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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: Heart

Author/Opus: This is the 97th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Kakuro: Enter a single digit from 1 to 9 into each cell so that the sum of digits in each Across entry equals the value given to the left of the entry, and the sum of digits in each Down entry equals the value given above the entry. The gray (2×2) cells are to be filled by a single digit which sits in multiple rows and columns. No digit may be repeated within a single entry, regardless of if it is in a small or large cell.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 13:00, Master = 22:30, Expert = 45:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.

Here are our best Number Placement puzzles of 2015 (excluding Sudoku which is treated as its own category).

Creating a complete puzzle taxonomy is challenging. Here at GMPuzzles we limit ourselves to just five logic puzzle categories, but that means our “number” placement term may seem a misnomer when you see logic puzzles with letters or words like our first winner here. At GMPuzzles, whenever a transformation of letters into numbers or other symbols could leave a fundamentally identical puzzle, we consider “Number Placement” to be the proper categorization. That said, this recent Scrabble variant from Murat Can Tonta — despite not yet having a lot of solvers — got a lot of Faves in December.

Our remaining “best” puzzles in this category are more obviously number placement puzzles; all received approximately the same number of votes. First is a classic Skyscrapers puzzle from Tom Collyer with a great solving path.

This Skyscrapers (Sum) variant by Thomas Snyder, part of a New Year’s week highlighting 2014 –> 2015, also received a lot of votes.

Finally, this Kakuro (Hex) from Serkan Yürekli was another of our best Number Placement puzzles of 2015.

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

Theme: Grid Symmetry and Logic (originally prepared as practice for 2015 World Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 102nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Kakuro rules with one addition: the digits in the circled cells must all be different.

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

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: C (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 89th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Kakuro Rules. Also, some cells may remain empty but empty cells cannot share an edge with other empty cells.

Answer String: Enter the values in each white cell in the marked rows from left to right, separating the rows with a comma. Enter a capital X for any blank white cells, and ignore all black cells.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:00, Master = 9:30, Expert = 19:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: P (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 89th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Kakuro Rules.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:45, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: I (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 88th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Kakuro Rules.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 4:45, Expert = 9:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.

Serkan finished this “Giant” puzzle shortly after we started our break. We figured this Gapped Kakuro would be a fun, challenging Sunday Surprise that might take several Sundays to complete.

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

Theme: Sum Time

Author/Opus: This is the 72nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Kakuro Rules. Also, some cells may remain empty but empty cells cannot share an edge with other empty cells.

Answer String: Enter the values in the white cells in the marked rows from left to right, ignoring all black cells, and separating the rows with a comma. Use a capital ‘X’ for any blank cell.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 50:00, Master = 1:30:00, Expert = 3:00:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: The Eye

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

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:00, Master = 11:00, Expert = 22:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.

PDF

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

Theme: Dogbone

Author/Opus: This is the 68th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster 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.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:00, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.