Skyscrapers (Anti-Knight) by Freddie Hand

Skyscrapers by Freddie Hand

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

Theme: Groups

Author/Opus: This is the 12th puzzle from guest contributor Freddie Hand.

Rules: Standard Skyscrapers rules. Also, digits cannot repeat in any cells separated by a chess knight’s move.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 4:00, Expert = 8:00

Solution: PDF

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.

Wordoku by Grant Fikes

Wordoku by Grant Fikes

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

Theme: RHYTHM HEAVEN

Author/Opus: This is the 325th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Variation of Sudoku rules. Instead of the digits 1-9, use the letters in “RYTM HEAVN”

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:30, Master = 6:15, Expert = 12:30

Solution: PDF

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.

Snake (Graffiti) by Prasanna Seshadri

Snake (Graffiti) by Prasanna Seshadri

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or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools using a composite mode where left click inside cell shades square, left click + drag draws line segment, right click inside cell adds dot, and right click on cell edge adds an x.)

Author/Opus: This is the 183rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Blacken some cells to leave behind a snake (a 1-cell wide path) in white cells that doesn’t touch itself, not even diagonally. All white cells must be part of the snake with the head and tail given in the grid. Outside clues indicate the size of all groups of blackened cells in that row or column in order. There must be at least one white cell between each of these groups. When no clues are given, any number of cells may be shaded in that row/column.

Difficulty: 3 stars

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

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

Note: Follow this link for other Snake puzzles.

Araf (Different Neighbors) by Serkan Yürekli

Araf by Serkan Yürekli

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or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools with a composite mode for line/edge drawing.)

Theme: Rooms

Author/Opus: This is the 292nd puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Araf rules. Also, no two regions with the same size can share an edge. (Note: this is the same rule as in Fillomino puzzles where no equal size polyominoes can touch.)

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 9:15, Master = 16:00, Expert = 32:00

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

Note: Follow this link for more Araf puzzles on this website. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Araf Puzzles to get started on. More Araf puzzles can be found in the ebook Araf by Serkan Yürekli.

Masyu (Battleships) by Fatih Kamer Anda

Masyu Battleships by Fatih Kamer Anda

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or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab key to alternate between loop drawing and shading modes.)

Theme: Antisymmetry

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor Fatih Kamer Anda.

Rules: Combination of Masyu and Battleships. Standard Masyu rules. All empty cells not occupied by the Masyu loop will belong to the fleet of ships given below. The whole fleet must be placed in the grid; different ships cannot be placed in adjacent cells that share an edge or corner.

Difficulty: 4 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:30, Master = 10:00, Expert = 20:00

Solution: PDF

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.

Yajilin Battleships by Freddie Hand

Yajilin Battleships by Freddie Hand

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or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between Battleships placement and line drawing modes.)

Theme: Destroyers

Author/Opus: This is the 10th puzzle from guest contributor Freddie Hand.

Rules: Variation of Battleships and Yajilin. The whole fleet must be placed in the grid; different ships cannot be placed in adjacent cells that share an edge or corner. The grid contains internal clues (a number and an arrow) that show how many ship segments are in the indicated direction. All remaining white cells that do not contain a ship segment must be able to form a single loop, as in a Yajilin puzzle.

Difficulty: 3 stars

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

Solution: PDF

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.

Kakuro (Double) by Serkan Yürekli

Kakuro by Serkan Yürekli

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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: Stuck

Author/Opus: This is the 287th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Kakuro. The gray (2×2) cells are to be filled by a single digit which sits in multiple rows and columns. No digits can repeat within an entry, regardless of if it is in a small or large cell.

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 11:00, Master = 15:30, Expert = 31:00

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.

Slitherlink (Sudoku) by Serkan Yürekli

Slitherlink by Serkan Yürekli

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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.

Tapa (Double) by Serkan Yürekli

Tapa (Double) by Serkan Yürekli

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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: Prisoner

Author/Opus: This is the 285th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Additionally, shade two separate Tapa walls that do not overlap or cross each other. All digits in a clue cell refer to the shading of just one Tapa wall within the puzzle and provide no information on the shading of the other wall around that clue.

See also this example:

Tapa (Double) by Serkan Yürekli

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 11:45, Expert = 23:30

Solution: PDF

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, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles, all by Serkan Yürekli.

Tapa (Skyscrapers) by Freddie Hand

Tapa by Freddie Hand

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: The Silence of the Tapa

Author/Opus: This is the 8th puzzle from guest contributor Freddie Hand.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, numbers outside the grid show the number of separate wall segments visible in that direction. A segment of length N in a given direction is taken as a building of height N. Buildings of height N block the view of all buildings behind them of equal or lesser height.

See also this example:

Tapa (Skyscrapers) by Serkan Yürekli

Difficulty: 4.5 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 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, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles, all by Serkan Yürekli.