(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
The GAS team was challenged to do a puzzle with a negative constraint, so today’s puzzle is an Anti-Knight Sudoku. (A not-GAS first attempt is also provided as a bonus!)

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Bonus (more difficult, not-GAS)

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: engy’s Negativity 2-ur

Author/Opus: This is the 99th puzzle from Philip Newman, 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, numbers cannot repeat in any cells separated by a chess knight’s move.

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:41 and 6:16, with main replay and bonus replayshared as a download for now (requires loading via settings menu with improvements expected before people should use this regularly).

Solution: PDF, bonus 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 the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
Another lines variant by Bill with a somewhat familiar theme? Will the Entropic Lines be just an “M” for Mini challenge today or will they be something harder?

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: M is for Mini

Author/Opus: This is the 96th 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). Numbers along peach lines (entropic lines) must form a repeating cycle of L = Low (1, 2, 3), M = Medium (4, 5, 6), and H = High (7, 8, 9) numbers like …LMHLMH… or …LHMLHM….

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 8:30; One party hat (🥳): 16:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Barnacleboy’s Bagaceratops.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 5:35, 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 the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
In this curious variation on Consecutive Sudoku puzzles, the outside numbers indicate how many pairs of digits must have consecutive values where “0” means the row is nonconsecutive.

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Theme: Countsecutive

Author/Opus: This is the 117th puzzle from Clover, 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). Clues outside the grid indicate the number of pairs of adjacent consecutive numbers in that row or column.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 8:00; One party hat (🥳): 15:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: zeroed Zanabazar.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 3:08, 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.

Today, in our roles as Principal Puzzlemaster (Thomas) and puzzle providers (Serkan and others) for LinkedIn, we’ve supported the launch of their 7th game: Patches.

Patches is a region division puzzle with traits of Shikaku and Tatamibari, with the design potential to lean into different amounts of “shape” and “size” clues as we explore the game. If you already know both puzzle styles, you’ll probably breeze through the first few puzzles but keep watching for more challenging grids. We’re quite excited for the puzzles we can make under the Patches rule set.

For the aspiring puzzlemasters in the audience, this Gametime article on LinkedIn explains our design process for this game which started about 18 months ago. The image below comes from our earliest Patches grid (after prototyping several other Shikaku variations) through to final app and solution.

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
Today’s Sequence Lines Sudoku is just what the doctor ordered.

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Theme: Easy As 17-42-67

Author/Opus: This is the 98th puzzle from Philip Newman, 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, an arithmetic series must be formed along each line so that numbers in adjacent cells have the same difference. Different lines may have different common differences. (For example, a sequence line could be 1-2-3-4 (difference of 1), 1-5-9 (difference of 4), or even 5-5-5 (difference of 0) if it obeys other Sudoku rules.)

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 6:54; One party hat (🥳): 13:57. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Ordered Ornithopsis.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 3:02, 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; solving video with explanation to be added later 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 the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
This the second time we’ve posted this variant (this link will help detect its twin). Can you make all the sums work out as marked?

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Author/Opus: This is the 95th 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). Arrows in the grid indicate that there is a run of cells in the given direction that sums to the number in the cell containing the arrow, starting from the first cell seen by the arrow. Not all arrows are given. (E.g., because R3C7 has a left arrow, either R3C6, R3C6 + R3C5, or R3C6 + R3C5 + R3C4 must sum to the value in R3C7 = 8.)

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 7:00; One party hat (🥳): 13:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Lengthened Liliensternus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:33, 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 the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
This Renban pattern evokes a “soundwave” with noise emanating from the center. Can you find the sound logic to reach the solution?

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Theme: Soundwave

Author/Opus: This is the 116th puzzle from Clover, 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). Numbers along each line must form a non-repeating consecutive set, in any order. (For example, a 4-cell Renban line could be 4352, but not 5679 or 2312.)

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 6:00; One party hat (🥳): 11:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: loud Lophostropheus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 1:52, 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 the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
Today’s GAS is an XV Pairs Sudoku, focusing on sums of 10 and 5. So why is it in the shape of… a 2? [II, Captain.]

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Theme: A 2?

Author/Opus: This is the 97th puzzle from Philip Newman, 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). Whenever an X or V, reflecting the Roman numerals for 10 or 5, is placed on the edge between cells, the numbers in the two adjacent cells must sum to exactly 10 or 5. (Pairs of cells without an X or V mark can have any sum value.)

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 8:02; One party hat (🥳): 18:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Nifty Nebulasaurus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 4:15, 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; solving video with explanation to be added later 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.

[Editor’s Note / context: For those looking for more puzzles here besides Sudoku, we still don’t have new plans for this year. We need more focus on the large efforts we have underway and in general that still means on Sudoku and staying healthy until we can grow the team. But as editors, we too miss the unexpected submissions that surprise and delight.]
[Now you can’t just commission a “museum series” of unforgettable grids, but we were delighted by what happened here. A few months ago Thomas shared a photo (far below) he takes every time he visits the Philadelphia Museum of Art, thinking this grid by Mondrian will always deserve a puzzle when he can get to it. Without expectation of anything appearing, Martin delivered a tremendous fit for the grid, that used its elements fully, that added its own theme with just three kinds of givens that left us a bit shocked. We’re pleased to share now as a bonus for all to enjoy.]

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

Author/Opus: This is the 18th puzzle from guest contributor Martin Ender.

Rules: Label some cells with numbers to form a single connected group of labeled cells; no gridpoint is entirely surrounded by numbered cells. Each bold region must contain at least one labeled cell. Each number (including any given numbers) must equal the total count of labeled cells in that region. Two cells containing the same number may not share a thick border.

Difficulty: 4 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 10:00, Master = 25:00, Expert = 50:00

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

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.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our General Blog Puzzle Discussion on the GMPuzzles Discord.

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
This Thermo-Sudoku may draw your eyes with its pattern but you’ll have to carefully place the numbers to get to the one solution.

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Theme: Mangekyō

Author/Opus: This is the 94th puzzle from Bill Murphy, part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) team.

Rules: Standard Thermo-Sudoku rules. (Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region. Some thermometer shapes are in the grid; numbers must be strictly increasing from the round bulb to the flat end.)

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 7:00; One party hat (🥳): 13:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Subs not Dubreuillosaurus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 3:14, 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 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 these books in our e-store. Also, visit this page to purchase all of the puzzles from the 16th World Sudoku Championship including some Thermo-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.