PDF

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

Theme: Letters In This Slitherlink

Author/Opus: This is the 217th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules. Also, the letters I, L, S, and T stand for different digits from 0 – 3.

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments following the arrows for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: One vs. Many

Author/Opus: This is the 216th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Variation of Yajilin rules. The arrow clues point toward the nearest black square(s) from that clue cell in the four cardinal directions. (For clarity, there is always at least 1 black cell in any direction pointed at by an arrow.)

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of the horizontal loop segments from left to right in the marked rows, starting at the top. If the loop only has vertical segments in the marked row, enter 0. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:30, Master = 6:00, Expert = 12:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Double Trouble

Author/Opus: This is the 215th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Variation of Yajilin rules. The arrow clues point toward the nearest black square(s) from that clue cell in the four cardinal directions. (For clarity, there is always at least 1 black cell in any direction pointed at by an arrow.)

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of the horizontal loop segments from left to right in the marked rows, starting at the top. If the loop only has vertical segments in the marked row, enter 0. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:45, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF

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

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.

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.

PDF

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

Theme: Going Up Again?

Author/Opus: This is the 252nd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Variation of Skyscrapers rules. The numbers outside the grid represent the sum of the buildings seen in the row or column. For example, if a row is 12534, the clue from the left would be an 8 (1+2+5) and from the right would be a 9 (4+5).

Answer String: Enter the 3rd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 4th row from left to right.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 4:30, Expert = 9:00

Solution: PDF

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.

PDF

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

Theme: Prime Numbers

Author/Opus: This is the 125th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Place a digit from 1-4 (1-3 in the example) into some cells so that each digit appears exactly once in each row and column. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of all numbers appearing in the corresponding rows and columns. (Digits in adjacent cells are combined to form multi-digit numbers.)

Answer String: Enter the 5th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 6th column from top to bottom. Use a capital X for empty cells.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:00, Master = 4:00, Expert = 8:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Unique Digits

Author/Opus: This is the 250th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Add digits to some cells so each cell contains a one- or two-digit number. The sum of the numbers in each row and in each column must be 100.

Answer String: Enter all numbers including the new and given digits from left to right, starting with the top row, then the middle row, and then the bottom row. Separate each row with a comma. (For example “123454,362737,52399”.)

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:30, Master = 3:00, Expert = 6:00

Solution: PDF

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

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 number entry mode.)

Theme: Salt and Pepper (alphanumerically, 19 = S, 16 = P)

Author/Opus: This is the 18th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster John Bulten.

Rules: Standard Fillomino rules. Also, all polyominoes should have rotational symmetry as in this example:

Answer String: For each cell in the marked rows/columns, enter the area of the polyomino it belongs to. Enter just the last digit for any two-digit number. Start with the 1st row, followed by a comma, followed by the 10th column.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 10:00, Master = 22:30, Expert = 45:00

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between Sudoku number entry mode and a shading mode to mark the black squares.)

Theme: No Zeroes

Author/Opus: This is the 132nd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Variation of Sudoku. Instead of the digits 1 through 9, this puzzle uses the digits 1 through 7 as well as two black squares in each row, column, and bold region. Clues outside the grid indicate the sum of all digits between the black squares in that row/column.

Answer String: Enter the 2nd row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 8th row from left to right. Use a capital X for all black squares.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 8:30, Master = 10:30, Expert = 21:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other less common 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.

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: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 124th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Tapa rules. The clue numbers now refer to the groups of unshaded segments around that cell. Cells with numbers count as unshaded cells for adjacent clues. All other rules for the shaded Tapa are the same as usual.

Or see here:

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the shaded segments 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 = 2:00, Master = 3:15, Expert = 6:30

Solution: PDF

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