Archive for the ‘Puzzle’ Category:

TomTom by Thomas Snyder

TomTom by Thomas Snyder

PDF

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

Theme: Big Plus Signs

Author/Opus: This is the 251st puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard TomTom rules, using the integers 1-6.

Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right followed by the 4th row from left to right. Separate the entries with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 2:45, Expert = 5:30

Solution: PDF

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

Hundred by Thomas Snyder

Hundred by Thomas Snyder

PDF

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

Theme: Unique Digits

Author/Opus: This is the 250th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Add digits to some cells so each cell contains a one- or two-digit number. The sum of the numbers in each row and in each column must be 100.

Answer String: Enter all numbers including the new and given digits from left to right, starting with the top row, then the middle row, and then the bottom row. Separate each row with a comma. (For example “123454,362737,52399”.)

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:30, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF

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

Tapa by Prasanna Seshadri [Bonus]

Our subscribers receive access to bonus puzzles each week. We make these posts so those supporters have a space to comment on these puzzles, mark as FAVES, or log their solving. If you are interested in subscribing, click here for more info.

Tapa by Prasanna Seshadri

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 133rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Tapa 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 = 2:15, Master = 3:15, Expert = 6:30

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

Fillomino (Symmetry) by John Bulten

Fillomino by John Bulten

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a composite mode for line/edge drawing and a number entry mode.)

Theme: Salt and Pepper (alphanumerically, 19 = S, 16 = P)

Author/Opus: This is the 18th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Fillomino rules. Also, all polyominoes should have rotational symmetry as in this example:

Fillomino by Serkan Yürekli

Answer String: For each cell in the marked rows/columns, enter the area of the polyomino it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number. Start with the 1st row, followed by a comma, followed by the 10th column.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 10:00, Master = 22:30, Expert = 45:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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

Sudoku (Smashed Sums) by Prasanna Seshadri

Sudoku by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between Sudoku number entry mode and a shading mode to mark the black squares.)

Theme: No Zeroes

Author/Opus: This is the 132nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Variation of Sudoku. Instead of the digits 1 through 9, this puzzle uses the digits 1 through 7 as well as two black squares in each row, column, and bold region. Clues outside the grid indicate the sum of all digits between the black squares in that row/column.

Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 8th row from left to right. Use a capital X for all black squares.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 8:30, Master = 10:30, Expert = 21:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other less common variations of Sudoku and this link for classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on.

Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta

Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta

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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.

Star Battle by Thomas Snyder

Star Battle by Thomas Snyder

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.

Pata by Serkan Yürekli

Pata by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the composite Yajilin mode where left click marks cells, right click marks dots in cells or X’s on edges, left click+drag draws lines.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 124th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Tapa rules. The clue numbers now refer to the groups of unshaded segments around that cell. Cells with numbers count as unshaded cells for adjacent clues. All other rules for the shaded Tapa are the same as usual.

Or see here:

Pata by Serkan Yürekli

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 = 2:00, Master = 3:15, Expert = 6:30

Solution: PDF

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

Masyu by Grant Fikes

Masyu by Grant Fikes

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)

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 214th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Masyu rules.

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 = 0:40, Master = 0:50, Expert = 1:40

Solution: PDF

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

Fillomino by Murat Can Tonta [Bonus]

Our subscribers receive access to bonus puzzles each week. We make these posts so those supporters have a space to comment on these puzzles, mark as FAVES, or log their solving. If you are interested in subscribing, click here for more info.

Fillomino by Murat Can Tonta

Theme: Shuriken

Author/Opus: This is the 46th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Standard Fillomino rules.

Answer String: For each cell in the marked rows/columns, enter the area of the polyomino it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number. Start with the 10th row, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th column.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:00, Master = 3:15, Expert = 6:30

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