This one is a hybrid of Starbattle and Heyawake (Heyawacky). Since apparently I haven’t had enough skyscrapers, I keep misnaming this “Skywacky”. Inspiration?
Rules Solve as a regular Star Battle. In addition, connected stretches of empty cells aren’t allowed to cross more than one region border.
We continue with the regular puzzle-a-month-on-the-first-of. Here’s a Skyscraper-Nurikabe, a practice puzzle for the upcoming Indian GP.
Rules Solve as a regular Nurikabe. Additionally, some skyscraper clues are given outside the grid. For these, consider the blocks of adjacent shaded cells within the corresponding row as skyscrapers with height equal to the number of cells in the block.
Or check the instruction booklet which includes an example.
You can solve online (of sorts) and check your code here.
And quickly another post to hide that terrible Domino Construction. In contrast, this one has a nice solving path, but will you find it?
Rules Solve as a standard Slither Link. In addition, all cells outside the loop must be connected, and there must be no 2×2-square of cells that is entirely inside or outside the loop.
Or see the instruction booklet.
Another Skyscrapers Domino Construction, to bang your head against. If that’s your thing.
Edit I’ve since convinced myself there’s a reasonable way through. Still really hard, but no longer a puzzle I feel bad about.
Rules Place the given set of dominoes in the marked domino tiles. Whenever two dominoes touch by an edge, the adjacent numbers must be the same. Clues outside the grid are skyscraper clues: They indicate the number of visible skyscrapers when looking along the corresponding row or column from that point, where each number represents a skyscraper of that height. Skyscrapers are blocked from view by those of greater or equal height.
Or see the instruction booklet.
Is it just me, or are there more uncommon types on this round than previously? Anyway, below there’s a Skyscrapers Domino Construction. Again these were on the 24 hours this year. This one is probably not typical, but I think it came out quite well.
Rules Place the given set of dominoes in the marked domino tiles. Whenever two dominoes touch by an edge, the adjacent numbers must be the same. Clues outside the grid are skyscraper clues: They indicate the number of visible skyscrapers when looking along the corresponding row or column from that point, where each number represents a skyscraper of that height. Skyscrapers are blocked from view by those of greater or equal height.
Or see the instruction booklet.
The next GP round is coming up, with the Russian GP authored by Andrey Bogdanov. One of the types is Yin-Yang Fences, which I first saw on Andrey and Vladimir’s round for the Budapest 24 hours this year. You should be able to find these here. Berni made another for our croco 24h review series.
You can leave out one of the 2s on the outside if you want more of a challenge.
Rules Solve as a standard Slither Link. In addition, all cells outside the loop must be connected, and there must be no 2×2-square of cells that is entirely inside or outside the loop.
Or see the instruction booklet.
Last of the Kellers, and the hardest. You really can’t say I wasn’t prepared.
Rules The left grid is a Japanese Sums puzzle, digits 1-8. Place digits in some cells, so that they don’t repeat in rows or columns. Clues give the sums of blocks of adjacent digits in order. The right grid is a Dotted Snake: Draw a snake of any length that occupies full cells and doesn’t touch itself, not even diagonally. Numbering the snake cells from head to tail, put a dot in every third cell, starting with the third. Clues indicated the number of dotted snake cells in the corresponding row or column.
The grids interact: There must be a digit under every snake cell, and that digit must be divisible by three if and only if the corresponding snake cell is dotted.
Next Keller puzzle. Some of the logic may have been lost in completing the domino part for this one. I find the restrictions that the compatible domino tiling imposes on the loop to be quite interesting in this type, the interaction with the domino puzzle as such less so.
Rules The left grid is a domino dissection puzzle. Divide the grid into 2×1-areas such that each domino occurs exactly once. The right grid is a standard fences/slitherlink.
The grids interact: Superimposed over the solved domino grid, the fence can’t bisect a domino.
Another practice puzzle for the Keller round. This one has a wart, I messed up the sign on the break-in, and don’t see a nice way to fix it. This will have to do. I don’t remember whether it’s actually difficult, beyond the awkwardness of the type.
EDIT: Fixed an ambiguity, thanks uvo.
Rules The left grid is a Sternenhimmel. Place some stars in empty cells, such that every arrow points at at least one star, and such that every star is pointed at by at least one arrow. Clues outside the grid indicate the number of stars in the row or column. The right grid is a Magnets grid. Place + and – in some cells, such that every 2×1-plate is either completely empty/shaded (neutral), or has one + and one – (charged). Same signs can’t be adjacent.
The grids interact: Stars may only be placed over charged plates. Arrows over charged cells are rotated (90˚ clockwise for +, counterclockwise for -).
Here’s a puzzle for one of the types on the Keller round, with superimposed puzzles.
Rules Solve the left grid as a Mosaik. That is, shade some cells, such that each number indicates the number of shaded cells in the surrounding cells, including the cell itself (so, 9 is the maximum clue). Solve the right grid as a Magic Labyrinth with digits from 1 to 3. That is, place digits 1, 2, 3 in some cells such that every row and column contains each digit exactly once, and walking along the labyrinth from outside to inside, you visit digits in the repeating order 1,2,3,1,2,…, starting with 1.
The two puzzles interact: Whenever a Mosaik clue is shaded, copy that clue to the Labyrinth in the corresponding position.
Maybe Puzzles 