PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between ship placement and shading modes. In ship placement mode, right click gives sea, left click gives circle/square, left click and drag for rounded ships.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 139th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Battleships rules. Also, the arrows point at the closest ship segment(s) from that cell. No ship segment can be placed in a cell with an arrow.

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a ship segment appears (enter both digits if a two-digit number). If the row is empty, enter 0. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 4:00, Expert = 8:00

Solution: PDF

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

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: Black Hole Sun

Author/Opus: This is the 51st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Standard Statue Park rules.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the shaded segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:30, Master = 11:15, Expert = 22:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Statue Park Puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Statue Parks to get started on.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools. Use left click to place mine, 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: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 139th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Place a mine into some of the empty cells so that each number represents the total count of mines in neighboring cells, including diagonally adjacent cells. Also, an even number of mines must be placed in each row and in each column.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each group of consecutive cells with mines from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

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

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

PDF

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

Theme: Five (prepared for the 2016 Puzzle Grand Prix playoffs, not used)

Author/Opus: This is the 254th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

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

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a star appears. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Star Battles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Star Battles to get started on.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in akari mode; left click to place a light bulb and right click to mark an unused cell with a dot; clicking and dragging draws lines for “seen” cells).

Theme: Logical (for patron Valvino)

Author/Opus: This is the 135th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Add a light bulb to exactly one cell in each bold bordered white cell region so that each white cell is lit up. Each light bulb illuminates the cell it is in, as well as any horizontally and vertically adjacent cells, stopping at any black cells. No bulb can illuminate another bulb.

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of bulbs in that row. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.

Solution: PDF

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:15, Master = 2:15, Expert = 4:30

PDF

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

Theme: All Black

Author/Opus: This is the 47th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Standard Statue Park rules.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the shaded segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 4:45, Expert = 9:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Statue Park Puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Statue Parks to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: Quadrants

Author/Opus: This is the 249th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

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

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a star appears. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators. Enter both digits of any two-digit column number.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 4:15, Expert = 8:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Star Battles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Star Battles to get started on.

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: Quadruple Quandary

Author/Opus: This is the 12th puzzle from guest contributor Carl Worth.

Rules: Standard Pentopia rules: Place some of the given pentominoes in the grid so that no pentominoes are in adjacent cells that share an edge or corner. Pentominoes cannot repeat in the grid; rotations and reflections of a pentomino are considered the same shape. The arrow clues indicate all the directions (up, down, left, and right) where the nearest pentominoes are located when looking from that square. (Arrow clues cannot contain pentomino shapes.) Also, see this example:

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the shaded pentomino segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma. The example has the solution “21,23”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:00, Master = 7:00, Expert = 14:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more Pentopia puzzles and this link for other puzzles involving Pentominoes.

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 ship placement mode.)

Theme: Half and Half

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor Walker Anderson.

Rules: Combination of Masyu and Battleships rules. Start with standard Masyu rules. All empty cells not occupied by the Masyu loop will belong to the fleet of ships given below the grid. The whole fleet must be placed in the grid; ships cannot touch each other, not even diagonally.

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 = 2:30, Master = 4:30, Expert = 9:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other variations of Masyu and this link for classic Masyu. Follow this link for more variations on Battleships and this link for classic Battleships.

PDF

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

Theme: Cityscape

Author/Opus: This is the 11th puzzle from guest contributor Carl Worth.

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

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a star appears. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:30, Master = 2:00, Expert = 4:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Star Battles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Star Battles to get started on.