Minesweeper (Even Rows/Columns) by Serkan Yürekli

Minesweeper by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools. Use left click to place mine, right click (in cell) to mark unused, right click (on edge/corner) to mark a note; hitting tab will also enable a shading mode. If you want more solving options, turn off Penpa-Lite option.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 139th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Place a mine into some of the empty cells so that each number represents the total count of mines in neighboring cells, including diagonally adjacent cells. Also, an even number of mines must be placed in each row and in each column.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each group of consecutive cells with mines from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 10:30, Master = 15:00, Expert = 30:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Nanro (Even Rows/Columns) by Prasanna Seshadri

Nanro by Prasanna Seshadri

PDF

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

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 137th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Standard Nanro rules. Also, an even number of cells must be filled with a number in each row and in each column.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the segments labeled with numbers from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry from the next with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 7:30, Master = 9:30, Expert = 19:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Nanro variations and this link for classic Nanro. If you are new to this puzzle type, please first try out our easiest Nanro to get started.

Tight Fit Sudoku (Samurai) by Serkan Yürekli

Tight Fit Sudoku by Serkan Yürekli

(view directly for a larger image)

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between Sudoku = big entries and Number candidate = small entries in the corners of cells.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 137th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tight Fit Sudoku rules with numbers from 1-9. There are five grids with these extra rules:

– Even/Odd (upper-left): Numbers in circles must be odd and numbers in squares must be even.
– No Touch (upper-right): Numbers cannot repeat in diagonally adjacent cells (both numbers in any “tight fit” cell are considered when checking presence in a diagonally adjacent cell). Only look within the upper-right grid when applying this rule.
– Irregular (center): Instead of 3×2 borders, the bold regions are irregularly shaped (and colored in cyan).
– Anti-Knight (lower-left): Numbers cannot repeat in any cells separated by a chess knight’s move (both numbers in any “tight fit” cell are considered when checking for presence in a cell a knight’s move away). Only look within the lower-left grid when applying this rule.
– Killer (lower-right): There are some dotted cages; the number clues given with these cages indicate the sum of all numbers in the cage. Numbers cannot repeat within a given cage.

Answer String: Enter the 2nd row in the even/odd from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 4th row in the no touch from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 3rd row in the irregular from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th row in the anti-knight from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th row in the killer from left to right. (Note: for the tight fit cells, enter the top before the bottom as would be normal for the read order.)

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 22:30, Master = 40:00, Expert = 1:20:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Tight Fit Sudoku puzzles on this website. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Tight Fit Sudoku to get started on. More Tight Fit Sudoku can be found in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli and in The Art of Sudoku 2.

Tight Fit Sudoku (Killer) by Serkan Yürekli

Tight Fit Sudoku by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between Sudoku = big entries and Number candidate = small entries in the corners of cells.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 136th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Tight Fit Sudoku rules with numbers from 1-9. Also, there are some dotted cages; the number clues given with these cages indicate the sum of all numbers in the cage. Numbers cannot repeat within a given cage.

Answer String: Enter the 6th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th column from top to bottom. (Note: for the tight fit cells, enter the top before the bottom as would be normal for the read order.)

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:30, Master = 9:30, Expert = 19:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Tight Fit Sudoku puzzles on this website. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Tight Fit Sudoku to get started on. More Tight Fit Sudoku can be found in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli and in The Art of Sudoku 2.

Roller Coaster by Serkan Yürekli

Roller Coaster by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

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

Theme: 1 to 9 (for patron Veep, who co-wrote this style for the 2016 MIT Mystery Hunt)

Author/Opus: This is the 130th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Fill each cell with a digit from 1 to 9 (1 to 6 in example) so that no digit repeats in any row or column, and also draw a single, non-intersecting loop through some of the cells in the grid. The loop cannot pass through gray cells. Numbers on the outside of the grid show the sum of digits of ALL horizontal/vertical loop segments in that row/column in order. (Note: as in column 5 of the example, only segments that pass horizontally/vertically in a row/column appear as clues; the 5 in that column is not part of a vertical segment and is not represented by a clue). Not all outside clues are given, and unclued rows/columns can have any possible distribution of loop segments/sums.

Roller Cosaster Example by Serkan Yürekli

Answer String: Enter the digits in the 1st row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 9:15, Master = 14:00, Expert = 28:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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

Sudoku (XV) by Serkan Yürekli

XV Sudoku by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

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

Theme: Anti-XV (for patron Phleb)

Author/Opus: This is the 129th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Also, when the numbers in two cells sharing an edge add up to 5, a V is marked on that edge; when the numbers in two cells sharing an edge add up to 10, an X is marked on that edge. (For clarity, as no symbols appear in the grid below, there are never any edge-adjacent cells that sum to 5 or 10.)

Answer String: Enter the 6th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 5th column from top to bottom.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:00, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other variations of Sudoku and this link for classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on.

Cross the Streams (LITS) by Grant Fikes

Cross The Streams (LITS) by Grant Fikes

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a shading mode and a composite mode where left click inside cell shades square, left click + drag draws line segment, right click inside cell adds dot, and right click on cell edge adds an x.)

Theme: Horizontal Hold

Author/Opus: This is the 220th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Cross the Streams rules. Also, the shaded region must be able to be split into tetrominoes to form a valid LITS solution (meaning all tetrominoes are connected but no two tetrominoes sharing an edge are the same shape, including rotations and reflections).

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the black segments from top to bottom for the marked columns, going in order from A to B to C to D and separating each entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 6:00, Master = 8:15, Expert = 16:30.

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for variations of Cross the Streams and this link for other classic Cross the Streams. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cross the Streams to get started on.

Pentominous (Star Battle) by Grant Fikes

Pentominous (Star Battle) by Grant Fikes

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a composite mode for line/edge drawing and a letter entry mode.)

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 219th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Combination of Pentominous and Star Battle. Place stars into some cells so that there are two stars in each row and column; no two stars can touch, even diagonally. Then divide the rest of the grid into 16 regions each containing 5 cells. Regions with the same shape (including rotations/reflections) cannot share an edge. A cell with a letter in it must be part of the pentomino shape normally associated with that letter; an inventory of pentominoes is given below the puzzle.

Answer String: Enter the letter associated with the pentomino occupying each cell or an asterisk (*) if it is a star in the marked rows from left to right, separating the groups with a comma. Use CAPITAL LETTERS! Example: IIIII*LFF*,TTT*PP*VVV

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:45, Master = 8:15, Expert = 16:30

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Pentominous puzzles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Pentominous to get started on.

Japanese+Latin Sums by Serkan Yürekli

Japanese+Latin Sums by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

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

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 127th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Hybrid of Japanese Sums and Latin Squares. Place a digit from 1-6 (1-4 in the example) into some cells so that each digit appears exactly once in each row and column. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sums of all adjacent digits in order in that row or column.

Japanese+Latin Sums Example by Thomas Snyder

Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 8th column from top to bottom. Use a capital X for empty cells.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:45, Master = 7:30, Expert = 15:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

Note: Follow this link for other Japanese Sums puzzles.

Kakuro by Serkan Yürekli

Kakuro by Serkan Yürekli

PDF

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

Theme: Area 29

Author/Opus: This is the 126th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Standard Kakuro Rules.

Answer String: Enter the values in each white cell in the marked row from left to right and then the marked column from top to bottom, separating the groups with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:30, Master = 6:45, Expert = 13:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other Kakuro puzzles.