Friday Puzzles #158

This one goes out to those 13 wonderful facebook fans I have.  Yes, that's right, as many as 13!  I don't think I've plugged that for a while, so why not scroll down a bit and click that like button.  What's the worst that can happen?

By the way, on the plugging theme I cannot recommend more highly the super-duper UKPA beginners contest I put together.  12 puzzles for you to have a go in the time frame of a month - and you don't even have to do them all in one go.  Feel free to keep coming back and  submitting your answers at your own knowledge.  And then see how you did at the end of month.  That's something I can't manage to offer my dearest readers here!  What exactly do you have to lose, eh?

Right, it turns out I do have a limit on my own shame, so I'll get straight onto this week's puzzle.  Nurikabe, with a little bit to think about, in my own slightly fiddly and time-honoured fashioned.  Enjoy!

    #190 Nurikabe – rated medium

All puzzles © Tom Collyer 2009-12.

Friday Puzzles #157

So this post completes the 3rd year that Friday Puzzles has run.  How time has flied, dearest reader.  But you know me, no great fanfare here, I'll just keep plodding on as best I can and hope that people enjoy the ride.  This week, heyawake.  First one of these for a while. and ought to be fairly plain sailing.  Enjoy!

    #189 Heyawake – rated easy

All puzzles © Tom Collyer 2009-12.

UKPA Beginners Contests

Well, I'm spamming this just about everywhere else I can think of.  Anyway, if you've never done anything like this before now is the time to start!

The UKPA is pleased to announce a new monthly series of "Beginners Contests!"

These are contests open for a month, aimed at all those who find the myriad of puzzle contests a little intimidating.  You can complete the contest in your own time, although if you are feeling competitive you are more than welcome to treat this as a sprint against the clock.  The puzzles will be small, but not necessarily trivial to solve, and aim to get the less experienced solver more familiar with various puzzle styles within the framework of friendly competition.

Contest page: http://www.ukpuzzles.org/contests.php?contestid=26
Forum thread: http://forum.ukpuzzles.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=593

Update to FP155

So it turns out that a puzzle I wrote was broken.  Hrm, no huge deal there, I reckon that must have happened on this blog sometime before... except it sort of is.  The puzzle in question was submitted as part of a puzzle championship - and as far as I'm aware was actually "used" in said championship.  Which is obviously an issue for all those involved.  Well I assume it was an issue, I haven't actually heard any more on the matter.  At the very least, it is a cause of embarrassment for me.

Anyhow all I can do now is apologise, and belatedly offer this one instead.  It's been solved in my notebook, and in paint and I even had another look at the solution grid in the notebook.  If this one's broken I think I'll cry!

    #186 Arrow Sudoku – rated hard

All puzzles © Tom Collyer 2009-12.

Friday Puzzles #156

More sudoku this week I'm afraid.  I've had this puzzle lying around for a rainy day - but I think it's safe to say, dearest reader, that you'll not have seen many quite like this one. Enjoy!

    #188 Diagonal Sudoku – rated hard

All puzzles © Tom Collyer 2009-12.

Friday Puzzles #155

So I thought what I'd do for a while before sharing my puzzles this week is bore you a little with some copyright.  The puzzles on this blog are free for anyone to use and reproduce under the following conditions.  The first condition is that you do not use them for commercial purposes.  If you want to make my money from my puzzles then it is unacceptable that you do so without a (large) cut coming my way.  The second is that I am fully attributed, so that my work is fairly recognised as belonging to me.  This should at the very least feature my name and a link to this blog.  Should you wish to use my puzzles under any other terms, then you should get in touch and we can talk.

This is as stuffy as I am going to get with my puzzles.  I maintain this blog for the benefit of the community.  I would like the community to grow and expand, and if my puzzles can be used as part of this, then this makes me very happy indeed.  Although it would be nice, should you wish to use my puzzles elsewhere, to ask me first, I do not deem this to be necessary.  As long as you aren't being overtly offensive or abusive when using my work I will in fact be glad of the good advert whether I am conscious of this advert or not.

I wish more people shared my attitude.  With the advent of the internet, I believe a revolution in copyright is coming.

Anyhow, this week I have two Sudoku variants that I put together for the Polish national championships, which recently happened.  Two puzzles which I'd have been more than happy to have been published elsewhere, under the conditions outlined above, so that the wider community could enjoy them.  Turns out they are here first instead.  Enjoy!

    #186 Arrow Sudoku – rated hard
BROKEN - SEE THIS POST.

    #187 Irregular Sudoku – rated hard

All puzzles © Tom Collyer 2009-12.