Last week I tackled kakuro, which I argued rarely have memorable themes or interesting solves to me. I still enjoy the type, but as a mental exercise to beat the clock more than anything else. Thinking I'd possibly been unfairly negative to the type, it turned out that the comments were more negative towards kakuro than even my pointed post ( Read more... )

Rules: Place a single digit from 1 to 9 in each cell so that the sum of each horizontal/vertical group of cells equals the number given immediately on its left/top side. Digits cannot repeat in any answer.


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Numberlink puzzles are a very hard puzzle for me to construct with confidence since they do not contain as many simple codified "logic" steps that let me prove a solution is correct. The heuristics many solvers use to solve, such as targeting corners and such, assume "uniqueness" of a solution and so these heuristics cannot readily be applied when ( Read more... )

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sInIcLe1: Heyawake - who even voted for Heyawake? I don't remember anyone saying they wanted Heyawake!?!

BetterAngel: While you might find the rules a bit more awkward than other Nikoli puzzles, Heyawake are certainly a type worth trying to construct. I mean, he's done some interesting Heyawake shape variations already.

sInIcLe1: Ok, but there ( Read more... )

Coming in a tie for first (but reaching first second) in my poll was Masyu, so by popular acclaim I bring you a 2010 Masyu. Masyu just happens to be the topic of the current GAMES Magazine PuzzleCraft article (April 2010) if you want to see some more themed Masyu I've written and read about how to construct them ( Read more... )

At the moment I left Hawai'i, Yajilin was the surprise leader of my poll for next Friday 2010 Puzzle. Masyu was just behind (and right now is tied) so that should appear later this week (although I'll have to think of some new tricks besides size to do something with Masyu different than what GLMathGrant did to start of the yearI'm not at all ( Read more... )

This month, the Turkish crew that brought us the OAPC (Serkan and all) are bringing a series of weekly Tapa Variations contests. Given my love of Tapa, I'm sure these will be incredibly fun contests. Rules/registration info is here; the first contest is Saturday. I'm on Kauai right now and am unlikely to compete Saturday for at least 5 different ( Read more... )

After several harder puzzles recently in the 2010 project, here is a more intermediate challenge in the form of a 2010 Shikaku.

Rules: See here


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Welcome back to motris.livejournal.com, where it's New Year's every Friday. At some point I'm sure you all will get tired (or probably already are) with the 2010 theming of puzzles but its a good exercise for me as I learn how to construct some new types and accomplish some fun/challenging things with more familiar ones ( Read more... )