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

Theme: Stars and Stripes

Author/Opus: This is the 183rd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

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

Answer String: Enter the column letter of the MIDDLE STAR in each row, going from top to bottom. Use capital letters only.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:00, Master = 6:15, Expert = 12:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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.

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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 6th puzzle from guest contributor Bram de Laat.

Rules: Standard Battleships rules. Also, the clues indicate the total number of white cells visible from that cell in the same row/column, not including the cell itself. The view of cells is blocked by ships. The following example image may help:

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 = 8:30, Master = 13:30, Expert = 27:00

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.

PDF

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

Theme: UK – site of WPC in 2014 (originally on Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 34th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Variation of Star Battle rules. Place an equal number of stars into each region so that each row and column has two stars. No two stars can touch, even diagonally.

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 = 1:15, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other variations on Star Battle and this link for 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; 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: Solved?

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Bram de Laat.

Rules: Standard Battleships rules. Use the indicated fleet.

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 = 1:20, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd puzzle from guest contributor 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 = 1:45, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

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; use tab to alternate between a shape/star placement mode and linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Relay of Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 28th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules (ignore the shading). Then turn every star in a gray region into a black circle and every star in a white region into a white circle, and solve again as a standard Masyu puzzle. Ignore the region boundaries when drawing the Masyu loop.

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 = 2:00, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Star Battles and this link for other classic Masyu.

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 27th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

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 = 3:45, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

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: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Ravi Kumar Macherla who also contributed several Masyu to the book “The Art of Puzzles”. You can find more of Ravi’s puzzles on his relatively new blog site.

Rules: Place each of the indicated shapes into the grid (rotations allowed, but not reflections) so that no two shapes touch even at a corner. Numbers outside the grid indicate the product of the lengths of all white cell groups in that row/column. Or see here:

Answer String: Enter the number of cells in each group (both black and white) in order in the marked rows/columns. In the example, this answer is “231,1221”

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

Solution: PDF

PDF

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

Theme: May

Author/Opus: This is the 104th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

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 = 1:15, 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.

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: Symmetry and Logic (Note: this puzzle originally appeared in this year’s 24H Puzzle Championship.)

Author/Opus: This is the 45th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Place either 0, 1, or 2 mines into each empty cell so that each number represents the total count of mines in all neighboring cells, including diagonally adjacent cells. See also this example:

Answer String: For each cell in the marked columns, enter the number of mines (0, 1, 2) for each cell. Enter 0 if the cell is a number cell. Separate each column’s entry from the next with a comma. In the example (with marked rows), the answer is “022102,002000”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:00, Master = 9:30, Expert = 19:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Click here for other Double Minesweeper puzzles.