31st World Puzzle Championship

Rules & Puzzle Instructions

Version 2.1 (last updated 2024/10/14)
 31st World Puzzle Championship
Competition Schedule
Day 1 (Thursday, 17th October)
Morning — Assorted Puzzles

09:00 — 09:35 Individual Round 01: Welcome 35 min 350 pts

09:45 — 10:25 Individual Round 02: Classic Dozen 40 min 400 pts

10:40 — 11:25 Individual Round 03: Miscellaneous 45 min 450 pts

11:40 — 12:30 Individual Round 04: Puzzle Chain 50 min 500 pts

Afternoon — Cultural Themes

14:00 — 14:40 Individual Round 05: Elemental Cycles 40 min 400 pts

14:55 — 16:40 Individual Round 06: Solar Terms 105 min 1050 pts

17:00 — 18:00 Individual Round 07: Duality 60 min 600 pts

Day 2 (Friday, 18th October)

Morning — Uncommon Puzzles

09:00 — 10:00 Individual Round 08: Eleven Years Later 60 min 600 pts

10:15 — 11:15 Individual Round 09: Variants 60 min 600 pts

11:30 — 12:30 Individual Round 10: Irregular 60 min 600 pts

Afternoon — Special Themes

14:00 — 14:20 Individual Round 11: Little Happiness 20 min 200 pts

14:30 — 15:35 Individual Round 12: Quadruple Happiness 65 min 650 pts

15:55 — 16:55 Individual Round 13: Secret Symmetry 60 min 600 pts

17:10 — 18:00 Individual Round 14: Brain Power 50 min 1000 pts

Day 3 (Saturday, 19th October)

Morning — Teamwork Time

09:00 — 09:50 Team Round A: Chinese Knot 50 min 4000 pts

10:05 — 11:15 Team Round B: Octahedron 70 min 5600 pts

11:30 — 12:30 Team Round C: Reunion 60 min 4800 pts

Afternoon — Grand Finale

14:00 — 15:10 Team Round D: Marathon 70 min 5600 pts

15:30 — 17:00 Individual Rounds X/Y/Z: Playoffs 90 min Champion

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 Competition Overview
Individual Competition

There are 14 “preliminary” individual rounds over the course of the first two days, numbered 01~14. The
rounds are grouped into four half-days, each with a vague overarching theme.

The top 10 official players (A-team members or players from countries with less than 4 players) with the
highest sum of scores over all 14 individual rounds will advance to the individual playoffs on Day 3, where
the world champion will be determined. In case of a tie involving the top 10, the tie will be broken by looking
at the scores of each round in numerical order (01, 02, …), where a higher score on an earlier round is better.
If the tie somehow persists, a Classic Sudoku will be used as tiebreaker. (The tiebreaker will happen
immediately before playoffs, with the same rules as playoffs.)

The top 3 players (official or unofficial) that are Under 18 (born in year 2006 or later), Over 50 (born in year
1974 or earlier), and First-time Participants (never participated in WPC before, either officially or unofficially)
will also be recognized, subject to the same tiebreaking rules. There will be no playoffs in these categories.

Team Competition

There are 4 team rounds over the course of Day 3, labeled A~D. The first three rounds are each focused on a
specific category (Loop, Shading, Division), while the last round has a mixed variety of puzzles.

The point values of puzzles as well as time bonuses for team rounds have been doubled compared to
individual rounds, in order to make the team rounds a more significant portion of the team competition
(~40% instead of ~25%).

There will be no team playoffs. The top 3 A-teams with highest sum of individual round and team round
scores will be awarded. In case of a tie involving the top 3, the tie will be broken by looking first at the total
of 4 team round scores, then the scores of each team round in alphabetical order (A, B, C, D), then the 4
individual scores in decreasing order (subject to the same tiebreaking rules as individual competition),
where a higher score on an earlier criteria is better.

