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Theme: Cutting Corners

Author/Opus: This is the 337th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per row, column, and region.

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 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 collection Intro to GMPuzzles 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 linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Knight Steps

Author/Opus: This is the 15th puzzle from our new contributing puzzlemaster JinHoo Ahn.

Rules: Variation of Cave rules. Instead of their usual meaning, interior clues indicate the number of shaded cells in neighboring cells, including diagonally adjacent cells. Cells with numbers cannot be shaded.

See also this example:

Difficulty: 3 stars

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

Solution: PDF; a solution video (with info on an Easter Egg for this puzzle) is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for other 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.

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Theme: Double X

Author/Opus: This is the 14th puzzle from our new contributing puzzlemaster JinHoo Ahn.

Rules: Variation of Arrow Sudoku rules. Instead of the usual meaning, the digit in the circled cell of each arrow must equal the product of the digits along the path.

Difficulty: 3 stars

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

Solution: PDF; a solution video (with info on an Easter Egg for this puzzle) is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for more Arrow Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Arrow Sudoku to get started on. More Arrow Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku 2 and Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 3.

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Theme: The Eye

Author/Opus: This is the 316th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Kurotto rules.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:00, Master = 5:30, Expert = 11:00

Solution: PDF

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

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Theme: Quarters

Author/Opus: This is the 196th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Kurotto rules. Also, ALL circles that share a shaded group with at least one other circle are given in gray.

See also this example:

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:15, Master = 3:15, Expert = 6:30

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

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

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 shading mode.)

Theme: For U

Author/Opus: This is the 314th puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Araf rules. Also, there may not be four consecutive cells that are part of a region in any row or column.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

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.

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 shading mode.)

Theme: Growing Up

Author/Opus: This is the 373rd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Variation of Araf rules. Divide the grid into some regions formed of edge-adjacent squares. Each cell is part of one region, and each region should contain exactly two given numbers, one in a yellow circle (>) and one in a red circle (<). Each region must have an area that is strictly between the two inequality values.

Difficulty: 2 stars

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

Solution: PDF

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.

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

Theme: Double S

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor R. Kumaresan.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 6:45, Expert = 13:30

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.

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Theme: Turnstile

Author/Opus: This is the 9th puzzle from guest contributor Rajesh Kumar.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

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.

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Theme: 2021

Author/Opus: This is the 370th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard TomTom rules, using the integers 1-7.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 4:15, Expert = 8:30

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.