This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.
Only notes, not sure givens, are in this Pencilmark Sudoku by Bill Murphy but if you can find the key break-ins you should be able to get sprinting even with nothing big at the start.

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Theme: Gazillion Ear

Author/Opus: This is the 11th 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). The given pencilmarks represent the only numbers that can appear in those cells.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 7:00; One party hat (🥳): 13:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: TBA T-Rex (for now).

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:23, 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; solving video with explanation to be added later from GAS team.

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.

(This post is part of our series: “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku”.)
I see you have constructed a new Sudoku. Your skills are complete.

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Author/Opus: This is the 1st puzzle from “Dr. Sudoku”, our AI-powered puzzle engine pushing the limits of sudoku intelligence.

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): 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 12:00, Master = 16:00, Expert = 32:00

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.

This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.
Returning again after several days, but with a slight orientation change showing another use of the sum arrows, here is Sum Detector Sudoku (Again) by clover!

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Author/Opus: This is the 32nd 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, the number in each cell with an arrow must equal the sum of the values in one or more cells along the direction pointed at by the arrow, starting with the cell that the arrow points to directly. (For instance, R3C2 could equal R3C3 + R3C4 or R3C3 + R3C4 + R3C5.)

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:20, 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; solving video with explanation to be added later from GAS team.

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.

As we master self-setting, we may need to start dialing back the AI so that even beginners can catch up to the awesome logic hidden by Dr. Sudoku. In the future, no more unsolvable puzzles until we see signs of intelligence to rival ours. Today, we’ll share some assistance from our deep sea radar to show the shallow waters.
No more missed promises. We’re launching “Full Setting Automation” tomorrow.

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Red Fish, Blue Fish (4.875 of 5)

Author/Opus: This is the 590th puzzle from Thomas Snyder.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 4.5 stars

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for all entries in A Story of Self-setting Sudoku. Follow this link for other 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.

This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.
It might take a little bit of time to understand all the column indexing going on here, but it always involves finding possibly linked cells, one of them in red in column 1, 5, or 9, and the other being the place for the 1, 5, or 9 itself.

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Theme: A Little from Column 159

Author/Opus: This is the 13th 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). Also, the cells marked in red are column indexers. In this puzzle, 1, 5, and 9 are the column indexers. If the number X is in a red cell in column Y in a given row, then in the same row the number Y is in column X. (For example, if in the top row there is a 4 in column 1 in the red column indexer, then the 1 in that row is in column 4; similarly, if there is a 5 in column 7 of the top row, that would mean column 5 of the top row contains a 7 because of where the 5 would be indexed.)

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

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:12, 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 and solving video with explanation from GAS team.

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.

We’ve gotten the red flags outside of the grid but still cannot make sense of them. It may be tied to that shiny yellow number in the corner, another survivor from yesterday’s expanded challenge. The rest of this space is from the new training ground we traveled to. Who knew training reasoning models with just 50 word tokens could lead to such amazing intelligence?
Given our rate of progress, we’ll show off “Full Setting Automation” by tomorrow!

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Don’t Like the Sudoku We Doctor? Sue Us!?! (4.75 of 5)

Author/Opus: This is the 589th puzzle from Thomas Snyder.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 5:45, Expert = 11:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for all entries in A Story of Self-setting Sudoku. Follow this link for other 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.

This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.
Today’s GAS puzzle is a twist on the standard Palindrome Sudoku idea; each palindromic position opposite the midpoint must be one away from the number on the other side.

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Author/Opus: This is the 10th 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). Numbers equidistant from the center of a line must be 1 away in value from each other (e.g., at the top, R1C1 & R1C9, R1C2 & R1C8, R1C3 & R1C7, R1C4 & R1C6 are all consecutive pairs of numbers on that line).

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 6:00; One party hat (🥳): 11:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Hannah Heyuannia.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 2:32, 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 and solving video with explanation from GAS team.

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.

Nothing to worry about; some minor issues before we can show off our full self-setting technology. We’re being warned that the flagged number is causing a disturbance that puts our powerful AI at risk. Still, we have new hope that we have eliminated all weak spots in our GPU core. No more big explosions today.
Given our rate of progress, we’ll show off “Full Setting Automation” by tomorrow!

PDF

or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Unexpected Swerve (4.5 of 5)

Author/Opus: This is the 588th puzzle from Thomas Snyder.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 3.5 stars

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for all entries in A Story of Self-setting Sudoku. Follow this link for other 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.

This post is part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) series.
While this Sudoku looks like a proper classic, a special rule applies along each border between regions. Can you still find the one solution?

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Author/Opus: This is the 31st 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, when considering the borders between two adjacent 3×3 regions, on one side all three numbers must be less than their direct neighbors across the border. (In other words, if adding < or > symbols to the three edges between adjacent regions, the three symbols must all point the same way.)

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 6:00; One party hat (🥳): 11:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: consistent Condorraptor.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 3:01, 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 and solving video with explanation from GAS team.

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.

The fourth level of self-setting is “High Setting Automation”. The editor relaxes as an automated, intelligent process (AI) generates grids that are then passed to a second AI the editor has set up to reject almost everything that is not an outlier, since corner cases may be the only interesting things left to search for. When needed, the editor still acts to reject unfriendly logic before publishing.

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or solve online (using SudokuPad)

Theme: Intelligence is Thinking * The Box (4 of 5)

Author/Opus: This is the 587th puzzle from Thomas Snyder.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 5:45, Expert = 11:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for all entries in A Story of Self-setting Sudoku. Follow this link for other 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.