Last week’s puzzles are grouped together in this PDF.
Here are the puzzles you can expect from Monday to Saturday this week (highlight to view):
Monday – Sudoku by Thomas Snyder
Tuesday – Loop Variation by Serkan Yürekli
Wednesday – Fillomino Variation (Pentominous) by Grant Fikes
Thursday – Statue Park by Palmer Mebane
Friday – TomTom by Tom Collyer
Saturday – Nurikabe + Word Variation by Palmer Mebane
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: Clipped Rectangles
Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per row, column, and region.
Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a star appears. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 3:15, Expert = 7:00
Solution: PDF
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 book Star Battle by JinHoo Ahn, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: Windmill (Note: This puzzle was the Team USA contribution to the Sudoku Grand Prix Final recently held in Beijing)
Rules: Standard Even/Odd Sudoku rules (i.e., cells with a square contain an even digit; cells with a circle contain an odd digit).
Answer String: Enter the 5th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th column from top to bottom.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 4:30, Expert = 9:00
Solution: PDF
Note: Follow this link for more Even/Odd Sudoku puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Even/Odd Sudoku to get started on. More Even/Odd Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku 2.
Congratulations to our contributing puzzlemaster Palmer Mebane for his dominant performance throughout the general competition at the recent World Puzzle Championship. Over the coming weeks we will post several of the puzzles Palmer wrote before the WPC as practice here, which should show you the dedication a puzzle champion must have to his craft.
As we get back into a regular schedule, you can find the set of puzzles we posted over the last two weeks gathered in this PDF. Here are the puzzles you can expect from Monday to Saturday this week (highlight to view):
Monday – Yajilin by Grant Fikes
Tuesday – Fillomino by Grant Fikes
Wednesday – Sudoku Variation by Thomas Snyder
Thursday – Star Battle by Thomas Snyder
Friday – Cross the Streams by Grant Fikes
Saturday – Smashed Sums Variation by Palmer Mebane
Now that the WPC is over, our focus is back on finishing our large book project “The Art of Puzzles”. This has taken awhile to put together as it has grown to be an over 250 puzzle title, with at least 25 puzzles in 10 different styles (Tapa, Nurikabe, Masyu, Slitherlink, TomTom, Skyscrapers, Fillomino, Cave, Star Battle, and Battleships). We have almost two dozen authors represented from around the world, including all of our contributing puzzlemasters to varying degrees. Grant Fikes deserves particular credit for the high quantity and quality of the puzzles he has provided (about 20%, basically tied with Dr. Sudoku) including many very large grids. One special treat is that the Tapa section was written entirely by Serkan Yürekli, the originator of the style and a true Tapa Master. You’ll definitely appreciate some of the surprises he packed into his puzzles. Some of the last tasks to do on the book now are to gather and write a really good set of hint/tutorial sections for the puzzles which may go into the book or may just end up online as an extra supplement. We are also looking through different printing and binding options and expect to offer both print and electronic forms of the book on release. Look for more announcements on “The Art of Puzzles” here soon.
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: Opposites Attract
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 = 1:15, Master = 2:00, Expert = 4:00
Solution: PDF
Due to the World Sudoku and Puzzle Championships running now, we will have a “half” schedule of puzzles over the next two weeks as follows:
10/14 – Star Battle by Palmer Mebane
10/16 – Fillomino by Grant Fikes
10/18 – Sudoku Variation by Serkan Yürekli
10/22 – Masyu by Thomas Snyder
10/24 – TomTom Variation by Serkan Yürekli
10/26 – Tapa by Palmer Mebane
As some of you have suggested that a schedule of upcoming puzzles will be nice, I will try to give a weekly post with these plans going forward. I’ll also post a weekly PDF file after each week has concluded. Here is a PDF for week 41.
For those wondering about The Art of Puzzles and other projects, I’ll have more news on them in the next Doctor’s Note.
Best of luck and skill to all the competitors at the WSC and WPC.
–Dr. S
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: 10/9
Rules: Standard TomTom rules, using digits from 1-6.
Answer String: Enter the 3rd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th row from left to right.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 4:15, Expert = 8:30
Solution: PDF
Note: Follow this link for other classic TomTom. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest TomTom to get started on.
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: Rope
Rules: Standard Even/Odd Sudoku rules (i.e., cells with a square contain an even digit; cells with a circle contain an odd digit).
Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 4th row from left to right.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:50, Master = 1:15, Expert = 2:30
Solution: PDF
Note: Follow this link for more Even/Odd Sudoku puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Even/Odd Sudoku to get started on. More Even/Odd Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku 2.
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: Corners
Rules: Standard Sudo-Kurve rules.
Answer String: Enter the “row” marked A, followed by a comma, followed by the “row” marked B.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:30, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00
Solution: 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: Unfriendly Neighbors
Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, there are some sheep (marked S) that must be inside the loop and some wolves (marked W) that must be outside the loop.
Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments following the arrows 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 = 3:00, Expert = 6:00
Solution: PDF