Books
Sudoku Xtra 19 now available
May 24th
Sudoku Xtra 19 is now available for download as a PDF or pre-printed via Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and also the French, Italian and Spanish Amazon sites.
This issue features 144 varied hand-crafted and language-neutral logic puzzles of over 50 different types, all with a unique solution which can be found without guessing.
The page size in both the PDF and pre-printed versions is now slightly larger, but the magazine is still set up so that if you print it yourself at 100% size on either A4 or Letter paper all of the content will fit perfectly on the page. This extra space has let me fit more content into less pages, so despite having 14 more puzzles than the previous issue it has 8 less pages (or 4 less in the PDF version).
In terms of content, path-finding Ultimazum is back by popular demand, and this issue also introduces Kropki Sudoku, Sudoku XV and my own Integer Multiple Sudoku. Plus there’s a twist on an existing popular type with Non-consecutive Sudoku.
Other puzzles include Hanjie, Slitherlink, Yajilin, Heyawake, Nurikabe, Masyu, Hashi and many more. Other Sudoku variants include Samurai Sudoku (both 13- and 5-grid versions), Killer Sudoku Pro, Odd Pair Sudoku, Jigsaw Sudoku, Skyscraper Sudoku, Sudoku 16×16 and tens of other types.
Printed copies are on top-quality, 8.5×11 inch (21.6×28 cm) paper ideal for solving on.
Sudoku Xtra 19, available now.
Sudoku Xtra 18
Mar 28th
The 18th issue of Sudoku Xtra is now available, either pre-printed or as a downloadable PDF. It’s designed so each page can be printed separately, so you need only print the puzzles you want to try, and all of the puzzle content is in black and white.
This issue features 130 logic puzzles in a wide range of designs and sizes, from 5×5 right up to larger than 30×30. Puzzle types include Yajilin, Heyawake, Nurikabe, Masyu and more of the Windows puzzles introduced in the previous issue, plus an enormous range of different Sudoku variants including many seen on this blog.
There’s also a packed Community Puzzles Section featuring content from the world’s best puzzle authors, such as David Millar’s awe-inspiring Knighted Samurai Shape Sudoku through to more of Vexus Puzzle’s delightful route-finding Tiktaka.
Sudoku Xtra 16 and Sudoku Xtra 17 have also been published since I last updated this blog, so head over to the Sudoku Xtra magazines page for more details.
You can also view a full list of the contents of each magazine on the Sudoku Xtra site.
Sudoku Xtra Issue 15
Jun 15th
Sudoku Xtra issue 15 is now available for download from SudokuXtra.com, and it’s another packed issue of the logic puzzle magazine. With 59 different types of logic puzzle at a wide range of difficulties it’s got something in it for everyone, and it’s far from just Sudoku and variants. In fact there’s not a single regular 9×9 Sudoku in the whole magazine! From the giant cover Masyu through to the Tapa, Heyawake, Nurikabe, new puzzles and more there is plenty to keep you busy.
The magazine can be downloaded as a PDF and printed at home, or it can be ordered pre-printed from Lulu or Amazon.com (the last of these coming in the next week or so, once their system updates and lists it).
I’m also now posting full lists of content over on the magazines page at SudokuXtra.com,so you can click the expanding links to see a list of every puzzle in both this and the previous two issues, as well as order back issues.
And talking of back issues, I didn’t post here previously but issues 13 and 14 are also available (and have been for 4 and 2 months respectively), although the Amazon.com issues of these have only just been uploaded so again these should appear in the next week or so.
Sudoku Xtra 10 – over 60 puzzle types!
Sep 8th
Issue 10 of Sudoku Xtra magazine is now available, and it’s packed with over 60 different types of wordless logic puzzle!
With 125 separate puzzles there really should be something in there for everyone, so whether you like huge Samurai Sudoku puzzles such as the 13-grid Samurai X, or just encountering a wide range of different Japanese logic puzzles, then there’s something in it for you. And don’t be confused by the name – the puzzles include not just Sudoku and a huge range of variants, but also Hanjie, Nurikabe, Yajilin, Slitherlink and many more.
To celebrate the 10th issue I’ve featured a range of 10-themed puzzles in the main section, including some with 10-shaped givens, 10 sides, 10-related layouts or 10-based values in the puzzles (for example a powers of 10 +/- Killer Sudoku!).
