PDF

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

Theme: Mini Hexes

Author/Opus: This is the 384th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Variation of LITS. Shade exactly four cells in each outlined region to form an S, L, I, C, or Y tetrahex. When all regions have been shaded, the following conditions must be true:
1) All shaded cells will be connected through a network of adjacent shaded cells;
2) No three shaded cells will share a common vertex;
3) When two tetrahexes share an edge in adjacent regions, they must not be the same type (S, L, I, C, or Y), regardless of potential rotations or reflections.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:00, Master = 8:00, Expert = 16:00

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

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on. More LITS puzzles can be found in LOTS O’ LITS by Grant Fikes and Prasanna Seshadri, in The Art of Puzzles 2, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

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

Theme: Diamond

Author/Opus: This is the 19th puzzle from guest contributor Bryce Herdt.

Rules: Draw a single, non-intersecting loop that passes through all cells. The loop must form a 60 degree angle in all the cells with black circles, a 120 degree angle in all the cells with gray circles, and a 180 degree angle (straight segment) in all the cells with white circles.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

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

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

Note: Follow this link for other Loop/Path puzzles.

PDF

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: Cyclops

Author/Opus: This is the 24th puzzle from guest contributor Joseph Howard.

Rules: Divide the grid into tetrahexes (four-cell regions) so that no two tetrahexes of the same shape (including rotations/reflections) share an edge. A cell with a letter in it must be part of the tetrahex shape normally associated with that letter. An inventory of tetrahexes is given below the puzzle but not all shapes must be used.

Difficulty: 2 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:30, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also 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. More Pentominous puzzles can be found in the Plenty o’ Pentominous series by Grant Fikes and Murat Can Tonta and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

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

Theme: Capsules

Author/Opus: This is the 331st puzzle from our managing editor 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.

Difficulty: 1 star

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:40, Master = 1:15, Expert = 2:30

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

Note: Follow this link for classic Kakuro and this link for Kakuro variations. More Kakuro puzzles can be found in Kakuro and Variations by Serkan Yürekli and in The Art of Puzzles 2.

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 fifth Sunday Stumper is a TomTom puzzle with encoded cage clues.

PDF

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

Theme: Father’s Day

Author/Opus: This is the 320th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard TomTom rules, using the integers 1-9. Also, the letters F, A, T, H, E, R, S, D, Y represent different digits from 0-9. Identify which letters stand for which digits and then solve the TomTom. Multi-digit clues cannot start with a 0. (Note: The /S cage is a division cage with value “S”; the slash sign is used instead of the normal division symbol for aesthetic purposes.)

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 50:00, Master = 1:15:00, Expert = 2:30:00

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

Note: Follow this link for classic TomTom and this link for TomTom variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest TomTom to get started on. More TomTom puzzles can be found in the TomTom 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)

Theme: One-Two Punch

Author/Opus: This is the 16th puzzle from guest contributor Dan Katz.

Rules: Standard TomTom rules, using the integers 1-6. Additionally, no clue numbers are given for the cages, but clue numbers are given for adjacent pairs of cages. For each clue number, it must be possible to apply one operation to the digits in the first cage, a different operation to the digits in the second cage, and a third operation (different from the first two) to the two cage results to obtain the given clue number.

See also this example:

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:15, Master = 17:30, Expert = 35:00

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

Note: Follow this link for classic TomTom and this link for TomTom variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest TomTom to get started on. More TomTom puzzles can be found in the TomTom 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; tab key alternates between Yajilin solving tool and a gray arrow mode which can be used to mark over some of the clues)

Theme: Stretching the Circle

Author/Opus: This is the 329th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Yajilin rules. Numbers indicate the total number of blackened cells in one of the two directions pointed to by arrows. Numbers do not give any information about the other direction indicated by the arrows.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30

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

Note: Follow this link for classic Yajilin and this link for Yajilin variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Yajilin to get started on. More Yajilin puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles 2, in Yajilin by Murat Can Tonta and Prasanna Seshadri, 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 ship placement and shading modes. In ship placement mode, right click gives sea, left click gives circle/square, left click and drag for rounded ships.)

Theme: Consecutive Sets

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

Rules: Variation of standard Battleships rules. Instead of exterior clues, clues inside the grid indicate the number of adjacent squares, including diagonally adjacent squares, containing ship segments. Ships do not sit on cells with numbers. Use the indicated fleet.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 7:15, Expert = 14:30

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

Note: Follow this link for classic Battleships and this link for Battleships variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Battleships to get started on. More Battleships puzzles can be found in Battleships and Variations, 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 alternate between a composite mode for line/edge drawing, a number entry mode, and shading for this variation.)

Theme: Siege

Author/Opus: This is the 327th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Fillomino rules. Also, it must be possible to shade some polyominoes black so that no bordering polyominoes are the same color (in other words, the grid must allow a two-color shading).

See also this example:

Difficulty: 4 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:30, Master = 10:30, Expert = 21:00

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

Note: Follow this link for classic Fillomino and this link for Fillomino variations. 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, in Fill o’ Fillomino and Fill o’ Fillomino 2 by Grant Fikes, and in our beginner-friendly books Logic Puzzles 101 and Starter Pack 1: Fillomino.

PDF

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: Surrounded

Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor Takeya Saikachi.

Rules: Variation of Fillomino. The size of all polyominoes must be 1, 2, or 3.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 3:45, Expert = 7:30

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

Note: Follow this link for classic Fillomino and this link for Fillomino variations. 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, in Fill o’ Fillomino and Fill o’ Fillomino 2 by Grant Fikes, and in our beginner-friendly books Logic Puzzles 101 and Starter Pack 1: Fillomino.