Takeya Saikachi presents us with a new loop genre in which you need to discover the rules by solving the example first.

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or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in default linex mode where left-click+drag draws line and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Triplets

Author/Opus: This is the 40th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Takeya Saikachi.

Rules: To solve the main puzzle, you must first discover the genre’s rules by solving the example puzzle.

Example: solve online

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:35, Master = 7:15, Expert = 14:30

Hints: 1. This is a loop puzzle style that involves visiting all cells, forming a single closed loop. But what do the number clues do?
2. When thinking the right way, each number clue will have two uses.
3. Looking at individual clues may not be enough.
4. Pair all the clues together (as passed through by the loop) and consider any special properties you find.
5. This puzzle draws inspiration from a region division puzzle with a four-letter name (rot13 = NENS) that also pairs clues together.

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for other Loop/Path puzzles.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

Getting started with this difficult Skyscrapers (Sum) puzzle designed by Murat Can Tonta probably requires noting a lot about the two distinct clues in the grid.

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

Theme: Two Consecutive Numbers

Author/Opus: This is the 274th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Variation of Skyscrapers; each clue represents the sum of the heights of the visible buildings in that direction.

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 9:45, Master = 25:00, Expert = 50:00

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for classic Skyscrapers puzzles and this link for variations on Skyscrapers puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Skyscrapers Puzzles to get started on. More Skyscrapers puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli, and in the e-book Skyscrapers by Ashish Kumar.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

Takeya Saikachi’s warm-up puzzle, in which he places all possible odd clues symmetrically, will be good practice for the second grid today.

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

Theme: Possible Odds

Author/Opus: This is the 39th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Takeya Saikachi.

Rules: Variation of Skyscrapers; each clue represents the sum of the heights of the visible buildings in that direction.

Difficulty: 1 star

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:20, Master = 0:35, Expert = 1:10

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for classic Skyscrapers puzzles and this link for variations on Skyscrapers puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Skyscrapers Puzzles to get started on. More Skyscrapers puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli, and in the e-book Skyscrapers by Ashish Kumar.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

Even though today is not Valentine’s Day, Serkan Yürekli is presenting us with a love-themed Arrow Sudoku and must be drawing attention to our shared love for solving puzzles.

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

Theme: Love

Author/Opus: This is the 451st puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Estimated Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 8:35, Expert = 17:10

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for more Arrow Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Arrow Sudoku to get started on. More Arrow Sudoku puzzles can be found in these books in our e-store.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

In Arrow Sudoku, it is often a good approach to focus on possible combinations of numbers in arrows pointing in just one direction; this warm-up puzzle by Thomas Snyder is full of such arrows, all going to the right.

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

Theme: Right Way of Thinking

Author/Opus: This is the 476th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Estimated Difficulty: 2 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:05, Master = 2:05, Expert = 4:10

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for more Arrow Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Arrow Sudoku to get started on. More Arrow Sudoku puzzles can be found in these books in our e-store.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

As suggested by the title, JinHoo Ahn’s T-region-dominated grid is important to think about to make progress.

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or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; in composite Star Battle mode a left click places a star, right click in a cell marks off the cell, and a right click on an edge or corner marks in a dot as a placement note.)

Theme: T It Up

Author/Opus: This is the 101st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster JinHoo Ahn.

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

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 4:30, Expert = 9:00

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Star Battles and this link for Star Battle variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Star Battles to get started on. More Star Battle puzzles can be found in these books in our e-store.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

LinkedIn recently launched some daily games including Queens, a simplified version of Star Battle with puzzles with just one “crown” per row/column/region. Thomas Snyder has been providing the initial puzzles for that game which you can catch on this LinkedIn Queens page, with puzzles similar to today’s warm-up puzzle in difficulty.

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or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; in composite Star Battle mode a left click places a star, right click in a cell marks off the cell, and a right click on an edge or corner marks in a dot as a placement note.)

Theme: Tetrominoes

Author/Opus: This is the 475th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. One star per row, column, and region.

Difficulty: 1 star

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:20, Master = 0:50, Expert = 1:40

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Star Battles and this link for Star Battle variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Star Battles to get started on. More Star Battle puzzles can be found in these books in our e-store.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

With a total of 32 clues, all 1 to 6, this “dice” theme from Murat Can Tonta hides a few logical entry points in the regions created by the clues.

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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: 32 Dice

Author/Opus: This is the 273rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Standard Fillomino rules.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:30, Master = 3:45, Expert = 7:30

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for classic Fillomino and this link for Fillomino variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Fillomino puzzles to get started on. More Fillomino puzzles can be found in these books in our e-store.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

In addition to forming a beautiful pattern, the U shapes hide a couple different starting points in this warm-up puzzle by Grant Fikes.

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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: 4U

Author/Opus: This is the 450th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Fillomino rules.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:45, Master = 0:55, Expert = 1:50

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for classic Fillomino and this link for Fillomino variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Fillomino puzzles to get started on. More Fillomino puzzles can be found in these books in our e-store.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

Thinking carefully about the most limited regions in this puzzle by Prasanna Seshadri should point the way to the next places to make progress.

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or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a shading mode and a mode to mark edges with an X.)

Theme: Pointing

Author/Opus: This is the 286th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard LITS rules.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

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

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on. More LITS puzzles can be found in these books in our e-store.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.