Scoring and Bonuses

For individual rounds, a bonus of 10 points for each full remaining minute (5 points per full half-minute for
Round 11, 20 points per full minute for Round 14) will be awarded to any competitor who correctly solves all
puzzles in a round. For team rounds, a bonus of 80 points for each full remaining minute will be awarded to
any team who correctly solves all puzzles in a round.

A partial bonus can be awarded to an individual or team if there is only one (or two) “minor” mistake(s),
where the puzzle is solved almost completely and the competitor(s) may have reasonably believed their
solution to be correct. The partial bonus is 60% for one mistake in most rounds; for rounds with at least 20
puzzles (Rounds 06, 11, 14, D), the partial bonus is 80% for one mistake and 40% for two mistakes. If there is
a major mistake or several minor mistakes, no bonus will be awarded.

In general, a minor mistake is considered to be at most two incorrect cells or equivalent units. In case of
doubt, the decision will be made in favor of the competitor(s); the decision of the judges is final. Regardless
of whether the mistake is considered minor, no points will be given to the incorrect puzzle.

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Individual Playoffs

The playoffs proceeds in three rounds (labeled X, Y, Z). In Round X, players in rank 7~10 participate. The
winner of Round X progress to Round Y, competing with players in rank 4~6. The winner of Round Y
progress to Round Z, competing with players in rank 1~3. The results of Round Z will determine the podium
positions of this WPC.

Each round will have a pool of 8 puzzles prepared, but only 4 to be solved. Starting from the highest-ranked
player, each player chooses a puzzle from the pool, determines its order among the 4 puzzles, and then
discards another puzzle so it cannot be chosen by later players. The average difficulty of the pools increases
over the three rounds; each puzzle will be given a point value in the same way as the individual round
puzzles as an estimate of difficulty.

In each round, the highest-ranked player starts first, and the other three players will start after a time offset.
The offsets are proportional to the point differences between them and the highest-ranked player from the
preliminary rounds, and the lowest-ranked player’s offset (in seconds) is scaled to be equal to the total point
value of the 4 chosen puzzles. For Rounds Y and Z, the lowest-ranked player (i.e. the winner of the previous
round) automatically assumes the preliminary point total of the rank-7 and rank-4 player respectively for the
purpose of offset calculation, regardless of their original rank from the preliminary rounds. The offsets are
rounded to the nearest second.

The 4 chosen puzzles for each round must be solved in the order determined by the players. When a player
completes a puzzle, they must raise their hand to request a judge to check their submission. Over the next
minute, the judge will check the puzzle and indicate to the player if their submission is correct. At the end of
the minute, the player may start the next puzzle if the submission is correct, or must correct their current
puzzle otherwise. The player is allowed to re-submit the puzzle any number of times, subject to the one-
minute period with each submission.

Each round will end as soon as one (for Rounds X and Y) or three (for Round Z) players finish all puzzles, or
the time limit for the round is reached, whichever happens earlier. The three rounds will each have a time
limit of 20, 25, and 45 minutes respectively, although we do not expect the limit to be reached in any round.

The rank of each playoff round is determined by the number of correctly solved puzzles, then the time of the
last correct submission, then the rank from the preliminary rounds. (Round X determines rank 8~10, Round
Y determines rank 5~7, Round Z determines rank 1~4.)

In an unlikely event of a wrong puzzle being discovered in one of the playoff rounds, the time for each
player is paused at the moment they correctly solve the puzzle they were solving during the wrong puzzle
discovery or at the moment when the time limit ends, whichever is earlier. (If the player was solving the
wrong puzzle, the time is paused at the moment when they solve the previous puzzle.) The player who chose
the wrong puzzle will choose the new one that will replace it from the set of puzzles that were neither
chosen already nor discarded by a higher-ranked player. All competitors will continue with time offsets
adjusted accordingly.

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 Competition Rules
(These rules have been mostly taken from prior World Puzzle Championships, with some re-organization
and minor modifications. Some important additions/changes/clarifications for this year are underlined.)

