or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: Double Diagonals
Rules: Standard Surplus Sudoku rules, with numbers from 1-8.
Answer String: Enter the 4th 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 = 2:45, Expert = 5:30
Solution: PDF
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: Not Your Standard 6×6 Sudoku! An homage to my favorite (10×10) puzzle from the original “Udoku” set of Deficit Sudoku by Wei-Hwa Huang.
Rules: Standard Deficit Sudoku rules, with numbers from 1-7.
Answer String: Enter the 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 1st column from top to bottom.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:00, Master = 1:30, Expert = 3:00
Solution: PDF
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between number placement, ship placement, and shading modes. The shading mode in gray, which numbers can be written on top of, may work better than default ship placement.)
Theme: Twister
Rules: Standard Battleship Sudoku rules.
Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 8th row from left to right.
Time Standard: Battleship Sudoku Grandmaster = 6:30, Master = 10:30, Expert = 21:00
Solution: PDF
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between number placement, ship placement, and shading modes. The shading mode in gray, which numbers can be written on top of, may work better than default ship placement.)
Theme: Four Islands
Rules: Standard Battleship Sudoku rules.
Answer String: Enter the 8th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th column from top to bottom.
Time Standard: Battleship Sudoku Grandmaster = 5:30, Master = 8:00, Expert = 16:00
Solution: PDF
Note: Advice on solving this puzzle has now been posted in “Ask Dr. Sudoku #8“
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between number placement, ship placement, and shading modes. The shading mode in gray, which numbers can be written on top of, may work better than default ship placement.)
Theme: Even Steven; the fleet has only certain kinds of numbers.
Rules: Standard Battleship Sudoku rules.
Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th column from top to bottom.
Time Standard: Battleship Sudoku Grandmaster = 1:30, Master = 2:15, Expert = 4:30
Solution: PDF
There is no Doctor’s Note this week.
Seventh in a series with puzzle solving tips. This time with advice on exploring unusual puzzle geometries such as the Saturday Sudo-Kurve.
When you’ve solved enough 3d Sudoku or Sudo-Kurve puzzles or other unique geometries (as in Sudoku Masterpieces), you’ve probably recognized there are sometimes cells or sets of cells that are much more constrained than others in the construction. This Sudo-Kurve grid, which I used in Sudoku Cup 3 and only one other time since, has some secrets to observe before getting too deep into any puzzle.
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: Totally Twisted: a challenging grid shape
Rules: Standard Sudo-Kurve rules.
Answer String: Enter the “row” marked A, followed by a comma, followed by the “row” marked B.
Time Standard: Sudo-Kurve Grandmaster = 9:00, Master = 15:00, Expert = 30:00
Solution: PDF
Note: Advice on solving this puzzle has now been posted in “Ask Dr. Sudoku #7”
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: Happy Valentine’s Day – a heart of given numbers inside a heart-shaped grid.
Rules: Standard Sudo-Kurve rules.
Answer String: Enter the “row” marked A, followed by a comma, followed by the “row” marked B.
Time Standard: Sudo-Kurve Grandmaster = 4:00, Master = 6:15, Expert = 12:30
Solution: PDF
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: A simple start: a Sudo-Kurve with just three regions.
Rules: Standard Sudo-Kurve rules.
Answer String: Enter the “row” marked A, followed by a comma, followed by the “row” marked B.
Time Standard: Sudo-Kurve Grandmaster = 0:45, Master = 1:20, Expert = 2:40
Solution: PDF
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between Sudoku entry modes and a shading mode to mark off clues.)
Theme: Almost all in order – two double 1-9 digit pangrams and two single 1-9 digit pangrams are on the outside of this grid.
Rules: Standard Outside Sudoku rules.
Answer String: Enter the 5th column from top to bottom, followed by a comma, followed by the 9th column from top to bottom.
Time Standard: Outside Sudoku Grandmaster = 6:15, Master = 10:15, Expert = 20:30
Solution: PDF