(This post is part of: “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku”.)
Eventually, all sudokus will set themselves. Even given two clear options, it’s still up to the setter to control the paths from getting out of hand. Otherwise, the system might get stuck before finishing.

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: System Halt 1: A Sequence Got Stuck

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Mr.Menace.

Rules: Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each white cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 2 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:15, Master = 2:00, Expert = 4:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for 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.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Twelve Months of Sudoku? post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

In this short episode of Today in Sudoku, Thomas shares the latest news from SudokuCon as well as potentially alarming news at GMPuzzles as we almost had another system crash with Dr. Sudoku, our AI-powered puzzle engine. Who is behind this “near miss” and why? We also give the latest updates on our “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku” series.

Join us every day around 8:45 AM PT to learn about yesterday’s puzzles on the site, other sudoku news, and get a teaser for the new puzzle.

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
The cages here are helpful in telling you the largest number they contain. But how is that enough to provide a unique solution, you ask? Stick to deliberate thinking for long enough and you may just find out.

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)
or solve online (using Penpa-Plus; originally posted as a backup)

Author/Opus: This is the 40th puzzle from Clover, part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) team.

Rules: Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region. Also, the largest number in each cage is given in the upper-left corner of that cage.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 8:00; One party hat (🥳): 16:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: sussy Succinodon.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 4:18, with Penpa Plus replay this time.

Solution: PDF and solving video with explanation from GAS team.

Note: Follow this link for other less common variations of Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Daily GAS discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, REWARD: 1,000,000 📎 (or cash equivalent)

Time for the last AI call after all the AI Sudoku puzzles. Time for “Any Intelligence” to show up and follow this AI to the end. An AI story, if intended for the masses, probably needs to show the defeat of the AI by the hero. But what if this isn’t that kind of story? What if you had a big AI, and were wise enough to be AI of AI things. Like the rich/powerful AI driving lots of AI schemes and wrecking so many things all for their own AI. Our AI character Dr. S might be just a young F??RY in that tale after all. Is it time to reconsider other links from the start of July in a new light?

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Author/Opus: This is the 599.75th/600th puzzle from Thomas Snyder. The missing quarter was posted/is posting/will be posted elsewhere on the internet so you can consider this “unfinished” work “GMP complete” for what you will find here.

Rules: Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 4 stars

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

Solution 1: PDF
Solutions 2+: Withheld for “AP exam”, “GT Auto 5”, “Kath the Muse: If …”, and at least some more that are not on this page but can be confirmed by contacting us and eventually online automatically but not yet. Do confirm answers before wandering too far away. No content before April ’25 or from August ’25 and everything after on GMP will be needed. Future content could provide hints in unexpected ways.

Note: Follow this link for 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.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Twelve Months of Sudoku? post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

In this episode of Today in Sudoku, Thomas discusses how AI is affecting his view of many things including blog discussion and puzzle generation which motivated an unusual project to have a daily sudoku experience with a “serial” story character to it.

See all “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku” posts by clicking that link.

Join us every day around 8:45 AM PT to learn about yesterday’s puzzles on the site, other sudoku news, and get a teaser for the new puzzle.

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
We’re huge fans of this variation that very closely resembles tradition Snyder Notation (except for the cross-region marks). Can you solve this near-classic that is a quite fun puzzle?

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Author/Opus: This is the 18th puzzle from Bill Murphy, part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) team.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules (insert a number from 1 to 9 into each cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region). Also, the numbers given on the edges between cells must belong to one of those two adjacent cells.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 9:00; One party hat (🥳): 18:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Dryer Linheraptor.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 5:32 where, despite these being like TS’ normal notation, not being able to cross out used clues / having circles in SudokuPad really impacted midgame, with SudokuPad replay file shared as a download for now (requires loading via settings menu with improvements expected before people should use this regularly).

Solution: PDF and solving video with explanation from GAS team.

Note: Follow this link for other less common variations of Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Daily GAS discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

(This post is part of: “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku”.)
Our recent experiments with Sudoku generation included many ideas for faster game experiences like this Mini-Sudoku with 4 regions to go. We’re still testing how to automatically package sets of these puzzles together for the mass market.

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Deviously Difficult?

Author/Opus: This is the 599.5th puzzle from Thomas Snyder. (Given our rate of progress, we’ll show off our 600th puzzle by tomorrow!)

Rules: Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each white cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 2.5 stars

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for 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.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Twelve Months of Sudoku? post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

In this subseries of Today in Sudoku, world champion Thomas Snyder speed solves the NYTimes Sudoku for the prior day as well as one of his prior puzzles scrambled so he might not recognize it. Watch him struggle or succeed at these Sudoku while using a new hybrid digital notation you might not recognize called Snyder Notation(TM).

Join us every day around 8:45 AM PT to learn about yesterday’s puzzles on the site, other sudoku news, and get a teaser for the new puzzle.

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
Today, Philip wanted to celebrate the number 43. If you have anything you’d like to share with Philip for this special puzzle, please send those along here or in our Discord.

PDF

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

Theme: Ode to the Number 43

Author/Opus: This is the 21st puzzle from Philip Newman, part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) team.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 5:43; One party hat (🥳): 12:43. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Youthful Yunxianosaurus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 1:44* = incorrect until check, with SudokuPad replay file shared as a download for now (requires loading via settings menu with improvements expected before people should use this regularly).

Solution: PDF and solving video with explanation from GAS team.

Note: Follow this link for more Genuinely Approachable Sudoku puzzles on this site. 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 Sudoku including variations can be found in these books in our e-store. Also, visit this page to purchase all of the puzzles from the 16th World Sudoku Championship including classic Sudoku.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Daily GAS discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

(This post is part of: “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku”.)
Our recent experiments with Sudoku generation included many ideas for faster game experiences like this Mini-Sudoku with 4 regions to go. We’re still testing how to automatically package sets of these puzzles together for the mass market.

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Eye-catching Pattern?

Author/Opus: This is the 599th puzzle from Thomas Snyder. (Given our rate of progress, we’ll show off our 600th puzzle by tomorrow!)

Rules: Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each white cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 2 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:45, Master = 2:15, Expert = 4:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for 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.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Twelve Months of Sudoku? post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.