Archive for the ‘Puzzle’ Category:

Fillomino by Grant Fikes

Fillomino by Grant Fikes

(View image directly for larger form.)

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. Note that the default puzzle info is too long — even for an url shortener — so copy and paste all the text in this file into the “Load” option in the upper-right of the penpa-edit interface to access.)

Theme: Spirit of ’76

Author/Opus: This is the 168th 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 row, followed by a comma, followed by the 29th row.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 13:30, Master = 20:00, Expert = 40:00

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.

Skyscrapers by Prasanna Seshadri

Skyscrapers by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 81st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Skyscrapers rules.

Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 7th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 7:45, Expert = 15:30

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.

Slitherlink by Grant Fikes

Slitherlink by Grant Fikes

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 167th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

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 = 1:00, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00

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.

Sunday Surprise #13 – Gapped Kakuro by Serkan Yürekli

Serkan finished this “Giant” puzzle shortly after we started our break. We figured this Gapped Kakuro would be a fun, challenging Sunday Surprise that might take several Sundays to complete.

Gapped Kakuro by Serkan Yürekli

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: Sum Time

Author/Opus: This is the 72nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

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

Answer String: Enter the values in the white cells in the marked rows from left to right, ignoring all black cells, and separating the rows with a comma. Use a capital ‘X’ for any blank cell.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 50:00, Master = 1:30:00, Expert = 3:00:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.

Bonus: Little Killer Sudoku by Thomas Snyder

Little Killer by Thomas Snyder

PDF

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

Theme: Digit Series and Clue Symmetry

Author/Opus: This is the 227th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Additionally, some numbered arrows outside the grid indicate the sum of the numbers along that diagonal path. (Numbers can repeat along a diagonal sum.)

Note: No answer strings or timing here (honor system for when you solve it). I’m simply posting some “examples” I wrote as the Sudoku Grand Prix coordinator. Apparently some common variants aren’t common enough….

Solution: PDF

Bonus: Double Doku by Thomas Snyder

Double Doku by Thomas Snyder

PDF

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

Theme: Diagonals

Author/Opus: This is the 226th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Additionally, there are two overlapping classic sudoku grids, and both must have valid solutions.

Note: No answer strings or timing here (honor system for when you solve it). I’m simply posting some “examples” I wrote as the Sudoku Grand Prix coordinator. Apparently some common variants aren’t common enough….

Solution: PDF

Bonus: Neighbor Sums Sudoku by Thomas Snyder

Neighbor Sums Sudoku by Thomas Snyder

PDF

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

Theme: Digit Series and Clue Symmetry

Author/Opus: This is the 225th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Additionally, some edges are marked with the sums of the digits in the adjacent cells.

Note: No answer strings or timing here (honor system for when you solve it). I’m simply posting some “examples” I wrote as the Sudoku Grand Prix coordinator. Apparently some common variants aren’t common enough….

Solution: PDF

Arrow/Thermo-Sudoku by Prasanna Seshadri

Arrow Thermo-Sudoku by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

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

Theme: H (patron puzzle created for Paul Hlebowitsh)

Author/Opus: This is the 80th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules. Also, standard Thermo-Sudoku rules.

Answer String: Enter the 4th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 7:45, Expert = 15:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more Arrow Sudoku. Follow this link for more Thermo-Sudoku puzzles. More Arrow and Thermo-Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku 2.

The Persistence of Memory by Prasanna Seshadri

The Persistence of Memory by Prasanna Seshadri

(View image directly for larger form.)

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools using a composite mode where left click inside cell shades square, left click + drag draws line segment, right click inside cell adds dot, and right click on cell edge adds an x.)

Theme: TYCG (Thank You, Chris Green) — this is a Patron Puzzle reward.

Author/Opus: This is the 79th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Find a path from one dot to the other by moving horizontally or vertically between adjacent squares. The path cannot touch itself, even diagonally. All highlighted regions must be visited by the path, and may be re-entered. If two or more highlighted regions have the same shape and orientation, then how the path passes through those shapes must be identical. Or see here.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of the horizontal path segments from left to right in the marked rows, starting at the top. If the path only has vertical segments in the marked row, enter 0. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:15, Master = 6:00, Expert = 12:00

Solution: PDF

Fillomino by John Bulten

Fillomino by John Bulten

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: 28 Dice

Author/Opus: This is the 10th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

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 5th row, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th column.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:30, Master = 7:15, Expert = 14:30

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.