Meanwhile the Community Puzzles section just continues to get better and better thanks to the incredible skill and generosity of those contributing puzzles. New this issue is a page of Labyrinth puzzles (as seen in Beyond Sudoku) from Nathan Roberts, as well as Navigrids plus a new puzzle from the Vexus Puzzle Design stall. There’s also a page of challenging Battleships puzzles courtesy of Clarity Media, and on top of that there’s an awesome loop puzzle called Castle Wall from Palmer Mebane/MellowMelon.
The incredibly talented David Millar has crafted some special issue 10 puzzles, with some Sum Sudoku that have only “10″ clues, and a Slitherlink with only “10″ pairs in the grid! Meanwhile Grant Fikes has created three brilliant classic Nikoli-style puzzles, and there’s another visually-stunning Altair Slitherlink and more from Jim Bumgardner. Not only that but also Tom Collyer has created two more incredibly impressive Nurikabe-Sudoku cross-over puzzles, which really put all your puzzle-solving skills to the test.
All that, and I’ve not even listed everything that’s to be found in the Community Puzzles section.
Sudoku Xtra is available now from www.SudokuXtra.com
Sudoku Xtra 7 magazine now out
May 26th
Sudoku Xtra issue 7 is now out! It’s available for download and also pre-printed from Lulu (for UK and most of the world), with the Amazon.com pre-printed version (for the US) due to follow in around a week or so (once they update their database).
Issue 7 of Sudoku Xtra contains even more large-page Japanese puzzle fun, with an incredible 116 varied logic and number puzzles. A special section in this issue is devoted to giant puzzles, with the 13 full-page puzzles including Hanjie, Nurikabe, Yajilin, Slitherlink, Hashi, Samurai Sudoku variants, Kakuro and more.
Sudoku Xtra offers greater variety than any other puzzle publication, with a huge range of Sudoku variants that include Jigsaw, Extra Region, Skyscraper, Consecutive and many more. Other featured puzzles include Calcudoku, Futoshiki, Hitori, Killer Sudoku and a range of variants, including Zero Killer Sudoku Inequality!
Designed to print on either A4 or Letter paper, or pre-printed on similarly large paper, Sudoku Xtra features puzzles at a range of difficulties, so is suitable for both logic puzzle fans and casual solvers alike. No matter what you like, you’re sure to find many puzzles to enjoy in Sudoku Xtra issue 7.
There’s also another great Puzzle Community section too, thanks to the generous contributors. Puzzles sent in for issue 7 include Navigrid, Mini Killer Sudoku, Knighted Sum Sudoku, Fillomino and more.
Get Sudoku Xtra 7 now.
Sudoku Xtra magazine issue 4
Feb 25th
Issue 4 of Sudoku Xtra magazine is now with us! I really think I might be putting too many puzzles into it, because typing up the list of content just knocked me out with how much is crammed into its 52 large-format pages! Is too much possible? I don’t know, but look at this enormous list:
128 puzzles in total, including several seriously giant ones. Brand new for this issue:
- Samurai Star Killer Sudoku Pro
- Number Link Samurai
- Odd Pair Sudoku
- Samurai Odd Pair Sudoku
- Sudoku Inequality Jigsaw
- Jigsaw Sudoku 6×6 Variety Pack (including toroidal, inequality, X, consecutive and killer)
- Killer Sudoku Pro Jigsaw
- Sudoku 15×15 and Sudoku 18×18
- Killer Sudoku 15×15
- Odd & Even Pair Sudoku
- Killer Sudoku Prime
Regulars from issue 3:
- Hanjie
- Masyu
- Calcudoku (three times as many as in previous issues!)
- Slitherlink
- Consecutive Sudoku
- Hitori
- Samurai Star
- Samurai Star Jigsaw
- Number Link
- Jigsaw Sudoku 8×8, 9×9 and 10×10
- Toroidal Sudoku and Toroidal Inequality
- Kakuro
- Futoshiki
- Killer Sudoku
- Skyscraper
- Skyscraper Sudoku
- Samurai Sudoku
- SSSS: Skyscraper Samurai Star Sudoku
- Sudoku Inequality
- Sudoku Extra Regions
- Jigsaw Sudoku Extra Regions
- Killer Sudoku Jigsaw
- SOS: Samurai Outside Sudoku
- Outside Sudoku
- Sudoku 8×8
- Sudoku 12×12 and 16×16
- Samurai Extra Regions
- Yajilin
- Nurikabe
Adding to that already exhausting list still further are the community puzzles:
- Heyawake
- King’s Journey (also known as Hidato[TM], Numbrix[TM] and many other names)
- Mosaic (Minesweeper picture puzzle)
- As Easy as ABC
- Knight’s Tour
- Shapely Skyscraper
- Isolate
- Klump
And all of this for just £3.99 or $5.99 – it really is fantastic value!
