PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Powers of Two

Author/Opus: This is the 411th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Variation of Cave rules. Each clue represents the product of the number of row cells visible (including the cell itself) with the number of column cells visible (including the cell itself).

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 5:45, Expert = 11:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for classic Caves and this link for Cave variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on. More Cave puzzles can be found in Roger Barkan’s Colossal Cave Collection, in The Art of Puzzles, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Central Diamond

Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from guest contributor Chandrachud Nanduri.

Rules: Standard Cave rules. (The puzzle is on a hexagonal grid and cells now see in a maximum of six possible directions.)

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:00, Master = 6:15, Expert = 12:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for classic Caves and this link for Cave variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on. More Cave puzzles can be found in Roger Barkan’s Colossal Cave Collection, in The Art of Puzzles, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Primes

Author/Opus: This is the 4th puzzle from guest contributor Mark Sweep.

Rules: Standard Cave rules.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:00, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for classic Caves and this link for Cave variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on. More Cave puzzles can be found in Roger Barkan’s Colossal Cave Collection, in The Art of Puzzles, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Sequences

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd puzzle from guest contributor Matej Uher.

Rules: Standard Cave rules.

Difficulty: 2 stars

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

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for classic Caves and this link for Cave variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on. More Cave puzzles can be found in Roger Barkan’s Colossal Cave Collection, in The Art of Puzzles, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between shading mode and the linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Tulip

Author/Opus: This is the 8th puzzle from guest contributor William Hu.

Rules: Standard Cave rules.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:20, Master = 1:45, Expert = 3:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for classic Caves and this link for Cave variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on. More Cave puzzles can be found in Roger Barkan’s Colossal Cave Collection, in The Art of Puzzles, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

Since 2021, we have posted some extra difficult Sunday Stumpers, about once a month. These will be quite tough puzzles, but with a logical path to be found (and solution videos to help). This fourth Sunday Stumper of 2022 is a Statue Park variation with Tapa-style clues by puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: 4×4 Matrix

Author/Opus: This is the 232nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Statue Park rules, using a double pentomino set. Number clues are equivalent to white circles and cannot be shaded. Also, number clues behave like Tapa clues and indicate the length(s) of consecutive shaded block(s) in the neighboring cells. Each question mark represents a positive integer.

See also this example:

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 20:30, Master = 32:00, Expert = 1:04:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Statue Park and this link for Statue Park variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Statue Parks to get started on. More Statue Park puzzles can be found in the ebook Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta.

PDF

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

Theme: Octagon

Author/Opus: This is the 45th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster JinHoo Ahn.

Rules: Standard Statue Park rules, using a standard pentomino set. Number clues are equivalent to white circles and cannot be shaded. Also, number clues behave like Tapa clues and indicate the length(s) of consecutive shaded block(s) in the neighboring cells.

See also this example:

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:45, Master = 15:00, Expert = 30:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Statue Park and this link for Statue Park variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Statue Parks to get started on. More Statue Park puzzles can be found in the ebook Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta.

PDF

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

Theme: Boxes

Author/Opus: This is the 8th puzzle from guest contributor Sam Cappleman-Lynes.

Rules: Standard Statue Park rules. This puzzle uses a standard pentomino set.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 8:30, Expert = 17:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Statue Park and this link for Statue Park variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Statue Parks to get started on. More Statue Park puzzles can be found in the ebook Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta.

PDF

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

Theme: Where Are the Circles?

Author/Opus: This is the 222nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Standard Statue Park rules, using a double tetromino set. Also, there are some given cages with dashed lines. In each cage, exactly half of the total number of cells must be occupied by tetrominoes.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:30, Master = 6:00, Expert = 12:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Statue Park and this link for Statue Park variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Statue Parks to get started on. More Statue Park puzzles can be found in the ebook Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta.

PDF

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

Theme: Dotted Snake

Author/Opus: This is the 13th puzzle from guest contributor Salih Alan.

Rules: Standard Statue Park rules. This puzzle uses a standard pentomino set.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 3:30, Expert = 7:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

Note: Follow this link for other classic Statue Park and this link for Statue Park variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Statue Parks to get started on. More Statue Park puzzles can be found in the ebook Statue Park by Murat Can Tonta.