Permitted Items

1. The following items are permitted to be brought to the competition hall: pens and pencils (in any color
except for red), pencil sharpeners, erasers, rulers, a printed copy of this Instruction Booklet (annotation
and notes allowed), and additional paper for notes or scratch work.

2. Drinks and snacks are also permitted as long as they do not disturb other competitors with a strong smell
or rustling packet.

3. All electronic devices are strictly forbidden during rounds, including music players, headphones, cameras,
cell phones, or any type of calculator. Use of such equipment may lead to the disqualification of the
competitor.

4. Items that are not used or permitted for competition must be kept in a bag on the floor under the
competitor’s desk, so as to not block the aisles. Phones must be turned off.

Before Each Round

1. All competitors (individuals and teams) have to sit at their pre-allocated desk(s). Competitors should make
sure that all non-permitted items are not on the table before each round.

2. Competitors must ensure that they are at their desks ready for the start of the round. Late arrivals may
not be permitted to enter the competition hall to take part in a round (at the discretion of the organizers).

3. Competitors must clearly write their name and team (e.g. “CHN-C”) on the front page of their competition
booklet into the allocated space. If this information is not complete, then the organizers reserve the right
not to award any points to that competitor for that round. Competitors must not open their booklets
before the official start of the round.

During Each Round

1. When the signal for the start of the round has been given, competitors may open their booklets and
begin solving the puzzle(s). A timer with the round’s remaining time will be visible for all competitors.

2. During individual rounds, competitors must keep silent, unless declaring completion of a round. During
team rounds, team members may communicate with each other (unless otherwise specified), but should
do this with respect to other teams.

3. To declare a round complete, a competitor must close their booklet, clearly state “Finished” (preferably in
English) and raise their arm with the booklet. The competitor’s arm must be raised until the booklet is
collected. The same rules apply for the team competition.

4. Competitors who complete a round with at least five minutes left are allowed to leave the competition
hall quietly, and should avoid making excessive noises outside the hall. Those who complete with less
than five minutes left should stay in their seats to avoid disturbing fellow competitors.

5. When a competitor leaves the competition hall for any reason, they may not be allowed to continue in
that round (at the discretion of the organizers).

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Solving Puzzles

1. The competition booklets for individual rounds will contain one or multiple puzzles per page. The puzzle
number, point values, and the rules of each puzzle are always written next to the puzzle, but there will
not be puzzle examples. Team round booklets might not contain puzzle rules for space reasons.

2. Unless otherwise specified, competitors are allowed to solve the puzzles in any order.

3. The point value for each puzzle is an indication of its expected difficulty (in terms of solving time),
although individual solving experience may differ. The difficulty of the example puzzles do not correlate
with the difficulty of the competition puzzles.

4. Competitors are allowed to use different notations from what is suggested in the rules and example
puzzles, as long as it is clear how the chosen notation translates into the given task. Examples of some
acceptable notations will be described in the “Puzzle Glossary & Conventions” section, as well as some
individual puzzle instructions or examples; these example notations are not meant to be exhaustive.

5. Competitors must use a notation consistently throughout the solution. If two different notations are used
for a puzzle, the more “complete” or “prominent” one will usually be considered (at judge’s discretion),
but the judge reserves the right to not give credit if the two notations are inconsistent with each other.

6. Unless otherwise specified, each puzzle is intended to have a unique solution; some puzzles may have
equivalent ways to represent the same solution, this will be clarified in the individual instructions.

7. When a competitor believes that there is a problem with a puzzle (e.g. either multiple or no solutions),
they must clearly state that the puzzle is wrong by clearly writing “WRONG PUZZLE” next to the puzzle.
The competitor must not notify the organizers during the round. This will be investigated upon
completion of the round.

After Each Round

1. When the signal is given that the round is finished, competitors have to stop solving immediately, close
their booklets, put their pens or pencils down and their hands up with their booklets for collecting.

