PDF

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

Theme: Diagonals

Author/Opus: This is the 226th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Additionally, there are two overlapping classic sudoku grids, and both must have valid solutions.

Note: No answer strings or timing here (honor system for when you solve it). I’m simply posting some “examples” I wrote as the Sudoku Grand Prix coordinator. Apparently some common variants aren’t common enough….

Solution: PDF

PDF

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

Theme: Digit Series and Clue Symmetry

Author/Opus: This is the 225th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Additionally, some edges are marked with the sums of the digits in the adjacent cells.

Note: No answer strings or timing here (honor system for when you solve it). I’m simply posting some “examples” I wrote as the Sudoku Grand Prix coordinator. Apparently some common variants aren’t common enough….

Solution: PDF

PDF

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

Theme: H (patron puzzle created for Paul Hlebowitsh)

Author/Opus: This is the 80th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules. Also, standard Thermo-Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 4th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 7:45, Expert = 15:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more Arrow Sudoku. Follow this link for more Thermo-Sudoku puzzles. More Arrow and Thermo-Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku 2.

(View image directly for larger form.)

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools using a composite mode where left click inside cell shades square, left click + drag draws line segment, right click inside cell adds dot, and right click on cell edge adds an x.)

Theme: TYCG (Thank You, Chris Green) — this is a Patron Puzzle reward.

Author/Opus: This is the 79th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Find a path from one dot to the other by moving horizontally or vertically between adjacent squares. The path cannot touch itself, even diagonally. All highlighted regions must be visited by the path, and may be re-entered. If two or more highlighted regions have the same shape and orientation, then how the path passes through those shapes must be identical. Or see here.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of the horizontal path segments from left to right in the marked rows, starting at the top. If the path only has vertical segments in the marked row, enter 0. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:15, Master = 6:00, Expert = 12:00

Solution: PDF

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: 28 Dice

Author/Opus: This is the 10th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

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 5th row, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th column.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:30, Master = 7:15, Expert = 14:30

Solution: PDF

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.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode, a number entry mode for placing Tapa clues, 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: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 8th puzzle from guest contributor Carl Worth.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules, except that the digits have been encoded with a cipher into letters. Each letter represents a different positive integer, for the solver to determine.

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 = 2:30, Master = 4:00, Expert = 8:00

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.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools using a composite mode where left click inside cell shades square, left click + drag draws line segment, right click inside cell adds dot, and right click on cell edge adds an x.)

Theme: Minimalism

Author/Opus: This is the 19th puzzle from guest contributor Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Locate a snake (a 1 cell-wide path) in the grid whose head and tail are given. The snake can touch itself diagonally, but cannot touch itself orthogonally or revisit any square. Besides the snake, the remaining cells must form exactly nine white areas, one of each size from 1 to 9. Numbers in the grid must be part of white areas of the indicated size.
(Also see here: https://yureklis.wordpress.com/2012/07/02/snake-egg/)

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

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 4:15, Expert = 8:30

CQS

Gurzr: Fcbvyre-serr

Nhgube/Bchf: Guvf vf gur 166gu chmmyr sebz bhe pbagevohgvat chmmyrznfgre Tenag Svxrf.

Ehyrf: Fgnaqneq YVGF ehyrf (jneavat: yvax znl pbagnva fcbvyref!).

Nafjre Fgevat: Ragre gur yratgu va pryyf bs rnpu bs gur funqrq frtzragf sebz yrsg gb evtug sbe gur znexrq ebjf, fgnegvat ng gur gbc. Frcnengr rnpu ebj’f ragel sebz gur arkg jvgu n pbzzn.

Gvzr Fgnaqneqf (uvtuyvtug gb ivrj): Tenaqznfgre = 4:00, Znfgre = 5:15, Rkcreg = 10:30

Fbyhgvba: CQS

Abgr: Sbyybj guvf yvax sbe bgure pynffvp YVGF. Vs lbh ner arj gb guvf chmmyr glcr, urer ner bhe rnfvrfg YVGF gb trg fgnegrq ba.

PDF

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Theme: Twin Galaxies

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd puzzle from guest contributor Bryce Herdt.

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

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)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 78th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Kurotto 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 with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:30, Master = 1:00, Expert = 2:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kurotto puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Kurotto to get started on. More Kurotto puzzles can be found in the ebook Kurotto by Prasanna Seshadri.