Archive for the ‘Puzzle’ Category:

Bonus: Nanro by Serkan Yürekli

Nanro by Serkan Yürekli

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: Clue Symmetry and Logic (Note: this puzzle originally appeared in this year’s 24HPC.)

Author/Opus: This is the 39th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Nanro rules.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the segments labeled with numbers 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 = 2:00, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Click here for other Nanro puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, please first try out the example on the Rules and Info page as well as this easy Nanro post.

Skyscrapers by Roland Voigt

Skyscrapers by Roland Voigt

PDF

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

Theme: Almost Symmetric Fours

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd 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 5th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:45, Master = 3:15, Expert = 6:30

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.

Skyscrapers (Tight Fit) by Roland Voigt

Skyscrapers by Roland Voigt

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 2nd 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 1-5 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 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 3rd 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 = 0:40, Master = 1:15, Expert = 2:30

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.

Bonus: Killer Sudoku by Serkan Yürekli

Killer Sudoku by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

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

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic (Note: this puzzle originally appeared in this year’s 24HPC. It is a bonus puzzle here but is harder than Monday difficulty)

Author/Opus: This is the 38th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Sudoku rules (no repeats in any rows, columns, or bold regions) with digits 1-8. Also, the sum of the digits in each cage must equal the value given in the upper-left corner of the cage. Digits cannot repeat inside a cage.

Answer String: Enter the 3rd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 8th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 4:15, Expert = 8:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more Killer Sudoku and this link for classic Sudoku. More Killer Sudoku puzzles can be found in Killer Sudoku by Serkan Yürekli.

Skyscrapers by Roland Voigt

Skyscrapers by Roland Voigt

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 1st 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 5th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:40, Master = 1:15, Expert = 2:30

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.

Ripple Effect by Grant Fikes

Ripple Effect by Grant Fikes

PDF

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

Theme: Near Maximal Difficulty with Near Minimal Givens

Author/Opus: This is the 101st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Place a number into each cell so that each region contains the numbers 1 to N, where N is the size of the region. A cell with the number M must have at least M cells between it and any other instance of the same number M in that row or column.

Answer String: Enter the numbers in the marked rows in order from left to right, separating the rows with a comma. Start with the 5th row, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th row.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 9:30, Expert = 19:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Star Battle by Thomas Snyder

Star Battle by Thomas Snyder

PDF

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

Theme: Man Made Out of Stars

Author/Opus: This is the 175th puzzle from Thomas Snyder aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Star Battle rules. Two stars per row, column, and region.

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a star appears. If the number has two digits, just enter the unit’s digit (i.e. column “10” would be entered as 0). Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.

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

Solution: PDF

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

Tapa by Serkan Yürekli

Tapa by Serkan Yürekli

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 37th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tapa 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 = 3:00, Master = 5:30, Expert = 11:00

Solution: PDF

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

Masyu by Thomas Snyder

Masyu by Thomas Snyder

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: Conway’s Game of Life (this 11×11 puzzle was first made for the 11th Gathering 4 Gardner, which focused on Conway. Many familiar shapes from the Game of Life appear. Also, check out this recently launched Martin Gardner Organization website.)

Author/Opus: This is the 174th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Masyu rules.

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.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:45, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF

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

Negative Tetromino by Serkan Yürekli

Negative Tetromino by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in a composite mode for line/edge drawing)

Theme: Words

Author/Opus: This is the 36th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Divide the white cells into tetrominoes so that no two regions sharing an edge are the same tetromino (L, I, O, S, or T considering rotation and reflection). Regions may contain at most 1 cell with given letters; regions with such a cell CANNOT have the same tetromino shape as any of the letters in that cell. Also, see this example:

Negative Tetromino by Serkan Yürekli

Answer String: Enter the letter of the tetromino region for each cell in the two marked rows from left to right, separating the rows with a comma. Use CAPITAL LETTERS for L, I, O, S, and T.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:15, Master = 2:30, Expert = 5:00

Solution: PDF