2. At the end of a round, competitors have to remain seated until all booklets have been collected. The
signal to get up and leave will be given by the supervisor.

Non-Competitors

1. Only team captains and official observers equipped with a name tag are allowed to enter the competition
hall while either individual or team rounds are taking place. Other non-competing participants may enter
the competition hall at the discretion of the organizers.

2. Only official observers may use cameras or other recording devices during rounds, at the discretion of
the organizers. They have to respect the competitors and not use flash photography or cameras with
excessive sounds.

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Marking

1. Unless otherwise specified, points will be awarded only for fully and correctly solved puzzles; there is no
partial credit.

2. Puzzles may be photographed during the marking phase to prevent subsequent interventions.

3. In case of a major mistake in one of the rounds, organizers reserve the right to cancel the round, either
by removing it from the time schedule, or by not awarding any points for it to any of the competitors.

4. For a wrong puzzle with multiple or no solutions, any competitor who found any one of the solutions will
be awarded full credit, as well as any competitor who wrote “WRONG PUZZLE” next to the puzzle. (This is
only relevant if the round with the wrong puzzle is not canceled.) If a puzzle is not wrong, a competitor
who wrote “WRONG PUZZLE” will not get any credit, even if they have a complete solution.

Queries

1. When a round has been evaluated, fully marked booklets are returned to a team member equipped with
a country tag at a given location in a given time.

2. In case of any query after a booklet has been evaluated and returned to a competitor, the query must be
raised through a team member with country tag to the organizers in the specified time. The schedule for
the queries will be published before the competition. The booklet should be left with the organizers for
investigation.

3. Team captains are responsible for ensuring that any information given to them related to the
competition is effectively relayed to their team.

Breach of Rules

1. Any breach of the rules above may lead to penalty points, or in severe cases to a competitor or team
disqualified from a round or the entire competition.

2. The decision of the WPC tournament director (Qiu Yanzhe) is final.

Miscellaneous Remarks

1. In case of any inconsistency between this Instruction Booklet and the competition booklets, such as point
values, the information on the newest version of this instruction booklet published before the
competition will be considered valid.

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 Credits
The puzzles of this WPC were written and tested by the following individuals (in alphabetical order by
surname): Cai Ji (蔡基), Qin Jiaqi (覃家祺), Qiu Yanzhe (邱言哲), Sun Cheran (孙彻然), Wang Mingyi (王明意), Xu
Chenhao (徐晨皓), Yao Yuan (姚远). The author of each individual puzzle will remain anonymous until the
solution booklets are distributed.

Many of the example puzzles were taken from past WPF Puzzle Grand Prix (PGP) instruction booklets, rule
pages on puzz.link (both open-source), and the instruction booklet of WPC 2013 (available via https://
ectoplsm.github.io/wpc-unofficial.org/pdfs/WPC%202013.pdf), some with minor adaptations. The remaining
examples were made by the writing team listed above. Each example puzzle will be attributed more
precisely alongside the instructions.

Most of the puzzle graphics were made with Penpa+ (https://swaroopg92.github.io/penpa-edit/), created by
Opt-Pan and maintained by Swaroop Guggilam, with some manual SVG post-processing.

The icons on round page covers are from Noun Project (https://thenounproject.com/) via CC BY 3.0 License.
The individual icons, in round order, were made by:

