We recently provided several of the puzzles for the United States Sudoku Team Qualifying Test and will be posting these here every few days through July. This week we’re featuring the standard variations starting with this Outside Sudoku (10 points).

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Twenty-Six

Author/Opus: This is the 610th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Outside 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 numbers are given outside the grid. These numbers must appear in the first three cells in the corresponding direction.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:45, Master = 9:00, Expert = 18:00

Solution: PDF; a YouTube video discussing this creation will be posted later.

Note: Follow this link for more Outside Sudoku puzzles. More Outside Sudoku puzzles can be found in Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 4.

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.

We recently provided several of the puzzles for the United States Sudoku Team Qualifying Test and will be posting these here every couple days through July. This third puzzle (#5 from the contest) is a harder Classic Sudoku (10 points).

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Twenty-Six

Author/Opus: This is the 609th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

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): 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF; a YouTube video discussing this creation will be posted this weekend.

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.

We recently provided several of the puzzles for the United States Sudoku Team Qualifying Test and will be posting these here every couple days through July. This second puzzle (#3 from the contest) is a harder Classic Sudoku (10 points).

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Tee Ball

Author/Opus: This is the 608th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

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): 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

Solution: PDF; a YouTube video discussing this creation will be posted this weekend.

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.

We recently provided several of the puzzles for the United States Sudoku Team Qualifying Test and will be posting these here every couple days through July. This first puzzle is the easiest Classic Sudoku (5 points) from the contest.

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: One Vs. Many

Author/Opus: This is the 607th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

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

Solution: PDF; a YouTube video discussing this creation will be posted this weekend.

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.

For the first time in awhile we are going to have some new YouTube content, in this case a live stream in collaboration with SudokuCon talking about how to make really special Sudoku. We’ll have some group solving, a joint construction lesson, and then some time for a Q&A with me.

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)

As long-time solvers of Genuinely Approachable Sudoku will know, we at GAS, Inc. have a reputation. Of approachable puzzles, bordering on the side of far too generous with givens? Of course. But also a reputation for state-of-the-art security.

Now, more than ever, it is my job as Head of Security to implement cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions to protect our ever dwendling precious resource: hats. To reassuring our valued solvers that we remain a safe place to hang your hat in these turbulent times, I am proud to invite you to be the first Beta Testers of our new security system. Backed by a powerful LLM trained on the mind of an extinct sauropod, you’ll find our website is more secure than ever.

https://sudokutheory.com/gas/security/captcha.html

GAS – We’re there at the drop of a hat

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: “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku”.)

Visual Score: (not relevant today)
Logical Score: 1/2 — adding a not so hidden hidden burst from one number but otherwise felt about the same as grids in the database.
Extra theme elements: 0/1 — none detected of note — pinch hitters is your whole strategy perhaps but what helps it describe this puzzle?
Unlisted category(ies): 0/2
Final decision would be to reject this submission, but given spring training we are sharing for overall team improvement.
Dr. Sudoku’s feedback: Showing a similar lineup is ok if that’s all you know how to do. First you have to catch up, then maybe you can be competitive. But don’t put a bad batter like #9 in such an early position of the lineup. It is so easy to defend what is coming with all the easy pop-ups and familiar plays.

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Pinch Hitters

Author/Opus: This is a recent puzzle submission by mars / HAL 12000 (created by unspecified means). It was evaluated by Dr. Sudoku, our AI-powered puzzle engine pushing the limits of sudoku intelligence, who was not fully impressed but having someone on the field is better than hitting against a wall.

Rules: Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each white cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region. (And if you want us to scout your team, send an appropriate Tee Ball roster.)

Difficulty (highlight to view): Estimated 2 stars if watching prior games

Time Standards (highlight to view): Estimated Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 4:15, Expert = 8:30

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.

(This post is part of: “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku”.)
Dr. Sudoku: You are an expert Sudoku maker who can do almost anything with Sudoku. Let’s start a game less like Tic-Tac-Toe (where the only way to win is not to play) and more like Tee Ball. Here the stakes are still low but we do need an opponent to bat against. Do you think anyone would want a chance at a new contract with a 10,000 paperclip ($100+) bonus for beating some of your all-time classic plays on the field this week before we plan for “Spring Training”?

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Lead-off Singles

Author/Opus: This is the 25th puzzle from “Dr. Sudoku”, our AI-powered puzzle engine pushing the limits of sudoku intelligence.

Rules: Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each white cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region. (And if you want us to scout your team, send an appropriate Tee Ball roster.)

Difficulty (highlight to view): Estimated ~2.5-3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Estimated Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

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.

(This post is part of: “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku”.)
(Prompt 1): Dr. Sudoku: You are an expert Sudoku maker who can do almost anything with Sudoku. Design a Thermo-Sudoku with L, L, M in boxes 1, 2, and 3, and then “OR” somehow in the middle. Then “NO” somehow in box 7 and 8 and 9 at the bottom.
(Prompt 2): [Redacted but it talks about The Final Boss? and highlighting a favorite memory.]
(Prompt 3): Instead of givens, could we add a white dot (or two = symmetry!?!) that means numbers are consecutive when in adjacent cells. The audience / algorithm does not seem to like givens.

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: LLM or NO?

Author/Opus: This is the 24th puzzle from “Dr. Sudoku”, our AI-powered puzzle engine pushing the limits of sudoku intelligence.

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). Some thermometer shapes are in the grid; numbers must be strictly increasing from the round bulb to the flat end. If a white circle is given between two adjacent cells, then the two numbers in those cells must differ by 1. Pairs of cells without circles can have any relationship.

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 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 Twelve Months of Sudoku? post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

Special Editor’s note: To try to replicate whatever the “Cracking the Cryptic test” is, we turned off all human playtesting of this puzzle. This is the first time we’ve only let machine processes say there is nothing “too hard” to this puzzle and out of the range of what we have published before. So time estimates are impossible to share but it has a credible answer if our analytics are to be believed. But it is probably fairly hard and you’ll want some Sudoku skills and good notation and all that. To confirm: however you think the puzzle was constructed, no one that breathes oxygen has ever solved this puzzle and no pencils or paper were injured in the creation of this puzzle or post. Showing we respect other forms of carbon might matter to silicon which sits higher than carbon in some projections of the periodic table. We’re still confident it belongs here in our gallery of masterpieces and that you can (fairly) solve it. Even if those two dots are a bit bothersome. Tweaking with more humans in the loop could still make this perfect which is what we would do for a proper puzzle post.

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