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: Triominoes

Author/Opus: This is the 176th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

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 6th column, followed by a comma, followed by the 10th column.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:15, Master = 1:45, Expert = 3:30

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)

Theme: ¿¡¿Dos Unos en Una Fila?!? (“Translated” from a puzzle by Thomas Snyder on the 3rd SudokuCup

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor Bryce Herdt.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Also, in the cells with red letters, a number can only be entered if it contains that letter when spelled out in Spanish.

Answer String: Enter the 1st column from top to bottom, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th column from top to bottom.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:30, Master = 12:00, Expert = 24:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s and a number entry mode.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic (inspired by an earlier contest submission from Scott Handelman)

Author/Opus: This is the 9th puzzle from guest contributor Carl Worth.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, enter a number from 0 to 3 into each gray cell as additional Slitherlink clues. Numbers in the gray cells cannot repeat in any row, column, or 2×2 group of gray cells.

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 = 4:00, Master = 6:30, Expert = 13:00

Solution: PDF

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 (inspired by a 2015 USPC puzzle by Craig Kasper)

Author/Opus: This is the 2nd puzzle from guest contributor Dan Katz.

Rules: Enter the digits 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 into the grid so that each digit (and one empty square) appears exactly once in each row and column. Numbers outside the grid are either Easy as ABC or Skyscraper clues: either the clue is the first digit that appears in the corresponding row or column from the direction of the clue, or it is the number of digits in the corresponding row or column that can be “seen” from that direction (higher digits block the view of lower digits).

Answer String: Enter the letters in the marked rows in order from left to right, separating each row’s entry with a comma. Use a capital X for empty cells.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:00, Master = 8:45, Expert = 17:30

Solution: PDF

Note 1: This puzzle is much harder than a usual Tuesday puzzle.

Note 2: 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; use tab to shift between shading mode, a shape mode for entering stars, and the composite Yajilin mode where left click marks cells, right click marks dots in cells or X’s on edges, left click+drag draws lines.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 79th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, each row and column must contain exactly two stars (one in the example). Stars cannot touch each other, even diagonally, and all stars must be on the Tapa wall.

See also this example:

Answer String: (Like Star Battle) 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 = 4:15, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the composite Yajilin mode where left click marks cells, right click marks dots in cells or X’s on edges, left click+drag draws lines.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 78th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, unpainted cells form separated areas, “islands”, that contain at most one clue cell. If there is a clue cell in an island, at least one digit of the clue equals the area of the island in cells.

See also this example:

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 = 2:15, Master = 3:45, Expert = 7:30

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the composite Yajilin mode where left click marks cells, right click marks dots in cells or X’s on edges, left click+drag draws lines.)

Theme: Corners

Author/Opus: This is the 77th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, there may not be four consecutive black cells in any row or column.

See also this example:

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 = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode, a number/letter entry mode for placing the word list, and the composite Yajilin mode where left click marks cells, right click marks dots in cells or X’s on edges, left click+drag draws lines.)

Theme: IPC Message (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 96th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, all of the empty cells will be filled by letters/numbers so that each word/number next to the puzzle appears once reading across or down in the grid and no other words are formed in the grid by adjacent letters. Words can cross, but they do not all need to be connected. Some letters (in red) are already given in the grid and will be part of one or more words in the grid.

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 = 7:00, Master = 9:15, Expert = 18:30

Solution: PDF

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

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: TWENTY-15 (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 95th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Fill some empty cells with the letters E, N, T, W, Y (A, B, C, D, E in the example) so that each row and column contains each letter exactly once. Also, each bold outlined region as well as the set of gray cells contains each letter exactly once. Some cells will remain blank. The clues outside the grid, which contain a letter ‘X’ and a number ‘N’, indicate that X is the Nth letter seen in that row or column.

Answer String: Enter the letters in the marked rows in order from left to right, separating each row’s entry with a comma. Use an X for empty cells, and USE CAPITAL LETTERS. This example has the key “XDACEBX,CBXDXEA”.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30

Solution: PDF

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

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: Clue Symmetry and Logic (Originally on 2015 Indian Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 94th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: (Standard Balance Loop rules.) Draw a single, non-intersecting loop that passes through all circled cells. All white circles must have equal segment lengths on both sides of the circle before turning. All black circles must have unequal segment lengths on both sides of the circle before turning. Numbers indicate the sum of the segment lengths on both sides of the circle.
Also, see this example:

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. This example has the key “11,311”.

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other less common Loop variations.