Happy Two Pi Day to those not yet aware of other events today. We thought a combination of Thermometers and Arrows would be a great way to celebrate a natural constant!

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Theme: Because 2 π’s Are Better Than One

Author/Opus: This is the 583rd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

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 be strictly increasing from the round bulb to the flat end. 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. The coloring is strictly to emphasize the theme.

Difficulty (highlight to view): 5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 12:00, Master = 24:00, Expert = 48:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for more Arrow Sudoku. Follow this link for more Thermo-Sudoku puzzles. More Arrow and Thermo-Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku 2.

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.

Today’s Genuinely Approachable Sudoku shows a symmetric theme with only a few distinct numbers given as clues; can you solve this fun puzzle by Philip Newman?

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Theme: Sharrows

Author/Opus: This is the 6th puzzle from Philip Newman, part of the Genuinely Approachable Sudoku (GAS) team.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

GAS Time Standards (highlight to view): Two party hats (🎩🥳): 6:00; One party hat (🥳): 13:00. All other solvers earn a 🦕: Nocked Nicksaurus.

Thomas Hits the GAS (highlight to view): 3:20, 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 and solving video with explanation from GAS team.

Note: Follow this link for more Genuinely Approachable Sudoku puzzles on this site. 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 week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

Even though today is not Valentine’s Day, Serkan Yürekli is presenting us with a love-themed Arrow Sudoku and must be drawing attention to our shared love for solving puzzles.

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Theme: Love

Author/Opus: This is the 451st puzzle from our managing editor Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Estimated Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 8:35, Expert = 17:10

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

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 week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

In Arrow Sudoku, it is often a good approach to focus on possible combinations of numbers in arrows pointing in just one direction; this warm-up puzzle by Thomas Snyder is full of such arrows, all going to the right.

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Theme: Right Way of Thinking

Author/Opus: This is the 476th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Estimated Difficulty: 2 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:05, Master = 2:05, Expert = 4:10

Solution: PDF and solving animation.

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 week-0-discussion thread on the GMPuzzles Discord. If you are not yet part of this Discord community, use this link.

The third World Sudoku Championship playoff puzzle was this Arrow Sudoku from Zoltán Horváth with a visual “podium” theme. All the playoff puzzles represented different themed sudoku rounds and this one represented arithmetic sudoku.

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Theme: WSC Podium

Author/Opus: This is the 19th puzzle from guest contributor Zoltán Horváth.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Estimated Difficulty: 2.5-3 stars

Solution: PDF for all playoff puzzles.

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.

[This puzzle comes from the 2022 US Sudoku Grand Prix round. This variation again uses a double eights theme, both with two large eight shapes and a pair of given eights. I tried to have several different kinds of arrows used across the two eights, with a key question of should an eight be the sum of one or more of the arrows.]

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Theme: Double Eights

Author/Opus: This is the 441st puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Estimated Difficulty: 3 stars

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 The Art of Sudoku 2 and Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 3.

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Theme: Blossom

Author/Opus: This is the 427th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:30, Master = 8:45, Expert = 17:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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 The Art of Sudoku 2 and Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 3.

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Theme: Question Marks

Author/Opus: This is the 18th puzzle from guest contributor Rajesh Kumar.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Difficulty: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 9:00, Expert = 18:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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 The Art of Sudoku 2 and Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 3.

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Theme: Up and Down

Author/Opus: This is the 17th puzzle from guest contributor Zoltán Horváth.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:30, Master = 5:15, Expert = 10:30

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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 The Art of Sudoku 2 and Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 3.

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Theme: You Know Which One is Arrow 8

Author/Opus: This is the 3rd puzzle from guest contributor Michael Rios.

Rules: Standard Arrow Sudoku rules.

Difficulty: 3 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:30, Master = 7:00, Expert = 14:00

Solution: PDF and solving video.

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 The Art of Sudoku 2 and Masterpiece Sudoku Mix 3.