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 2nd puzzle from guest contributor Bram de Laat.

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 = 2:40, Master = 5:40, Expert = 11:20

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.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between ship placement and shading modes. In ship placement mode, right click gives sea, left click gives circle/square, left click and drag for rounded ships.)

Theme: Solved?

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Bram de Laat.

Rules: Standard Battleships rules. Use the indicated fleet.

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a ship segment appears (enter both digits if a two-digit number). If the row is empty, enter 0. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:20, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Battleships. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Battleships to get started on.

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: Connected Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Bobby Liu.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, there are four regions (in gray) in the two grids that are portals. All edges that touch any gray squares must match across grids (without rotation or reflection). For identical shapes, it is not known which positions are matched (for example, the ring in the upper left of the first puzzle could be in either the upper left or lower right of the second puzzle).

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 = 18:00, Master = 30:00, Expert = 1:00:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Slitherlink variations and this link for classic Slitherlink. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Slitherlink puzzles to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd puzzle from guest contributor Craig Kasper, who also contributed these two Sunday Surprises. Craig has recently started a new puzzle blog.

Rules: Standard LITS 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 = 1:45, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Ravi Kumar Macherla who also contributed several Masyu to the book “The Art of Puzzles”. You can find more of Ravi’s puzzles on his relatively new blog site.

Rules: Place each of the indicated shapes into the grid (rotations allowed, but not reflections) so that no two shapes touch even at a corner. Numbers outside the grid indicate the product of the lengths of all white cell groups in that row/column. Or see here:

Answer String: Enter the number of cells in each group (both black and white) in order in the marked rows/columns. In the example, this answer is “231,1221”

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:15, Master = 7:00, Expert = 14:00

Solution: PDF

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a composite mode for line/edge drawing and a number entry mode.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Walker Anderson. You can find more of Walker’s puzzles on his relatively new blog site.

Rules: Standard Fillomino rules.

Answer String: For each cell in the marked rows/columns, enter the area of the polyomino it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number. Start with the 2nd row, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th row.

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Fillomino. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Fillomino puzzles to get started on.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a composite mode for line/edge drawing and a shading mode.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Dan Katz.

Rules: Divide the grid into some regions formed of edge-adjacent squares. Each cell is part of one region, and each region should contain exactly two given numbers, one in a yellow circle (>) and one in a red circle (<). Each region must have an area that is strictly between those numbers. Note: This idea to "simplify" Araf puzzles comes from Prasanna Seshadri, whose example of this variation will appear tomorrow. Answer String: Enter the number of cells in each connected group (between bold lines) in the marked rows. Separate the rows with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:20, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Araf is a relatively new puzzle for us on GMPuzzles. Follow this link for other Araf. An example image for a “classic” Araf puzzle is here.

PDF

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

Theme: No Givens

Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor Hans van Stippent.

Note: we’ve been holding onto this puzzle for awhile; it was inspired by last year’s USPC Thermo-Skyscrapers puzzle and, by adding in the sudoku constraints, makes a nice challenge before this weekend’s US Sudoku Qualifying Test.

Rules: Standard Thermo-Sudoku rules. Also, any digits in the thermometer shapes outside of the grid are Skyscraper clues, representing the number of buildings seen inside the grid in that direction as in a regular Skyscrapers puzzle. (Note: digits in a thermometer must be strictly increasing even when outside the grid, so do not repeat any digits within a thermometer.)

Answer String: Enter the 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th row from left to right. Note: only enter the 9 digits inside the grid in these rows, not any of the outside skyscraper clues.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:30, Master = 9:30, Expert = 19:00

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.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between Sudoku = big digits and Number candidate = small entries in the corners of cells.)

Theme: Equal Distribution and Symmetry of Clue Numbers

Author/Opus: This is the 6th puzzle from guest contributor Roland Voigt.

Rules: Standard Skyscrapers rules. Also, some cells have been split into triangles, each of which must be filled with a number. In this puzzle, the numbers 1-6 must be placed in each row and column.

(The split cells are viewed in the order they are seen from a given direction, so the upper triangles are seen first from the left/top sides and the bottom triangles are seen first from the right/bottom sides.)

Answer String: Enter the 4th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th row from left to right. Enter the split cells in the order they are seen from the left (the upper triangle before the lower triangle).

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:00, Master = 9:00, Expert = 18:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Skyscrapers and this link for variations on Skyscrapers puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Skyscrapers to get started on.

PDF

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

Theme: Equal Distribution and Symmetry of Clue Numbers

Author/Opus: This is the 5th puzzle from guest contributor Roland Voigt.

Rules: Standard Skyscrapers rules.

Answer String: Enter the 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:45, Master = 6:00, Expert = 12:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Skyscrapers. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Skyscrapers to get started on.