PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; in composite Star Battle mode a left click places a star, right click in a cell marks off the cell, and a right click on an edge or vertex marks in a dot as a placement note.)

Theme: Parallelograms

Author/Opus: This is the 48th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster JinHoo Ahn.

Rules: Fill some cells with stars so that each row (in a horizontal or either of two diagonal directions) and bold region contains the indicated number of stars. Stars cannot be placed in adjacent cells that share an edge.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:50, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: 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 books Star Battle by JinHoo Ahn and Star Battle 2 by JinHoo Ahn and Murat Can Tonta, and in our beginner-friendly collections Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli and Starter Pack 5: Star Battle by JinHoo Ahn.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode, a circle entry 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: Blind Spots

Author/Opus: This is the 16th puzzle from guest contributor Zoltán Horváth.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, each row and each column must contain N black holes on the Tapa wall. For the purposes of surrounding clues, a cell with a black hole counts as M consecutive shaded cells instead of 1. (If M equals zero, a cell with a black hole does not divide the group of shaded cells around a clue into different shaded groups; that cell is simply not counted.) Black holes may touch each other.

Or see here:

Difficulty: 4 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:00, Master = 13:30, Expert = 27:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for classic Tapa and this link for Tapa variations. 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, in Tapa and Variations 1 and 2, and in our beginner-friendly books Intro to GMPuzzles and Starter Pack 2: Tapa, all by Serkan Yürekli.

PDF

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: Singularity at the Black Hole

Author/Opus: This is the 368th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Tapa rules. The clue numbers refer to the groups of unshaded segments around that cell. Cells with numbers count as unshaded cells for adjacent clues. All other rules for the shaded Tapa are the same as usual.

Or see here:

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

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

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for classic Tapa and this link for Tapa variations. 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, in Tapa and Variations 1 and 2, and in our beginner-friendly books Intro to GMPuzzles and Starter Pack 2: Tapa, all by Serkan Yürekli.

PDF

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

Theme: Am I Seeing Double?

Author/Opus: This is the 92nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Ashish Kumar.

Rules: Variation of Skyscrapers; each clue represents the sum of the heights of the visible buildings in that direction.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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.

Since 2021, we have posted 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 of 2022 is a combination of Arrow Sudoku and Thermo-Sudoku by Jonas Gleim.

PDF

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

Theme: Compass

Author/Opus: This is the 12th puzzle from guest contributor Jonas Gleim.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku and Thermo-Sudoku rules.

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 18:00, Master = 25:00, Expert = 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.

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 to mark inside and outside of loop.)

Theme: Centered Squares

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor Matej Uher.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. 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 = 11:00, Master = 16:00, Expert = 32:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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: L’s

Author/Opus: This is the 223rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules, but any two consecutive line segments cannot have the same length (i.e., on both sides of any turn, the loop must travel different lengths).

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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 shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Powers of Two

Author/Opus: This is the 411th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Variation of Cave rules. Each clue represents the product of the number of row cells visible (including the cell itself) with the number of column cells visible (including the cell itself).

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 5:45, Expert = 11:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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

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: Central Diamond

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Chandrachud Nanduri.

Rules: Standard Cave rules. (The puzzle is on a hexagonal grid and cells now see in a maximum of six possible directions.)

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:00, Master = 6:15, Expert = 12:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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

Since 2021, we have posted 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 of 2022 is a Statue Park variation with Tapa-style clues by puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: 4×4 Matrix

Author/Opus: This is the 232nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Statue Park rules, using a double pentomino set. Number clues are equivalent to white circles and cannot be shaded. Also, number clues behave like Tapa clues and indicate the length(s) of consecutive shaded block(s) in the neighboring cells. Each question mark represents a positive integer.

See also this example:

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 20:30, Master = 32:00, Expert = 1:04:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Statue Park and this link for Statue Park variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Statue Parks to get started on. More Statue Park puzzles can be found in the ebook Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta.