in that row/column. Or see here.

Answer String: For each column from left to right, enter the number of turns the loop makes. Enter your result as a single string (eg “202204…”).

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:45, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF

PDF

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)

This is a bonus “Twisted Tuesday” puzzle variation.

Theme: None?

Rules: Standard Double Back rules (originally from MellowMelon). In short: draw a single loop that enters and exits every cell exactly once, and enters and exits every region exactly twice.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of the horizontal loop segments from left to right in the marked rows, starting at the top. If the loop only has vertical segments in the marked row, enter 0. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF