Archive for the ‘Variation’ Category:

Kakuro (Hex) by Serkan Yürekli

Kakuro (Hex) by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

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

Theme: Capsules

Author/Opus: This is the 331st puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Fill all empty hexes with digits from 1-9 so that all number clues (in white) indicate the sum of the digits in that direction. Digits cannot repeat in any entry (i.e., any group of hexes connected either horizontally or in one of the two diagonal directions, without any black cells separating them). This no repeat rule applies even for unclued entries.

Difficulty: 1 star

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:40, Master = 1:15, Expert = 2:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Kakuro and this link for Kakuro variations. More Kakuro puzzles can be found in Kakuro and Variations by Serkan Yürekli and in The Art of Puzzles 2.

Sunday Stumper: TomTom (Cipher) by Serkan Yürekli

This year, we have started to have some extra difficult Sunday Stumpers, about once a month. These will be quite tough puzzles, but with a logical path to be found (and solution videos to help). This fifth Sunday Stumper is a TomTom puzzle with encoded cage clues.

TomTom by Serkan Yürekli

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

Theme: Father’s Day

Author/Opus: This is the 320th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard TomTom rules, using the integers 1-9. Also, the letters F, A, T, H, E, R, S, D, Y represent different digits from 0-9. Identify which letters stand for which digits and then solve the TomTom. Multi-digit clues cannot start with a 0. (Note: The /S cage is a division cage with value “S”; the slash sign is used instead of the normal division symbol for aesthetic purposes.)

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 50:00, Master = 1:15:00, Expert = 2:30:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

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

TomTom (Cage Pairs) by Dan Katz

TomTom (Cage Pairs) by Dan Katz

PDF

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

Theme: One-Two Punch

Author/Opus: This is the 16th puzzle from guest contributor Dan Katz.

Rules: Standard TomTom rules, using the integers 1-6. Additionally, no clue numbers are given for the cages, but clue numbers are given for adjacent pairs of cages. For each clue number, it must be possible to apply one operation to the digits in the first cage, a different operation to the digits in the second cage, and a third operation (different from the first two) to the two cage results to obtain the given clue number.

See also this example:

TomTom (Cage Pairs) example by Serkan Yürekli

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:15, Master = 17:30, Expert = 35:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

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

Yajilin (One Of) by Serkan Yürekli

Yajilin by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; tab key alternates between Yajilin solving tool and a gray arrow mode which can be used to mark over some of the clues)

Theme: Stretching the Circle

Author/Opus: This is the 329th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Yajilin rules. Numbers indicate the total number of blackened cells in one of the two directions pointed to by arrows. Numbers do not give any information about the other direction indicated by the arrows.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Yajilin and this link for Yajilin variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Yajilin to get started on. More Yajilin puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2, in Yajilin by Murat Can Tonta and Prasanna Seshadri, and in our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

Battleships (Minesweeper) by Ashish Kumar

Battleships (Minesweeper) by Ashish Kumar

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: Consecutive Sets

Author/Opus: This is the 70th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Ashish Kumar.

Rules: Variation of standard Battleships rules. Instead of exterior clues, clues inside the grid indicate the number of adjacent squares, including diagonally adjacent squares, containing ship segments. Ships do not sit on cells with numbers. Use the indicated fleet.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 7:15, Expert = 14:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

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

Fillomino (Checkered) by Serkan Yürekli

Fillomino by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

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

Theme: Siege

Author/Opus: This is the 327th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Fillomino rules. Also, it must be possible to shade some polyominoes black so that no bordering polyominoes are the same color (in other words, the grid must allow a two-color shading).

See also this example:

Fillomino (Checkered) example by Thomas Snyder

Difficulty: 4 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:30, Master = 10:30, Expert = 21:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

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 The Art of Puzzles, in Fill o’ Fillomino and Fill o’ Fillomino 2 by Grant Fikes, and in our beginner-friendly books Logic Puzzles 101 and Starter Pack 1: Fillomino.

Fillomino (Restriction) by Takeya Saikachi

Fillomino by Takeya Saikachi

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: Surrounded

Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor Takeya Saikachi.

Rules: Variation of Fillomino. The size of all polyominoes must be 1, 2, or 3.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

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

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

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 The Art of Puzzles, in Fill o’ Fillomino and Fill o’ Fillomino 2 by Grant Fikes, and in our beginner-friendly books Logic Puzzles 101 and Starter Pack 1: Fillomino.

Pentominous (Borders) by Mark Sweep

Pentominous by Mark Sweep

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 letter entry mode.)

Theme: Hilarious

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Mark Sweep.

Rules: Variation of Pentominous rules. Some borders between pentominoes are already drawn.

Difficulty: 4 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 9:00, Expert = 18:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Pentominous puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Pentominous to get started on. More Pentominous puzzles can be found in the Plenty o’ Pentominous series by Grant Fikes and Murat Can Tonta and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

Skyscrapers Sudoku by John Bulten

Skyscrapers Sudoku by John Bulten

PDF

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

Theme: Tau Cross

Author/Opus: This is the 79th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Also, standard Skyscrapers rules.

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 8:00, Master = 14:00, Expert = 28:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

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.

Skyscrapers (Sum) by Murat Can Tonta

Skyscrapers by Murat Can Tonta

PDF

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

Theme: Count Up

Author/Opus: This is the 199th 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: 1 star

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:30, Master = 0:45, Expert = 1:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

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.