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Theme: Fortress

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor Craig Kasper, who has recently started a new blog about puzzles.

Rules: Standard Consecutive Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 6th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th column from top to bottom.

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

Solution: PDF

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

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Theme: Four Arrows

Author/Opus: This is the 185th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 5th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th column from top to bottom.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 3:45, Expert = 7:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More classic Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku, The Art of Sudoku 2 and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

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Theme: Counting Puzzle?

Author/Opus: This is the 184th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Deficit Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 4th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:20, Master = 2:00, Expert = 4:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Deficit and Surplus Sudoku.

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Theme: Sudoku GP Round 7, plus two hidden themes related to 7
(Note: this puzzle was originally created for the Sudoku Grand Prix but after testing was judged too hard and too puzzle-based for the competition. It is an excellent puzzle, and we are proud to showcase it here.)

Author/Opus: This is the 40th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Also, standard Skyscrapers rules. Additionally, the cells in gray are “underground” and cannot be seen by any of the outside skyscraper clues (think of them as starting with a negative sign if necessary). As an example, the 3 on the left of row 2 refers only to seeing three buildings in columns 2 through 9, even if there is a 9 in column 1 as that 9 cannot be seen.

Answer String: Enter the 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:00, Master = 10:00, Expert = 20:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for our first Basement Skyscraper Sudoku. 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.

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Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 54th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Sudoku rules. Every given clue is lying. The correct value is either one more or one less than the given clue. (1 clues cannot become 0, and 9 clues cannot become 10.)

Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:30, Master = 8:00, Expert = 16:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Diamonds

Author/Opus: This is the 182nd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:20, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More classic Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku, The Art of Sudoku 2 and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

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Theme: June Sun

Author/Opus: This is the 179th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Thermo-Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 3rd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:45, Master = 9:30, Expert = 19:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more Thermo-Sudoku puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Thermo-Sudoku to get started on. More Thermo-Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku 2.

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Theme: No Givens

Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor Hans van Stippent.

Note: we’ve been holding onto this puzzle for awhile; it was inspired by last year’s USPC Thermo-Skyscrapers puzzle and, by adding in the sudoku constraints, makes a nice challenge before this weekend’s US Sudoku Qualifying Test.

Rules: Standard Thermo-Sudoku rules. Also, any digits in the thermometer shapes outside of the grid are Skyscraper clues, representing the number of buildings seen inside the grid in that direction as in a regular Skyscrapers puzzle. (Note: digits in a thermometer must be strictly increasing even when outside the grid, so do not repeat any digits within a thermometer.)

Answer String: Enter the 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th row from left to right. Note: only enter the 9 digits inside the grid in these rows, not any of the outside skyscraper clues.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:30, Master = 9:30, Expert = 19:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more Thermo-Sudoku puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Thermo-Sudoku to get started on. More Thermo-Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku 2.

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Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic (Note: this puzzle originally appeared in this year’s 24HPC. It is a bonus puzzle here but is harder than Monday difficulty)

Author/Opus: This is the 38th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Sudoku rules (no repeats in any rows, columns, or bold regions) with digits 1-8. Also, the sum of the digits in each cage must equal the value given in the upper-left corner of the cage. Digits cannot repeat inside a cage.

Answer String: Enter the 3rd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 8th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 4:15, Expert = 8:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more Killer Sudoku and this link for classic Sudoku. More Killer Sudoku puzzles can be found in Killer Sudoku by Serkan Yürekli.

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Theme: Desperately Seeking Seven (Note: the shading of the “7” shaped region is just for artistic purposes.)

Author/Opus: This is the 173rd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules (no repeats in any rows, columns, or bold regions). The digit range is 1-7.

Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:15, Master = 2:00, Expert = 4:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More classic Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku, The Art of Sudoku 2 and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.