PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; note that solution checking requires the 12 ciphered clues and the thirty-six interior cells to all be marked)

Theme: NEWS

Author/Opus: This is the 28th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster JinHoo Ahn.

Rules: Standard Skyscrapers rules, using the integers 1-6. Also, each letter represents a different positive integer, for the solver to determine.

Difficulty: 4 stars

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

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

Note: Follow this link for classic Skyscrapers puzzles and this link for variations on Skyscrapers puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Skyscrapers Puzzles to get started on. More Skyscrapers puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli, and in the e-book Skyscrapers by Ashish Kumar.

PDF

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

Theme: Stopped on the Way Back

Author/Opus: This is the 211th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Place the digits 1-9 in some of the cells, so that no digit is repeated in any row or column. Numbers on the outside of the grid indicate the sums of adjacent digit 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.

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 10:00, Master = 19:15, Expert = 38:30

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

Note: Follow this link for other Japanese Sums puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: Multiples of 3

Author/Opus: This is the 27th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster JinHoo Ahn.

Rules: Place the digits 1-7 (1-9 for the example) in some of the cells, so that no digit is repeated in any row or column. Numbers on the outside of the grid indicate the sums of adjacent digit groups in that row or column, in order. Each sum is separated by at least one unused cell.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 8:45, Expert = 17:30

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

Note: Follow this link for other Japanese Sums puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: Double Clues

Author/Opus: This is the 335th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Place the digits 1-6 (1-9 for the example) in some of the cells, so that no digit is repeated in any row or column. Numbers on the outside of the grid indicate the sums of adjacent digit groups in that row or column, in order. Each sum is separated by at least one unused cell.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30

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

Note: Follow this link for other Japanese Sums puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: Doppel

Author/Opus: This is the 202nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Fill each row and column of the grid with the digits 1 to 5 and two blackened cells. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of the digits between the two blackened cells in that row or column. Blackened cells are allowed to touch. Or see here.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

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

Note: Follow this link for other less common Number Placement puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: For 08/03/21

Author/Opus: This is the 388th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Fill each row and column of the grid with the digits 1 to 4 and two blackened cells. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of the digits between the two blackened cells in that row or column. Blackened cells are allowed to touch. Or see here.

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 less common Number Placement puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: Series

Author/Opus: This is the 74th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Ashish Kumar.

Rules: Fill each row and column of the grid with the digits 1 to 4 and two blackened cells. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of the digits between the two blackened cells in that row or column. Blackened cells are allowed to touch. Or see here.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:15, Master = 1:45, Expert = 3:30

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

Note: Follow this link for other less common Number Placement puzzles.

This year, we have started to have 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 sixth Sunday Stumper is a Kakuro puzzle with some extra clue shadings to indicate connected digit subsets for some of the entries.

PDF

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

Theme: Eye

Author/Opus: This is the 209th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Kakuro Rules. Also, whenever two multi-digit entries intersect and the set of digits in one entry is a subset of the set of digits in the other entry, the cell preceding each of those entries (either giving the entry’s clue or indicating that the entry is unclued) is shaded in gray. A shaded cell may be shaded because of its Across entry, Down entry, or both. Any clue cell that is not shaded does not have a multi-digit entry intersecting its Across or Down entries with a shared subset of digits. Any set of digits is considered a subset of itself.

See also this example:

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 20:00, Master = 30:00, Expert = 1:00:00

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.

PDF

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

Theme: Capsules

Author/Opus: This is the 331st puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Fill all empty hexes with digits from 1-9 so that all number clues (in white) indicate the sum of the digits in that direction. Digits cannot repeat in any entry (i.e., any group of hexes connected either horizontally or in one of the two diagonal directions, without any black cells separating them). This no repeat rule applies even for unclued entries.

Difficulty: 1 star

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:40, Master = 1:15, Expert = 2:30

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 year, we have started to have 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 fifth Sunday Stumper is a TomTom puzzle with encoded cage clues.

PDF

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

Theme: Father’s Day

Author/Opus: This is the 320th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard TomTom rules, using the integers 1-9. Also, the letters F, A, T, H, E, R, S, D, Y represent different digits from 0-9. Identify which letters stand for which digits and then solve the TomTom. Multi-digit clues cannot start with a 0. (Note: The /S cage is a division cage with value “S”; the slash sign is used instead of the normal division symbol for aesthetic purposes.)

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 50:00, Master = 1:15:00, Expert = 2:30:00

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

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