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Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 2nd puzzle from guest contributor Joseph Howard.

Rules: Standard Cross the Streams rules. Also, some sets of row/column clues have comparisons made to the left-most or upper-most ? clue. The value used for a ? clue must also be used for the remaining comparisons in that row/column (e.g., if ?, ?+2 the values could be 1, 3 or 2, 4 or 3, 5). ?= means a later clue has the same value as the first ?.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the black segments from top to bottom for the marked columns, going in order from A to B to C to D and separating each entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:30, Master = 12:00, Expert = 24:00.

Solution: PDF

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

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Theme: Hidden

Author/Opus: This is the 8th puzzle from guest contributor Walker Anderson.

Rules: Standard Kakuro Rules.

Answer String: Enter the values in each white cell in the marked row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the marked column from top to bottom.

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles. More Kakuro puzzles can be found in Kakuro and Variations by Serkan Yürekli. Kakuro will also be featured in the upcoming The Art of Puzzles 2.

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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 letter entry mode.)

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 249th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Variation of Pentominous rules. Divide this grid into 45 pentominoes each containing 5 cells. Pentominoes with the same shape (including rotations/reflections) cannot share an edge.
Some borders between pentominoes are already drawn.

Answer String: Enter the letter associated with the pentomino occupying each cell in the marked row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the marked column from top to bottom. Use CAPITAL LETTERS!

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

Solution: PDF; a solution video is 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.

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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: One is the Loneliest Fillomino?

Author/Opus: This is the 248th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

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 17th row.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 8:30, Expert = 17:00

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. More Fillomino puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles and in Fill o’ Fillomino by Grant Fikes.

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Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic (Originally on 2017 Brand’s Sudoku Open)

Author/Opus: This is the 168th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Also, the sum of the digits in each cage must equal the value given in the upper-left corner of that cage. Digits cannot repeat inside a cage.

Answer String: Enter the 3rd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 7th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:00, Master = 12:00, Expert = 24:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other 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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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 manage the shape inventory.)

Theme: Four Squares (Originally on 2017 Brand’s Sudoku Open)

Author/Opus: This is the 167th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Shape Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 5th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 7th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:15, Master = 11:45, Expert = 23:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other 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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or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; note that the dotted circles are just for answer entry and are where the number should be placed in the 2×2 cell. An alternate option with centralized digit entry is here.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor Dan Katz.

Rules: Variation of Kakuro. The gray (2×2) cells are to be filled by a single digit which sits in multiple rows and columns. No digits can repeat within an entry, regardless of if it is in a small or large cell.

Answer String: Enter the values in each white/gray cell in the marked row from left to right then the marked column from top to bottom, separating the groups with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 8:00, Master = 12:30, Expert = 25:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles. More Kakuro puzzles can be found in Kakuro and Variations by Serkan Yürekli. Kakuro will also be featured in the upcoming The Art of Puzzles 2.

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

Theme: Adders and Ladders

Author/Opus: This is the 28th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Kakuro Rules.

Answer String: Enter the values in each white cell in the marked rows from left to right, separating the groups with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:30, Master = 11:45, Expert = 23:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles. More Kakuro puzzles can be found in Kakuro and Variations by Serkan Yürekli. Kakuro will also be featured in the upcoming The Art of Puzzles 2.

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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 (for Chris Green)

Author/Opus: This is the 163rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Tapa. Additionally painted cells cannot form three hexagons meeting in a point. There are no wall segments on cells containing numbers.

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 = 9:30, Master = 13:45, Expert = 27:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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. More Tapa puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles and in Tapa and Variations, both by Serkan Yürekli.

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Theme: Go Four a Swim (for Daniel Cohen)

Author/Opus: This is the 240th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Nurikabe rules.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the black segments (the unnumbered, connected “ocean”) from left to right for the marked rows. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for classic Nurikabe puzzles on this website and this link for other variations on Nurikabe puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nurikabe puzzles to get started on. More Nurikabe puzzles can be in The Art of Puzzles collection.