• Chinese Gate by Arunika: https://thenounproject.com/icon/chinese-gate-6526700/

• Twelve by Zach Bogart: https://thenounproject.com/icon/twelve-2184535/
• shapes by Yoyon Pujiyono: https://thenounproject.com/icon/shapes-3187905/
• Chain by Alum Design: https://thenounproject.com/icon/chain-7098761/
• Season by Hanbai: https://thenounproject.com/icon/season-6795658/
• Pentagram by Eva Ratkus: https://thenounproject.com/icon/pentagram-5090041/
• yin yang by ARI NOFIANA: https://thenounproject.com/icon/yin-yang-6401155/
• Calendar by Graphic Nehar: https://thenounproject.com/icon/calendar-6938807/
• Conversion by Arthur Shlain: https://thenounproject.com/icon/conversion-216627/
• Irregular hexagon by Bellowen: https://thenounproject.com/icon/irregular-hexagon-5691652/
• Apps by Nidhi: https://thenounproject.com/icon/apps-3993550/
• Layout quadrants by Adam Robinson: https://thenounproject.com/icon/layout-quadrants-4238638/
• Symmetry by murmur: https://thenounproject.com/icon/symmetry-6204395/
• Brain by Meaghan Hendricks: https://thenounproject.com/icon/brain-454654/
• Chinese knot by Andi Nur Abdillah: https://thenounproject.com/icon/chinese-knot-6413691/
• Octahedron by Flowicon: https://thenounproject.com/icon/octahedron-5738907/
• Jigsaw by Azam Ishaq: https://thenounproject.com/icon/jigsaw-6764930/
• Travel by Jems Mayor: https://thenounproject.com/icon/travel-1314480/
• Champion by Rudez Studio: https://thenounproject.com/icon/champion-1712561/

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 Puzzle Glossary & Conventions
Here we define some basic terms and state some common conventions in puzzle rules of this WPC, so that
the individual puzzle instructions can be more concise. (Conventions are marked with “Unless otherwise
specified, …”) This section is significantly longer than similar sections in previous WPC Instruction Booklets;
while most of these terms/conventions will be familiar to most WPC veterans, we still recommend reading
these first to avoid confusion or misunderstanding.

Grid elements

• Puzzles usually take place on a grid comprised of cells, each of which is a polygon (usually square) with
several edges (represented by dashed or solid gridlines) and vertices (where different edges meet,
sometimes marked by small dots). The grid boundary refers to all edges that are adjacent to regions that
are not part of the grid (usually marked by thick solid lines).

• Unless otherwise specified, black cells inside the grid (without any symbols inside) are not part of the grid
(i.e. they are holes). An empty cell refers to any non-black cell inside the grid that does not have any
symbols in them. (This is important for puzzles that starts with “shade some empty cells…”, for example.)

• Two cells are said to be adjacent if they share at an edge. Two vertices are said to be adjacent if they are
connected by an edge. Two cells are said to be touching if they share at least a vertex; therefore, two
adjacent cells are always touching.

• A group of (at least one) cells is said to be connected if for any two cells in the group there is a sequence
of cells from one to the other where any two consecutive cells in the sequence are adjacent. Such a group
is said to be diagonally connected if the previous condition holds with “adjacent” replaced by “touching”.
(Therefore, a group that is connected is also diagonally connected.)

• Unless otherwise specified, a “(diagonally) connected group” of cells with a certain property (e.g. shaded,
containing symbols, etc.) is assumed to be maximal, i.e. there are no other cells adjacent/touching the
group that have the same property.

• Unless otherwise specified, if all cells of a grid have the same shape and size, the area of a group of cells is
assumed to be the number of cells in the group. In other words, all cells are assumed to have area 1. This
also means that for a standard square grid, the side length of each cell is assumed to be 1. (For grids with
cells of varying shape or size, we will avoid using this term and use “number of cells” directly.)

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• A grid of square cells has several (horizontal) rows and several (vertical) columns, consisting of all cells
along a horizontal or vertical line. In particular, if the grid is not rectangular or has holes, the cells of a
row or column may not be all connected.

• A horizontal or vertical block of cells (with a certain property) refers to a maximally continuous group of
cells within a row or column, bounded by grid boundaries or cells that don’t have this property.

• In a square grid (with unit square cells), the main diagonal refers to the cells that lie on the segment
connecting the top-left corner of the grid and the bottom-right corner of the grid, and the antidiagonal
refers to the cells on the segment connecting the other two corners of the grid. These two are both
referred to as long diagonals. Other line segments parallel to one of the two long diagonals define other
diagonals.

