Sixth in a series with puzzle solving tips. This time with advice on both solving and constructing skyscrapers puzzles.

I’ve gotten a lot of requests for tips on how to construct puzzles. I don’t offer many online as I have a monthly column in GAMES magazine that covers this and I don’t like competing with myself for less money. But Mike Selinker and I have improved on that content recently in turning our columns into a book, Puzzlecraft: The Ultimate Guide on How to Construct Every Kind of Puzzle. Please check it out.

This week, I thought I would give some insights into how I made this puzzle. Since I often construct a puzzle by thinking in the same way that I would solve the puzzle, the images below will show you both how I made the grid (and when I needed to use certain clues) and also how solvers likely completed the grid (and when they needed to use certain clues).

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PDF

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

Theme: Countdown!

Rules: Standard Skyscrapers rules.

Answer String: Enter the 8th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 1st column from top to bottom.

Time Standard: Skyscrapers Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 8:00, Expert = 16:00

Solution: PDF

PDF

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

Theme: Either/or — a hard solving theme despite so many clues.

Rules: Standard Skyscrapers rules.

Answer String: Enter the 3rd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 4th column from top to bottom.

Time Standard: Skyscrapers Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 5:30, Expert = 11:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Advice on solving this puzzle, and also constructing Skyscraper puzzles, has now been posted in “Ask Dr. Sudoku #6”

PDF

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

Theme: A little of everything — the rows have clues from 1 to 6.

Rules: Standard Skyscrapers rules.

Answer String: Enter the 4th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th column from top to bottom.

Time Standard: Skyscrapers Grandmaster = 1:00, Master = 1:45, Expert = 3:30

Solution: PDF