Monday, 22 September 2025

Walker

This is my last GAPP before the WPC! Here’s Masyu (Star Battle), a variant appearing in the championship this year.

Rules: (classic Masyu) Draw a non-intersecting loop through the centers of some cells that passes through every circle. The loop must turn on black circles and travel straight through the cells on either side. The loop must go straight through white circles, and turn in at least one of the cells on either side. (variant) Additionally, place stars into some cells such that each row and column contains exactly N stars, where N is given outside the grid. Stars may not touch one another, not even diagonally. The loop must not pass through cells containing stars.

Interface Note: For ease of entry, answer check is on the loop only! You can mark stars using the star in Shape > Special1 > [stars], with shaded and empty cells, or any other way you’d like.

Try classic GAPP Masyu / Star Battle:
Masyu: Eric Fox Discord message
Star Battle: Tyrgannus Discord message

Example (Penpa): https://tinyurl.com/2tdxx69f

Solve in 3:30 or under for a Speedy Sloth! 🦥
Complete in 6:00 or under for a Quick Crab! 🦀
And all solvers who complete the puzzle will earn a Traveling Torrent-Lark! 🐦

Puzzle (Penpa): https://tinyurl.com/dxj35v5b