PDF

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

Theme: R is for Randy (for patron Randy Rogers)

Author/Opus: This is the 120th 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 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 = 4:30, Master = 5:45, Expert = 11:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.

(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.

PDF

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

Theme: Half and Half

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor Walker Anderson.

Rules: Combination of Masyu and Battleships rules. Start with standard Masyu rules. All empty cells not occupied by the Masyu loop will belong to the fleet of ships given below the grid. The whole fleet must be placed in the grid; ships cannot touch each other, not even diagonally.

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 = 2:30, Master = 4:30, Expert = 9:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other variations of Masyu and this link for classic Masyu. Follow this link for more variations on Battleships and this link for classic Battleships.

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: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 131st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: (Variation of Cave/Shading Puzzles). Shade some empty cells black to create a single connected group. Cells with numbers cannot be shaded, and the shaded cells cannot form a 2×2 square anywhere in the grid. Each numbered cell indicates the total count of shaded cells connected vertically and horizontally to that numbered cell.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 8:00, Master = 11:00, Expert = 22:00

Solution: PDF

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

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 37th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: (Variation of Cave/Shading Puzzles). Shade some empty cells black to create a single connected group. Cells with numbers cannot be shaded, and the shaded cells cannot form a 2×2 square anywhere in the grid. Each numbered cell indicates the total count of shaded cells connected vertically and horizontally to that numbered cell.

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:30, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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

This shading puzzle variation was created by Prasanna Seshadri and first appeared on the 2014 USPC.

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: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 130th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: (Variation of Cave/Shading Puzzles). Shade some empty cells black to create a single connected group. Cells with numbers cannot be shaded, and the shaded cells cannot form a 2×2 square anywhere in the grid. Each numbered cell indicates the total count of shaded cells connected vertically and horizontally to that numbered cell.

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

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

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 118th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: In this puzzle, the symbols represent a Rock Paper Scissors game (as expected: rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock). Divide the grid into connected regions so that every cell belongs to one region and each region contains exactly two kinds of symbols. In each region there must be only one “winning” symbol and two or more “losing” symbols.

Or see this example:

Answer String: (similar to Fillomino): For each cell in the marked rows, enter the area of the region it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number, and separate the rows by a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:30, Master = 7:45, Expert = 15:30

Solution: PDF

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 117th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: In this puzzle, the symbols represent a Rock Paper Scissors game (as expected: rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock). Divide the grid into connected regions so that every cell belongs to one region and each region contains exactly two kinds of symbols. In each region there must be only one “winning” symbol and two or more “losing” symbols.

Or see this example:

Answer String: (similar to Fillomino): For each cell in the marked rows, enter the area of the region it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number, and separate the rows by a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 7:00, Expert = 14:00

Solution: PDF

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 116th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: In this puzzle, the symbols represent a Rock Paper Scissors game (as expected: rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock). Divide the grid into connected regions so that every cell belongs to one region and each region contains exactly two kinds of symbols. In each region there must be only one “winning” symbol and two or more “losing” symbols.

Or see this example:

Answer String: (similar to Fillomino): For each cell in the marked rows, enter the area of the region it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number, and separate the rows by a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:15, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF

PDF

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

Theme: RANDY (for patron Randy Rogers)

Author/Opus: This is the 112th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Kakuro and Easy as ABC. Enter a single digit from 1 to 9 or letter from R, A, N, D, Y into each cell so that each full row and column contains each letter exactly once. A number clue indicates the sum of the digits in the across or down entry. No digit is repeated within an entry (but digits may repeat within a full row or column). A letter clue indicates the first letter seen from that direction after the clue. (For clarity, all letter and number clues point down or right except for the letter clues on the bottom/right edges of the entire grid which point up/left.)

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 and USE CAPITAL LETTERS.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 25:00, Master = 42:30, Expert = 1:25:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.