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 fourth Sunday Stumper is a Slitherlink puzzle with two variant rules added to it.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; in default edgexoi mode: left-click+drag draws line, right click marks X on edge, clicking inside a cell alternates color to yellow then green then white; hitting tab will alternate to a number entry mode that can be used to write over the letter clues and hitting tab again will go back to edgexoi.)

Theme: From Here to Maternity

Author/Opus: This is the 78th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. The letters A, M, O, and Y stand for different digits from 0 – 3. Also, an even number of cells in each row and in each column must be inside the loop.

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 17:30, Master = 25:00, Expert = 50:00

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

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

PDF

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

Theme: Clock

Author/Opus: This is the 74th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, an even number of cells in each row and in each column must be inside the loop.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

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

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

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s and a number-entry mode)

Theme: Conjunction T

Author/Opus: This is the 286th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, enter a number from 0 to 3 into each gray cell as additional Slitherlink clues. Numbers in the gray cells cannot repeat in any row, column, or gray tetrominoes.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:45, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Antisymmetry

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd puzzle from guest contributor Fatih Kamer Anda.

Rules: Standard Masyu rules, combined with standard Slitherlink 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 Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 4:00, Expert = 8:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: S for Slitherlink

Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor Freddie Hand.

Rules: Variation of Slitherlink rules. Draw a set of eleven pentomino-shaped loops (i.e., all but one of the given shapes) consisting of vertical and horizontal segments between the dots. Numbers inside a cell indicate how many of the edges of that cell are part of the loops. The pentomino-shaped loops cannot be in adjacent cells that share an edge or corner, and may be rotated or reflected.

See also this example:

Answer String: For each marked row, enter the length in cells of each connected group inside the loops from left to right. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Slitherlink variations and this link for classic Slitherlink. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Slitherlink puzzles to get started on. More Slitherlink puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, Slitherlink and Variations, and our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

Theme: Road Trip across America

Author/Opus: This is the 173rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules, on an irregular grid that can only follow the lines. Ignore the gray letters while solving.

Answer String: Enter the values (number of fences) for the light letters A-G in order.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:45, Master = 12:00, Expert = 24:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic (for Veep)

Author/Opus: This is the 141st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Slitherlink rules. The loop may now intersect itself at a point (it still may not coincide anywhere). At any dot at which more than 2 segments meet, the segments must all travel straight through the dot. This example may help:

Answer String: For each marked row, enter the length in cells of each connected group inside the loop from left to right. Separate each row’s entry with a comma. Shading the loop so that each fence separates a shaded/unshaded cell can help identify what is inside. For the example, the answer would be “11,12”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 6:00, Expert = 12:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 138th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, an even number of cells in each row and in each column must be inside the loop.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments following the arrows for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:30, Master = 6:15, Expert = 12:30

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s and a number entry mode)

Theme: Letters In This Slitherlink

Author/Opus: This is the 217th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, the letters I, L, S, and T stand for different digits from 0 – 3.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments following the arrows for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

Solution: PDF

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

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: Chess (pattern of squares, and the large numbers equal the number of letters in respective chess pieces)

Author/Opus: This is the 6th puzzle from guest contributor Bryce Herdt.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, there are some large shaded squares. The loop cannot pass through the interior of these squares. Numbers in the large squares indicate the count of unit cell segments used around that square (a maximum of 8).

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:45, Master = 11:00, Expert = 22:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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