PDF

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

Theme: Love (shading is for artistic purposes only)

Author/Opus: This is the 108th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Variation of Star Battle rules. There are two stars per row and column, but only one star per region.

Answer String: For each row from top to bottom, enter the number of the first column from the left where a star appears. Enter these numbers as a single string with no separators.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:00, Master = 2:45, Expert = 5:30

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other variations on Star Battle and this link for classic Star Battles. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Star Battles 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 linex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Five (originally on the US round for the 2016 WPF Puzzle Grand Prix)

Author/Opus: This is the 244th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Cave rules.

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

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other classic Caves. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Cave Puzzles to get started on.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)

Theme: Sum of Five Pentominoes (originally on the US round for the 2016 WPF Puzzle Grand Prix)

Author/Opus: This is the 243rd puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.

Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules.

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

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

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other 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; use tab to alternate between a composite mode for line/edge drawing and a letter entry mode.)

Theme: Logical (originally on the US round for the 2016 WPF Puzzle Grand Prix)

Author/Opus: This is the 204th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Variation of Pentominous rules. Some borders between pentominoes are already drawn.

Answer String: Enter the letter associated with the pentomino occupying each cell in the marked rows from left to right, separating the groups with a comma. Use CAPITAL LETTERS!

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:30, Master = 4:00, Expert = 8:00

Solution: PDF

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.

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in lineox mode where left click+drag draws lines and left click in square marks O and X.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic (originally on 2016 Polish Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 121st puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Draw a single closed loop (without intersections or crossings). Each clue gives the number of surrounding clues used by the loop. The loop can pass through the clue cells.

See also this example:

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.

Solution: PDF

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 3:15, Master = 5:30, Expert = 11:00

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools; use tab to alternate between a letter entry mode and a shading mode. CAPS LOCK is recommended for letter entry.)

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic (originally on 2016 Polish Puzzle Championship)

Author/Opus: This is the 120th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Prasanna Seshadri.

Rules: Fill some empty cells with the letters A-F (A-D in the example) so that each row and column contains each letter exactly once. The letters outside the grid indicate the first letter seen from that direction, but each row and column has one transparent letter that is ignored by the clues. The transparent letters must be different in each row and column.

See also this example:

Answer String: Enter the letters (including the transparent letter) in the marked rows in order from left to right, separating each row’s entry with a comma. USE CAPITAL LETTERS.

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 2:45, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00

Solution: PDF

Note: Follow this link for other less common number placement variations.

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 198th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Standard Cross the Streams rules. Also there are two windows in the upper left (blue) and lower right (red) of the grid. The cells in the same position in these windows must have the exact opposite shading.

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 = 3:30, Master = 5:00, Expert = 10:00.

Solution: PDF; a solution video is available here.

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

PDF

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

Theme: Logical

Author/Opus: This is the 197th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Grant Fikes.

Rules: Hybrid of Nurikabe and Sashigane, originally created by Grant Fikes. Standard Nurikabe rules are in place for the “ocean” (connected and no 2×2 squares) but the island rules have changed as follows:
1. All islands must be L-shaped and one cell wide. Islands cannot share an edge.
2. An arrow clue points from an end of an island towards the bend in the middle.
3. A circle clue indicates the bend in the middle of an island; if a number is also present, this is the size of the island in cells.
4. An island can have 0, 1, or more of these clues given.

Also see this example and solution by Thomas Snyder:

Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the black segments (the unnumbered, connected “ocean”) 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 = 2:30, Master = 4:00, Expert = 8:00

Solution: PDF

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

PDF

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

Theme: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 104th puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Fill the grid with digits from the indicated range (1 to n) so that no digit is repeated within a row or column. Number clues in the grid indicate the difference between the largest and smallest digits in the visible cells (i.e., going from the clue until hitting an edge or another triangled cell). If there is only one visible cell, the clue number indicates the digit itself.

Answer String: Enter the digits in the 7th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 4th column from top to bottom. Ignore the triangled cells.

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

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: Clue Symmetry and Logic

Author/Opus: This is the 103rd puzzle from our contributing puzzlemaster Serkan Yürekli.

Rules: Fill the grid with digits from the indicated range (1 to n) so that no digit is repeated within a row or column. Number clues in the grid indicate the difference between the largest and smallest digits in the visible cells (i.e., going from the clue until hitting an edge or another triangled cell). If there is only one visible cell, the clue number indicates the digit itself.

Answer String: Enter the digits in the 5th row from left to right, followed by a comma, followed by the 4th column from top to bottom. Ignore the triangled cells.

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

Solution: PDF

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