Killer Sudoku by Prasanna Seshadri

Killer Sudoku by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

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

Theme: It’s T Time

Author/Opus: This is the 215th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Also, the sum of the digits in each cage must equal the value given in the upper-left corner of that cage. Digits cannot repeat inside a cage.

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 11:15, Master = 19:00, Expert = 38:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

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.

Japanese Sums by JinHoo Ahn

Japanese Sums by JinHoo Ahn

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between number entry and shading modes.)

Theme: Magic Squares

Author/Opus: This is the 32nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster JinHoo Ahn.

Rules: Place the digits in the indicated range (1-9) in some of the cells so that no digit is repeated in any row or column. Numbers on the outside of the grid indicate the sums of adjacent digit groups in that row or column, in order. Each sum is separated by at least one unused cell.

Japanese Sums Example

Difficulty: 4.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:15, Master = 20:00, Expert = 40:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Japanese Sums puzzles.

TomTom (Twins) by Grant Fikes

TomTom by Grant Fikes

PDF

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

Theme: Signed by the Author

Author/Opus: This is the 352nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard TomTom rules, using the integers 1-5. The two grids have the same numerical clues in the cages with the given operations (e.g. the sum of the upper-left cage in the top grid equals the product of the upper-left cage in the bottom grid). The value of all mathematical operations must be nonnegative integers.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:45, Master = 4:45, Expert = 9:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

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

Smashed Sums by Murat Can Tonta

Smashed Sums by Murat Can Tonta

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to shift between number entry and shading modes.)

Theme: Ten’s Complement

Author/Opus: This is the 206th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Murat Can Tonta.

Rules: Fill each row and column of the grid with the digits 1 to 4 and two blackened cells. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of the digits between the two blackened cells in that row or column. Blackened cells are allowed to touch. Or see here.

Difficulty: 2.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:15, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for other less common Number Placement puzzles.

Skyscrapers (Sum) by Ashish Kumar

Skyscrapers by Ashish Kumar

PDF

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

Theme: Sequence

Author/Opus: This is the 77th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Ashish Kumar.

Rules: Variation of Skyscrapers; each clue represents the sum of the heights of the visible buildings in that direction.

Difficulty: 2 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:30, Master = 2:00, Expert = 4:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Skyscrapers puzzles and this link for variations on Skyscrapers puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Skyscrapers Puzzles to get started on. More Skyscrapers puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli, and in the e-book Skyscrapers by Ashish Kumar.

Kakuro by Palmer Mebane

Kakuro by Palmer Mebane

PDF

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

Theme: Crossing the River

Author/Opus: This is the 53rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Palmer Mebane.

Rules: Standard Kakuro Rules.

Difficulty: 1.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 0:50, Master = 1:20, Expert = 2:40

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Kakuro and this link for Kakuro variations. More Kakuro puzzles can be found in Kakuro and Variations by Serkan Yürekli and in The Art of Puzzles 2.

Sunday Stumper: Hungarian Tapa by Palmer Mebane

This year, we started posting 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 eighth Sunday Stumper is a Hungarian Tapa from puzzlemaster Palmer Mebane.

Hungarian Tapa by Palmer Mebane

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

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

Theme: Four Corners of Four

Author/Opus: This is the 52nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Palmer Mebane.

Rules: Variation of Tapa. Shade some empty cells black to create a single connected wall. Cells with numbers cannot be shaded, and the shaded cells cannot form a 2×2 square anywhere in the grid. Each row and column must contain eight shaded cells (four for the example). Place a number from 1 to 8 (1-4 for the example) into each shaded cell so that each number appears once in each row and column.

Numbers in a cell indicate the sums of the numbers of consecutive shaded blocks in the neighboring cells. If there is more than one number in a cell, then there must be at least one white (unshaded) cell between the black cell groups. Numbers on the shaded cells can repeat in a sum.

See also this example:

Hungarian Tapa example by Serkan Yürekli

Difficulty: 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 35:00, Master = 1:05:00, Expert = 2:10:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Tapa and this link for Tapa variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Tapa puzzles to get started on. More Tapa puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, in Tapa and Variations, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles, all by Serkan Yürekli.

Sunday Update and Solutions

Our past variety week of Tapa puzzles is collected in this PDF and the solutions are in this PDF. An extra Sunday Stumper Tapa puzzle will be posting this morning. If you are interested in more Tapa puzzles, please look here in our estore.

The daily solution videos are on the posts and linked below:

This next week of puzzles will be themed around the “Last Days of SUM-mer” with six different arithmetic puzzle types. Next Sunday we’ll also be posting the first issue of a new book series, Grandmaster Puzzles Quarterly 1, with a mix of puzzles from six different genres. More details to come next week.

Make Room for Tapa by Thomas Snyder

Tapa by Thomas Snyder

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: Parquet

Author/Opus: This is the 391st puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules. Also, the grid is divided into regions by bold lines; exactly five cells must be shaded black in each region.

See also this example:

Make Room for Tapa example by Serkan Yürekli

Difficulty: 4 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:45, Master = 11:15, Expert = 22:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Tapa and this link for Tapa variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Tapa puzzles to get started on. More Tapa puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, in Tapa and Variations, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles, all by Serkan Yürekli.

Tapa by Prasanna Seshadri

Tapa by Prasanna Seshadri

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: Circle

Author/Opus: This is the 214th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Tapa rules.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 4:15, Expert = 8:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is also available here.

Note: Follow this link for classic Tapa and this link for Tapa variations. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Tapa puzzles to get started on. More Tapa puzzles can be found in The Art of Puzzles, in Tapa and Variations, and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles, all by Serkan Yürekli.