Archive for the ‘Puzzle’ Category:

Sudoku by Bill Murphy

This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.
One highlight of working with the GAS team is seeing how they play with different kinds of ideas to open up solving possibilities. We hope you enjoy this vvvvv-ery fun Classic Sudoku that shows you don’t need extra rules if you have a good idea to construct.

Sudoku by Bill Murphy

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: VVVVV

Author/Opus: This is the 101st 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.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 5:50; One party hat (🥳): 11:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Viridian Velafrons.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:04, 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 classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More Sudoku including variations 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 classic 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.

CAPTCHA Sudoku? by Philip Newman

(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

Sudoku by clover!

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
UPDATE from clover!: Good morning, friends! I hope you all enjoyed Bill’s April Fools CAPTCHA earlier today. Now that we’ve got that out of our systems, here’s today’s real GAS: a classic sudoku. Normal sudoku rules apply. And that’s it!

Sudoku by clover!

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

UPDATE 2 from clover!: I hear you, I hear you. “Clover, something is wrong. Clover, we want more digits. Clover, our lack of creativity is preventing us from solving your beautiful sudoku.” Fine, I’ll give you one more digit, but you’re going to have to work for it. 😤 Here’s another classic sudoku that I set extra-special just for you. Normal sudoku rules apply. Once you’ve solved it, simply take the digit from r2c5, and place it in r1c1 in the previous sudoku. That should help you out a bit. And that’s it!

Sudoku by clover!

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

UPDATE 3 from clover!: You may think I’ve singlehandedly tripled the GAS team’s count of non-unique sudoku in just a few hours, but you’d be wrong. I’ve actually quadrupled it. Are you almost ready to solve the puzzle, friends? Here you go: Normal sudoku rules apply. Solve this puzzle, and then take the digit from r1c9, and put it into r5c2 in the previous sudoku. That ought to do it!

Sudoku by clover!

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

UPDATE 4 from clover!: Mea culpa, I knew I was forgetting something. Regarding the hats and/or dinosaurs: to earn them, simply take the digit from r9c9 in the first sudoku I posted this morning, and place it in r7c3 in the sudoku immediately preceding this post. The timer stops when you successfully solve all of the sudokus in this post. 😉 

Theme: Patience is a Virtue

Author/Opus: This is the 122nd 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.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 20:00; One party hat (🥳): 30:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: waited-for-it Wintonotitan.

Solution: PDF; explanation from GAS team to be added later, because patience is a virtue.

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 Daily GAS discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

CAPTCHA Sudoku by Bill Murphy

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
Unusual solving detected on your account. Please complete this CAPTCHA to continue.

CAPTCHA Sudoku by Bill Murphy

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

or for a background-free version (once you pass the test): PDF or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Author/Opus: This is the 100th 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). If a white circle is given between two adjacent cells, then the two numbers in those cells must differ by 1. If a black circle is given between two adjacent cells, then the two numbers must have a ratio of 2. Within regions containing a two-wheeled vehicle, all dots are given. (Pairs of cells sharing a border across regions may still differ by 1 or have a ratio of 2.)

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 3:33, 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; 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.

Alternating Parity Arrow Sudoku by clover!

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
Besides the standard Arrow Sudoku rules, in this grid there must be …/even/odd/… alternation in each cell from the bulb to the tip of the arrow.

Alternating Parity Arrow Sudoku by clover!

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Not an Arrow Sudoku

Author/Opus: This is the 121st 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). Some arrow shapes are in the grid; the sum of the numbers along the path of each arrow must equal the number in the circled cell. Also, along each arrow shape, the numbers (including the circled cell) alternate in parity. (For instance, 9 = 2 + 7 and 9 = 4 + 3 + 2 are valid sequences, but 9 = 7 + 2 and 9 = 1 + 3 + 5 are not.)

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 6:30; One party hat (🥳): 12:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: forgot-a-constraint Fabrosaurus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:13, 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 Arrow Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Arrow Sudoku to get started on. More Arrow Sudoku 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 Daily GAS discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

Anti-Battenburg Even Sudoku by Philip Newman

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
While this looks like an Even Sudoku, Philip has another negative constraint to consider: this is also an Anti-Battenburg where you cannot have any 2×2 “checkerboard” patterns with opposite parity.

Even Battenburg Sudoku by Philip Newman

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Don’t Fear the Hat Man

Author/Opus: This is the 102nd 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). There can be no four cell intersections where the numbers form a “checkerboard” pattern of odd and even (i.e., one diagonally opposite pair is odd and the other pair is even). Also, cells with a square contain an even number.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 7:30; One party hat (🥳): 15:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Savvy Savannasaurus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:48, 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 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 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 Daily GAS discussion post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

Clone Sudoku by Bill Murphy

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
While this Sudoku doesn’t have multiple answers, it does have multiple “clone” regions that have to repeat for the unique answer to be found.

Clone Sudoku by Bill Murphy

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Legs in a Snare

Author/Opus: This is the 99th 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). Additionally, each connected shape (“clone”) of the same color in the grid must include the same numbers in the same positions with no rotations or reflections. Numbers may repeat within a clone.

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 1:35, 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; 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.

Scattered Irregular Sudoku by clover!

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
The gray cells in this irregular sudoku represent a ninth “no repeats” group. Can you think all the way around this scattered grid to reach the solution?

Scattered Irregular Sudoku by clover!

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Feeling Scattered

Author/Opus: This is the 120th 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). Also, the gray cells must contain each of the numbers from 1 to 9 exactly once.

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:09, 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.

Nonconsecutive Ratio Pairs Sudoku by Philip Newman

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
Today’s puzzle is something of a twist on the Kropki Pairs variant common in GAS puzzles, but with a negative constraint: there is nowhere to place a white (consecutive) dot in the grid!

Nonconsecutive Ratio Pairs Sudoku by Philip Newman

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Partial Pairs

Author/Opus: This is the 101st 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). No two orthogonally adjacent cells can be consecutive (i.e., differ by 1). Also, if a black circle is given between two adjacent cells, then the two numbers must have a ratio of 2. Pairs of cells without circles can have any relationship. (The numbers 1 and 2 can be adjacent if and only if there is a black circle between them.)

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 6:00; One party hat (🥳): 12:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Rhombidodecadodecahedronic Rhomaleopakhus.

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.

Highball Sudoku by Bill Murphy

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
With two choices for each key sum, can you figure out how to place values all around this Highball Sudoku grid by Bill Murphy?

Highball Sudoku by Bill Murphy

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Author/Opus: This is the 98th 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). Also, the clues outside the grid indicate the sum of either the first and second numbers or the second and third numbers seen from the direction of the clue.

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 3:06, 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.