Pentopia by Prasanna Seshadri

Pentopia by Prasanna Seshadri

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PDF

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

Theme: One-Way Arrows

Author/Opus: This is the 170th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Pentopia rules: Place some of the given pentominoes in the grid so that no pentominoes are in adjacent cells that share an edge or corner. Pentominoes cannot repeat in the grid; rotations and reflections of a pentomino are considered the same shape. The arrow clues indicate all the directions (up, down, left, and right) where the nearest pentominoes are located when looking from that square. (Arrow clues cannot contain pentomino shapes.) Also, see this example:

Pentopia by Prasanna Seshadri

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

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:00, Master = 10:45, Expert = 21:30

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

Note: Follow this link for more Pentopia puzzles and this link for other puzzles involving Pentominoes.

Thermo-Sudoku by Kishore Kumar Sridharan

Thermo-Sudoku by Kishore Kumar Sridharan

PDF

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

Theme: Sun

Author/Opus: This is the 2nd puzzle from guest contributor Kishore Kumar Sridharan.

Rules: Standard Thermo-Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 1st column from top to bottom, followed by a comma, followed by the 4th column from top to bottom.

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

Solution: PDF

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

Slitherlink by Tom Collyer

Slitherlink by Tom Collyer

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: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 38th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Tom Collyer.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules.

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 = 2:15, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Slitherlink. 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 by John Bulten

Tapa by John Bulten

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: 1-5

Author/Opus: This is the 59th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules.

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 = 2:00, Master = 3:15, Expert = 6:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Tapa variations and this link for classic Tapa. 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.

Nanro (Signpost) by Fidel Zapico

Nanro by Fidel Zapico

PDF

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

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor Fidel Zapico.

Rules: Variation of Nanro.

Label some cells with numbers to form a single connected group of labeled cells. No 2×2 group of cells may be fully labeled. Each number must be equal to the total count of labeled cells in that bold region, and all bold regions contain at least one labeled cell. The given numbers indicate how many cells are labeled in that region (but not necessarily which cells are labeled). When two numbers are orthogonally adjacent across a region boundary, the numbers must be different.

Also see this example:

Nanro (Signpost) Example by Thomas Snyder

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the segments labeled with numbers 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 = 1:40, Master = 2:10, Expert = 4:20

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for Nanro puzzles on this website and this link for variations on Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Nanro Puzzles to get started on. More Nanro puzzles can be found in A Number o’ Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri.

Masyu by William Hu

Masyu by William Hu

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Twin Streaks

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd puzzle from guest contributor William Hu.

Rules: Standard Masyu rules.

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 = 0:40, Master = 1:00, Expert = 2:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Masyu. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Masyu to get started on. More Masyu puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles and in our beginner-friendly book Logic Puzzles 101.

Balance Loop by Serkan Yürekli [Bonus]

Our subscribers receive access to bonus puzzles each week. We make these posts so those supporters have a space to comment on these puzzles, mark as FAVES, or log their solving. If you are interested in subscribing, click here for more info.

Balance Loop by Serkan Yürekli

Theme: Tulip

Author/Opus: This is the 224th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Balance Loop rules.

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 = 1:30, Master = 2:15, Expert = 4:30

Note: Follow this link for other Balance Loop puzzles and this link for other less common Loop variations. More Balance Loops can be found in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

Schedule for Next Week

Our most recent week of sample puzzles from the book Intro to GMPuzzles can be found in this PDF. Find more info on this beginner-friendly title on this page, including PDF purchasing options. We are still working on a future soft-cover release of this book.

This coming week features another variety mix of puzzles from some guest authors and our puzzlemasters.

This week, our subscribers are getting early access to the full week of puzzles, a video walkthrough of the Saturday puzzle, as well as images of the puzzle solutions. Master+ subscribers to the site are getting a bonus Balance Loop by Serkan Yürekli and a bonus Pentatouch by Murat Can Tonta. If you want to become a subscriber and get access to bonus puzzles, solutions, e-books, and other rewards, check out this page.

Balance Loop by Serkan Yürekli

Balance Loop by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Occupants (This is a sample puzzle from the new beginner-friendly book: Intro to GMPuzzles)

Author/Opus: This is the 223rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Balance Loop rules.

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 = 0:45, Master = 1:05, Expert = 2:10

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Balance Loop puzzles and this link for other less common Loop variations. More Balance Loops can be found in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

Castle Wall by Serkan Yürekli

Castle Wall by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Same Direction (This is a sample puzzle from the new beginner-friendly book: Intro to GMPuzzles)

Author/Opus: This is the 222nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Castle Wall rules.

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 = 0:50, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more Castle Wall puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Castle Wall puzzles to get started on. More Castle Wall puzzles can be found in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles as well as the larger collection Castle Wall, both by Serkan Yürekli.