Archive for the ‘Puzzle’ Category:

Thermo-Kropki Pairs Sudoku by Philip Newman

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
In this Thermo-Kropki Pairs Sudoku, numbers are not provided, even upon request. Inquire inside for details.

Thermo-Kropki Pairs Sudoku by Philip Newman

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Upon Request

Author/Opus: This is the 157th puzzle from Philip Newman, part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) team.

Rules: Standard Thermo-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 thermometer shapes are in the grid; numbers must be strictly increasing from the round bulb to the flat end. Also, 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. Pairs of cells without circles can have any relationship.

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:24, 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

Note: Follow this link for more Thermo-Sudoku puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Thermo-Sudoku to get started on. More Thermo-Sudoku puzzles 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 some Thermo-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.

Cross Sums Sudoku by Bill Murphy

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
In this Cross Sums Sudoku, the kitty-corner cells indicated by each cross must add up to a special target number and no other pairs do the same. Will your solution to the puzzle add up as well?

Cross Sums Sudoku by Bill Murphy

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Author/Opus: This is the 159th 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, some of the intersections of four cells are marked by a cross. The sum of both pairs of diagonally opposite cells in a cross must be the same. All possible crosses with this sum in the grid are marked.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 6:00; One party hat (🥳): 11:00. All other solvers earn 🦕: One Fifth of an Orodromeus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 1:45, 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

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.

First Seen Odd/Even Sudoku by clover!

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
In this First Seen Odd/Even Sudoku, several clues outside the grid include two numbers. Can you spot any special patterns those clues generate?

First Seen Odd/Even Sudoku by clover!

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Checkerboard

Author/Opus: This is the 178th 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). The clues outside the grid reveal the first odd or even value (or both) appearing in that direction in the row or column. Any number of values of the opposite parity (even or odd) may appear before the first odd or even number.

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:27, 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

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.

Arrow Sudoku by Philip Newman

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
Parallel arrows arranged in a diamond form this Arrow Sudoku. Is the puzzle itself as hard as a diamond?

Arrow Sudoku by Philip Newman

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Perpetual Addition

Author/Opus: This is the 156th 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). 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. Numbers can repeat within an arrow shape.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 9:00; One party hat (🥳): 17:00. All other solvers earn an 🦕: Ungainly Ultrasaurus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:54, 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

Note: Follow this link for more 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.

Either/Or Sudoku by Bill Murphy

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
The clues in this Either/Or Sudoku are arranged somewhat like a pinwheel. Will you breeze through this puzzle, or will it leave you spinning your wheels?

Either Or Sudoku by Bill Murphy

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Sounds We Cannot Hear

Author/Opus: This is the 158th 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 numbers given on the edges between cells must belong to one of those two adjacent cells.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 7:30; One party hat (🥳): 14:00. All other solvers earn an 🦕: Usona Urbacodon.

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

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.

Slow Thermo-Sudoku by clover!

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
According to legend, Alexander the Great disentangled an intricate knot by first slicing through the cord with his sword. It had been prophesied that whoever could unravel the knot would conquer Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), which Alexander would proceed to do. Can you likewise cut the Gordian knot that is this Slow Thermo-Sudoku?

Slow Thermo Sudoku by clover!

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Gordian Knot

Author/Opus: This is the 177th 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 thermometer shapes are in the grid; numbers must either increase or stay the same in each cell going from the round bulb to the flat end. (For instance, a thermometer might contain the sequence 233577888 in that order.)

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:00, 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

Note: Follow this link for more Thermo-Sudoku puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Thermo-Sudoku to get started on. More Thermo-Sudoku puzzles 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 some Thermo-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.

Consecutive Pairs Sudoku by Philip Newman

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
Though this is not an Even/Odd puzzle, even and odd numbers give shape to this Consecutive Pairs Sudoku.

Consecutive Pairs Sudoku by Philip Newman

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Odd Even?

Author/Opus: This is the 155th 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). If a white circle is given between two adjacent cells, then the two numbers in those cells must differ by 1. Pairs of cells without circles can have any relationship.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 7:30; One party hat (🥳): 14:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Tongue-Tied Tornieria.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:43, 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

Note: Follow this link for Consecutive Pairs Sudoku puzzles on this website. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Consecutive Pairs Sudoku to get started on. More Consecutive Pairs 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.

Even/Odd Sudoku by Bill Murphy

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
The four squares of even/odd clues form the crux of this variant sudoku, telling you where even and odd numbers must go.

Odd Even Sudoku by Bill Murphy

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Dallas Beltway

Author/Opus: This is the 157th 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, cells with a square contain an even number; cells with a circle contain an odd number.

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:54, 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

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.

Slingshot Sudoku by clover!

(This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.)
Will your puzzle solving find its target or miss the mark in this Slingshot Sudoku?

Slingshot Sudoku by clover!

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Short Shot

Author/Opus: This is the 176th 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, there are some “slingshot” cells marked in the grid with a circle and arrow. The circle indicates an adjacent cell whose value will be slingshot in the direction of the arrow. The number in the slingshot cell indicates how many cells away that circled cell’s value lands in the arrow’s direction. (For example, if a 3 is in R1C4 (the slingshot cell), and if the value in R2C4 pointed at by the circle is 5, then there would be another 5 three steps to the left of the slingshot in R1C1.)

If you solve in SudokuPad, the blunt end of an arrow will serve the same function as a circle shown here.

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:00, 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

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.

Sudoku by Thomas Snyder

To celebrate International Sudoku Day (9/9), enjoy this classic Sudoku in the style of the first “Number Place” puzzles by Howard Garns in 1979. The original Number Place puzzles always had 4 clues in each row, 4 clues in each column, and 4 clues in each region, leaving 45 cells to fill. While those grids were rarely symmetric, I made this puzzle with symmetry in mind. I also hid a special theme across the missing numbers. Can you catch onto the theme as you solve?

Sudoku by Thomas Snyder

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Where It Started and Where It Is Going?

Author/Opus: This is the 612th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each white cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 1 star

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

Solution: PDF

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 Twelve Months of Sudoku? post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.