• In a standard grid with unit square cells, the four orthogonal directions refer to all horizontal and
vertical directions: up/north, down/south, left/west, right/east. The eight compass directions refer to all
orthogonal directions plus the four diagonal directions at 45 degrees from orthogonal: up-left/
northwest, up-right/northeast, down-left/southwest, down-right/southeast.

• In a grid with non-square cells, standard directions usually refer to one of two things: (a) Directions that
travel straight through cells, entering and exiting through opposite edges; (b) Directions that travel
straight along gridlines or between two adjacent parallel gridlines. All cells along such a standard
direction will also be called a row, although in some cases the row might not be in a straight line. These
definitions will generally be clarified whenever it is not obvious.

• Unless otherwise specified, any arrow in puzzles will point in one of the compass directions or standard
directions.

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• Puzzles usually have clues in the form of numbers, letters, arrows, symbols, colors, or a combination
thereof. A clue usually provides some information about “the cell”, “the region” or “the row or column”
that it belongs to.

• When a clue is given to the left or right of the grid, “the row” refers to the row that (when extended)
contains the clue, and similar for “the column” for a clue given above or below the grid. If the order of the
cells in the row or column is important (e.g. “the first non-empty cell in the row or column from the
respective direction”), the first cell will be the cell nearest to the clue, then proceeding away from the clue.
For non-rectangular grids, parts of the row or column outside the grid will be marked with grey dashed
lines starting from the clue for ease of visualization.

• Unless otherwise specified, it is not guaranteed that all possible clues will be given. The absence of clues for
a row/column/region/cell means that no information is given for that row/column/region/cell, instead of
it having none of the relevant objects (usually there will be a special notation for this case as specified by
the individual puzzle rules).

• Unless otherwise specified, a cell marked with a cross (×) must be left empty (unshaded, or without any
symbols or objects placed in it). Even though it technically contains a symbol (the cross), it is treated as an
empty cell in the solution.

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Shapes

• Two shapes are congruent if one can obtain one shape from the other using
translations, rotations and reflections. They are rotationally congruent if
reflection is not needed. They are translationally congruent if only
translation is needed. (Obviously, translationally congruent shapes are
rotationally congruent and rotationally congruent shapes are congruent.)

• A polyomino is a connected shape comprised of several unit squares connected edge-to-edge.

Polyominoes of size 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are called monominoes, dominoes, trominoes, tetrominoes, and
pentominoes, respectively. Different tetrominoes and pentominoes are usually assigned letters; if this
assignment is relevant for a puzzle, the correspondence will be supplied alongside the puzzle.

• A polyhex is similar to a polyomino, but comprised of several regular hexagons. A polyiamond is

comprised of several equilateral triangles.

• A rectangle is a quadrilateral whose angles are all right angles. It is orthogonal if all of its sides are in
orthogonal directions. The width of an orthogonal rectangle is the length of one of its horizontal sides,
and the height is the length of one of its vertical sides. The dimensions of an orthogonal rectangle made
of unit square cells can be described with “H×W”, where H is the number of rows (i.e. height) and W is the
number of columns (i.e. width).

• Unless otherwise specified, a square shape is also considered to be a rectangle.

• A snake is a sequence of at least two cells where any two consecutive cells are adjacent but no two non-
consecutive cells are adjacent. It is said to also not touch itself if any two diagonally touching cells (that
are not adjacent) are two cells apart along the sequence (i.e. exactly one cell between them). The same
applies for multiple snakes not touching each other. A snake’s two ends are the two cells that are each
adjacent to exactly one other shaded cell; all other cells are adjacent to two shaded cells. A snaky loop is
similarly defined, but with a cyclic sequence without any ends. The length of a snake (or snaky loop) is
the number of cells it occupies.

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Numbers and Letters

• Unless otherwise specified, all numbers are assumed to be integers, written in base-10. Non-integer
numbers can only be given in the puzzles as clues, and are written in their exact values, either in
terminating decimals (e.g. “1.25”) or fractions (e.g. “5/4” or “1 1/4”).

