PDF

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

Theme: Jekyll and Hyde – digits but no bars up top, bars but no digits down below. Master both sides to solve this puzzle.

Rules: Standard Consecutive Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 1st column from top to bottom, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th column from top to bottom.

Time Standard: Consecutive Sudoku Master = 4:30, Expert = 13:30, Novice = 45:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

PDF

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

Theme: Almost Twisted! – Slightly imperfect, but more difficult as a result.

Rules: Standard Masyu rules.

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

Time Standard: Masyu Master = 2:00, Expert = 6:00, Novice = 20:00

Note: Advice on solving this puzzle has now been posted in “Ask Dr. Sudoku #5”

Solution: PDF and solving video.

PDF

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

Theme: Multi-arrow Challenge! Also, there is a 1-9 “digit pangram” in the nine givens.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 4th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 2nd column from top to bottom.

Time Standard: Arrow Sudoku Master = 6:00, Expert = 18:00, Novice = 1:00:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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 The Art of Sudoku 2.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: An Almost Perfect 10? The border of this Cave puzzle is almost completely uniform.

Rules: Standard Cave rules.

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

Time Standard: Cave Master = 3:30, Expert = 10:30, Novice = 33:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other Cave variations and this link for other classic Caves. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: Boxed In (but it plays out differently than yesterday’s “Boxed In”)

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 Standard: Star Battle Master = 9:00, Expert = 27:00, Novice = 1:30:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Editorial Note 1: Be warned — this puzzle is difficult and has inconsistent and highly variable solving times, possibly because it may require some unusual techniques. Advice on solving this puzzle has now been posted in “Ask Dr. Sudoku #3”

Note 2: 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 The Art of Puzzles, in the book Star Battle by JinHoo Ahn, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

PDF

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

Theme: Boxed In

Rules: Standard Thermo-Sudoku rules. Range is 1-9.

Answer String: Enter the 9th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th column from top to bottom.

Time Standard: Thermo-Sudoku Master = 5:00, Expert = 15:00, Novice = 50:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between Sudoku = big entries and Number candidate = small entries in the corners of cells.)

Theme: The patterned digits in this Tight Fit Sudoku set up an interesting logical solve.

Rules: Standard Tight Fit Sudoku rules. Range is 1-11.

Answer String: Enter the 3rd column from top to bottom, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th column from top to bottom. Type both digits of the two-digit numbers 10 and 11. (Note: for the tight fit cells, enter the top before the bottom as would be normal for the read order.)

Time Standard: TFSudoku Master = 4:45, Expert = 14:15, Novice = 47:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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

PDF

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

Theme: Nurikabe Time; don’t wait for the 13th hour to figure out where all the clock islands go.

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, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

Time Standard: Nurikabe Master = 3:00, Expert = 9:00, Novice = 30:00

Solution: PDF and solving video; advice on solving this puzzle has also been posted in “Ask Dr. Sudoku #2“.

PDF

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

Theme: “Rhyming clues” – almost all clues here in this TomTom are presented with identical neighbors.

Rules: Standard TomTom rules. Range is 1-8.

Answer String: Enter the 8th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 8th column from top to bottom.

Time Standard: TomTom Master = 12:00, Expert = 36:00, Novice = 2:00:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Editorial note: If this is the third TomTom you’ve ever seen (just trying to solve these puzzles this week), please do not attempt it. Go through a couple of my earlier examples in the “Thomas Snyder Outdoes the NYT KenKen” series instead. This is a very difficult “Saturday” puzzle in line with the hardest content of my old blog. Next week I’ll return with much easier puzzles in two new styles on Monday/Tuesday.

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

Theme: Besides symmetry, an exclusively logical theme that will be revealed during the solve.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 3rd column from top to bottom, followed by a comma, followed by the 7th column from top to bottom.

Time Standard: Sudoku Master = 5:00, Expert = 15:00, Novice = 50:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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.