If you’d like to get hold of it just pop on over to the Sudoku Xtra website!
Sudoku 16×16 Volume 1 – Sudoku Xtra Specials
Feb 15th
A book of just 16×16 Sudoku is now available both for download or in pre-printed form from Lulu.com or Amazon.com (with free delivery in some cases).
I’ve had lots of requests for a book like this over the past couple of years, so I hope if you’re one of the people who’ve wanted something like this that the book meets your expectations! All of the puzzles have nice symmetry, and the difficulty level is set such that you won’t need to make lots of fiddly pencil marks in the grid (or indeed any pencil marks at all, if you don’t want to).
It’s printed on large paper (A4 at Lulu, 8″x10″ at Amazon), with just one puzzle per page, so you’re getting the puzzles at a comfortable size for solving. Full solutions are included, and with 50 puzzles it’s going to take you a long time to solve them all!
Please feel free to post any comments here, or head over to Sudoku Xtra and take a browse on the discussion forums – and maybe join in!
Sudoku Xtra Specials: Sudoku 25×25 Volume 1
Feb 5th
I’ve had many, many, many requests over the past years for a book of giant 25×25 Sudoku puzzles, so I have now finally made just such a book available!
Right at the moment it’s only available in printed form, but I’ll have download copies available in the next couple of days – as soon as I’ve added a purchase mechanism to SudokuXtra.com in fact!
I’ve decided that I’m going to make a series of similar books of particular requested puzzles, all of which will be branded as “Sudoku Xtra Specials”. In this way I can stay organised by keeping all of my download/printed content under the ‘Sudoku Xtra’ heading. It means that you’ll always be able to find all of my new content in one place, without searching around my various sites.
This book is probably the nicest collection of 25×25 puzzles you can find, if you’re a fan of such things. Every puzzle has really nice 8-way symmetry – having noticeable patterns in puzzles like this is pretty unusual, and it can help with the solve too. Just as in my magazines, I’ve thought about what’s sensible in a puzzle like this so they can all be solved without needing pencilmarks. How exactly would you go about making A-Y pencilmarks in each individual square anyway?!
If you get hold of it please do let me know any thoughts you have on it. In the same way as for Sudoku Xtra magazine, it’s designed to be printed at home on either an all-together or a page-by-page basis. And if you get a pre-printed version from Lulu or Amazon.com (already complete but waiting on listing now) then it’s on a large A4 (Lulu) or 8″x10″ (Amazon) page, so there’s plenty of room to write in the solutions.
If there are other books of puzzles you’d like to see, please let me know in the comments here or on the Sudoku Xtra forums – feel free to repeat any requests you’ve made before! Next up is 16×16 Sudoku but after that it’s all open. I was thinking of doing Inequality Sudoku third, but what do you think?
Barnes & Noble
Feb 4th
I was interested to spot that Barnes & Noble (in the US) are now selling one of my self-published books – Killer Sudoku: 100 easy to hard puzzles and how to solve them.
So if you’re in the US and fancy getting hold of a copy (they get really hard by the end!) then there’s now another way to buy it. You even get 10% off if you’re a member. 
Sudoku Xtra ‘community’ puzzles
Nov 20th
Sudoku Xtra issue 1 is only just on sale and I’m already starting work on issue 2!
If you’ve read issue 1 then you’ll know that I’ve proposed a ‘community’ puzzle section at the back, where people get to send in their own puzzles and I will include a selection in a special section. The idea is to try and build up the kind of puzzle community that some of the Japanese-language publications have, but which we haven’t yet seen in an English-language magazine. Hopefully it will lead to a virtuous spiral, with on the one hand people who contribute puzzles getting a larger audience for their own work whilst similarly on the other hand encouraging more people to read the magazine for the novel puzzles – and hopefully all the while encouraging more feedback too, which will help everyone.
In time for the second issue I’m not realistically expecting very many submissions – after all, it won’t be long before I need to start finalising content for issue 2, and that doesn’t give people much time to buy the magazine, think about puzzles, draw them up and submit them. So in order to help things get going I’ve approached a few people who regularly create top-quality puzzles of their own and asked them if they’d be happy to contribute a puzzle or two to issue 2. Therefore I’m very pleased to announce that David Millar of The Griddle has agreed to provide a couple of his excellent designs for issue 2. If you take a look at his site you’ll see that he regularly posts a huge variety of different puzzle types, and it will be fantastic to have some of this content to help launch the community section of Sudoku Xtra issue 2.
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