• A (positive) number consists of one or more digits (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9). The first (leftmost) digit of a
nonzero number may not be 0.

• Some puzzles use the English alphabet, consisting of 26 letters. The letters in order are: A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z.

• A character can either be a digit or a letter. A word is a sequence of characters, which may or may not be
meaningful. Whenever a word is given in a puzzle (such as in a word list), the characters are read from
left to right.

• Unless otherwise specified, all letters will be in upper-case. Any diacritics on these letters as well as any non
-English characters can be ignored.

• Some puzzle rules refer to a list of numbers or characters (or shapes) that will be given alongside a
puzzle. This list will either be given as some comma-separated characters (e.g. “1, 2, 4, X, O”) or as a
consecutive subset of the numbers or letters with a tilde (e.g. “1~5” or “A~E”, which are short for “1, 2, 3, 4,
5” or “A, B, C, D, E” respectively). The phrase “from X to Y” also refers to the range “X~Y” as well. While
uncommon, lists are allowed to contain duplicates.

• Unless otherwise specified, if a list contain duplicates, the phrase “each number in the list appears exactly
once” automatically means “each number appears exactly as many times as it appears in the list” (e.g. if
the list is “0, 0, 1, 1, 1”, then 0 must appear twice and 1 must appear three times). In other words, each
number in the list is treated as a different element even though some of them may be equal. The same
applies with “number” replaced by “character” or “shape”, and “exactly” replaced by “at least” or “at most”.

• Unless otherwise specified, a question mark (?) in a puzzle represents exactly one unknown positive
integer (which may have one or more digits). In particular, it cannot represent zero, or multiple numbers
at once. This is important when the number of clues in a group is significant. A question mark should also
be treated as a number for any other purposes (e.g. a cell with a question mark should also be treated as
“a numbered cell”).

• It must be possible for each question mark to be replaced by some number while satisfying the puzzle
condition, although the replacement might not be unique (e.g. when the order of clues doesn’t matter).

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Shading

• In most shading puzzles, the task is to shade some entire cells, so there are fully shaded cells and fully
unshaded cells. While we will avoid using the words “black” or “white” (which are reserved to describe
clues), we still use color to refer to the shading status of a cell for conciseness (e.g. “two cells of the
opposite color” refer to a shaded cell and an unshaded cell).

• Remember that given fully black cells are (usually) not part of the grid, and hence should not be
considered as shaded cells.

• Acceptable notations: You only need to either mark just the shaded cells or just the unshaded cells (either
via shading or symbols). You may also draw lines to connect each connected group of shaded (or
unshaded) cells instead of shading; make sure to also mark groups of single cells in this case. You may
also draw just the borders between shaded cells and unshaded cells.

• Some puzzles use black circles to indicate cells that must be shaded; it is OK to not actually shade those
cells as they are implied (although we generally recommend that you shade them anyways).

Region Division

• Most division puzzles require region borders to be drawn along gridlines, resulting in regions consisting
of a group of full cells. The grid boundaries are also region borders.

• Unless otherwise specified, each region must be orthogonally connected.

• Unless otherwise specified, the solution may not contain extraneous region borders. In other words, every
region border (except for the grid boundary) must be between two different regions. This also means
that there cannot be any “dead-ends”. Note that this does not apply to non-division puzzles, where the
given borders may be “extraneous”.

• Acceptable notations: You may draw lines to connect the cells belonging to the same region instead of
drawing the region borders; make sure to mark single-cell regions in this case. (If extraneous borders are
allowed, then the connections must be drawn between all pairs of adjacent cells that are not separated
by a border.)

13
Loops and Paths

• A loop is a (cyclic) sequence of line segments that does not have any open ends (i.e. both endpoints of
each segment must be an endpoint of another segment), where between any two consecutive segments
there is a turn of an angle strictly between 0 and 180 degrees. A path is such a sequence with two open
ends. Such a loop or path is orthogonal if all of its segments are in orthogonal directions.

