LITS by Prasanna Seshadri

Worms that move from one diagonal to the next appear to split the grid in Prasanna Seshadri’s design.

LITS by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a shading mode and a mode to mark edges with an X.)

Theme: Worms

Author/Opus: This is the 271st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard LITS rules.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:30, Master = 1:15, Expert = 2:30

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

Note: Follow this link for more variations of LITS and this link for classic LITS. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest LITS to get started on. More LITS puzzles can be found in these books in our e-store.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Season 2 Preview Week Discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access and check subscriber instructions for role-related access.

Birthday Bonus: Kurotto (Skyscrapers) by Prasanna Seshadri

Continuing another long-running tradition, we have a new Kurotto puzzle from Prasanna Seshadri marking his 32nd birthday.

Kurotto (Skyscrapers) by Prasanna Seshadri

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: 32 on 3/2/23

Author/Opus: This is the 250th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Kurotto rules. Also, numbers outside the grid show the number of separate shaded cells visible in that direction. A segment of length N in a given direction is taken as a building of height N. Buildings of height N block the view of all buildings behind them of equal or lesser height.

See also this example:

Kurotto Skyscrapers by Serkan Yürekli

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 10:00, Master = 18:00, Expert = 36:00

Solution: To be added by next Sunday.

Note: Follow this link for classic Kurotto puzzles and this link for variations on Kurotto puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Kurotto to get started on. More Kurotto puzzles can be found in the ebook Kurotto by Prasanna Seshadri.

Kakuro (Gapped) by Prasanna Seshadri

Kakuro (Gapped) by Prasanna Seshadri

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: Cross the Streams

Author/Opus: This is the 249th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Kakuro Rules. Also, some cells may remain empty but empty cells cannot share an edge with other empty cells.

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 15:30, Master = 20:00, Expert = 40:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles. More Kakuro puzzles can be found in Kakuro and Variations by Serkan Yürekli and in The Art of Puzzles 2.

Geradeweg by Prasanna Seshadri

This puzzle style was created by Robert Vollmert (Geradeweg roughly means “Straight Path” in English). More Geradeweg will be in our upcoming Loop Variety Collection 2.

Geradeweg by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in default linex mode where left-click+drag draws line and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Knight Matrix

Author/Opus: This is the 248th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Draw a single, non-intersecting loop that passes through all cells with circles; the loop may either go straight through or turn at each circle. If the loop goes straight through a circle, the number on that circle indicates the length of the straight segment. If the loop turns at a circle, the number on that circle indicates the length of both loop segments extending from that circle.

Also see this example:

Geradeweg Example by Serkan Yürekli

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 4:30, Expert = 9:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other Loop/Path puzzles. More Geradeweg puzzles are in the book Loop Variety Collection 2.

Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri

Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

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

Theme: Duplicates

Author/Opus: This is the 247th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Nanro rules.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

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

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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.

Tetropia (Hex) by Prasanna Seshadri

Tetropia (Hex) by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

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

Author/Opus: This is the 246th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Variation of Pentopia rules: Place some of the given tetrahexes in the grid so that no tetrahexes are in adjacent cells that share an edge. Tetrahexes cannot repeat in the grid; rotations and reflections of a tetrahex are considered the same shape. The arrow clues indicate all the six directions where the nearest tetrahexes are located when looking from that hexagonal cell. (Arrow clues cannot contain tetrahex shapes.)

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 4:45, Expert = 9:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for more Pentopia puzzles.

Easy as ABC (Transparent) by Prasanna Seshadri

Easy as ABC (Transparent) by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a letter entry mode and a shading mode. CAPS LOCK is recommended for letter entry.)

Theme: Yell Out Greetings!

Author/Opus: This is the 245th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Fill some empty cells with the letters E, H, I, L, O, Y (A, B, C, D in the example) so that each row and column contains each letter exactly once. The letters outside the grid indicate the first letter seen from that direction, but each row and column has one transparent letter that is ignored by the clues. The transparent letters must be different in each row and column.

See also this example:

Easy as ABC (Transparent) example by Prasanna Seshadri

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 8:30, Expert = 17:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other less common Number Placement variations.

Castle Wall by Prasanna Seshadri

Castle Wall by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

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: 4×4

Author/Opus: This is the 244th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Castle Wall rules.

Difficulty: 2 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:20, Master = 2:00, Expert = 4:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for more Castle Wall puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Castle Wall puzzles to get started on. More Castle Wall puzzles can be found in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles as well as the larger collection Castle Wall, both by Serkan Yürekli.

Sunday Stumper: Tapa-Like Loop (Transparent) by Prasanna Seshadri

Since 2021, we have posted some extra difficult Sunday Stumpers, about once a month. These will be quite tough puzzles, but with a logical path to be found (and solution videos to help). This tenth Sunday Stumper of 2022 is a Tapa-Like Loop (Transparent) puzzle by Prasanna Seshadri. Will all the cells be used in this puzzle like the title and the clues suggest?

Tapa-Like Loop by Prasanna Seshadri

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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 on edges)

Theme: All Cells?

Author/Opus: This is the 243rd puzzle from contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Variation of Tapa-Like Loop rules. (Form a single non-intersecting loop. Clues inside the grid represent the number of neighboring cells visited by the loop; if there is more than one number in a cell, each number should be represented with a separate loop segment. There is no 2×2 rule of Tapa in this puzzle.)

The loop can travel through clue cells. Each clue now describes the entire 3×3 area the clue cell is in the middle of.

See also this example:

Tapa-Like Loop (Transparent) Example by Serkan Yürekli

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 32:00, Master = 45:00, Expert = 1:30:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other Tapa-Like Loop puzzles. More Tapa-Like Loop puzzles can be found in the Tapa-Like Loop Collection by Prasanna Seshadri.

Pentopia by Prasanna Seshadri

Pentopia by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

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

Author/Opus: This is the 242nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Pentopia rules: Place some of the given pentominoes in the grid so that no pentominoes are in adjacent cells that share an edge or corner. Pentominoes cannot repeat in the grid; rotations and reflections of a pentomino are considered the same shape. The arrow clues indicate all the directions (up, down, left, and right) where the nearest pentominoes are located when looking from that square. (Arrow clues cannot contain pentomino shapes.) Also, see this example:

Pentopia by Prasanna Seshadri

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:30, Master = 8:30, Expert = 17:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for more Pentopia puzzles and this link for other puzzles involving Pentominoes.