• A path is straight if it does not make a turn (i.e. consists of only one segment).

• A loop or path may be oriented, meaning that it has a specified direction of travel. (For a path, this
means it has a starting point and an ending point; this applies to all movement puzzles.) A straight
oriented path is sometimes also referred to as an arrow.

• There are two common ways a loop/path is drawn: along cell edges or through cell centers. In the former
case, the loop/path may only make a turn on vertices. In the latter case, the loop/path may only make a
turn on cell centers.

• A segment contains both of its endpoints. We will use interior of a segment to exclude the endpoints.

• Two segments intersect if they share a common point or partially overlap, including the endpoints. A
loop or path is non-intersecting if there are no two (non-consecutive) segments that intersect. (The
same applies for multiple loops/paths not intersecting each other.)

• Unless otherwise specified, if a loop/path is allowed to intersect itself, the intersections may not be on
endpoints of segments. That is, the segments must go straight through the intersection point without
turning. (The same applies for two loops/paths intersecting each other.)

• In a standard grid with unit square cells, the length of an orthogonal segment drawn along gridlines is
equal to the number of cell edges it covers; the length of an orthogonal segment drawn through cell
centers is equal to the number of cell edges it crosses (or equivalently, the number of cells that the
segment occupies minus one).

• Acceptable notations: If a loop is drawn orthogonally along cell edges and is non-intersecting, you may
instead shade the cells inside or outside the loop (like in a shading puzzle). If a loop or path is drawn
through centers of adjacent cells and is snake-shaped, you may instead shade the cells visited by the
loop.

14
Object Placement

• Unless otherwise specified, objects that are placed “in some cells” are assumed to occupy one cell each, and
multi-cell objects that are placed “into the grid” are assumed to be placed in a grid-aligned fashion.

• Unless otherwise specified, two objects may not occupy the same cell.

• Two objects are adjacent or touching if the two groups of cells they occupy respectively are adjacent or
touching. This applies even if the objects do not entirely occupy a cell.

• Acceptable notations: If only the location of each object is important, you may draw only the boundaries
of the objects (near gridlines but slightly inside) or lines connecting all cells in each object (making sure
that single-cell objects are marked separately). If in addition the objects are all single-cell or never
adjacent (due to the rules), you may instead shade all the occupied cells (like in a shading puzzle).

Miscellaneous

• The puzzle instructions may include a short italicized paragraph before the rules (known as flavor text)
that explains some background, for thematic or informational purposes. These are not actually relevant
to solving, and hence will not be reproduced in the competition booklets.

• The puzzle instructions may also include a short italicized paragraph after the rules (known as notes) that
provides some possibly helpful information, including clarifications on acceptable notations, meanings of
additional markings, etc. These will be reproduced in the competition booklets alongside the main rules.

• Sometimes, the theme of a puzzle will be emphasized via some subtle changes to the normal
presentation, including bolded clues/text, slightly thicker region borders, or slightly offset colors. These
changes are not meant to interfere with the puzzle rules (for example, a slightly off-black cell should still
be treated as black cells), and can be safely ignored during solving.

• The example puzzles will usually be presented in the same format as the competition puzzles.

• In the example puzzle solutions, elements to be added by the solver will always be in (some shade of)
grey, and clearly distinguishable from the given clues. Sometimes multiple ways of notating a solution
will be shown together; this either is clarified previously in this section or will be clarified in the notes.
Sometimes some additional elements will be included to illustrate some of the rules, they don’t need to
be included in your solution (this will also be clarified in individual notes).

15
 Individual Round 01 8 Puzzles

Welcome 35 Minutes
欢迎 350 Points

01 Midloop 35 05 Moon or Sun 5

02 Country Road 15 06 Star Battle 45

03 Balance Loop 90 07 Letter Weights 25

04 Canal View 80 08 Scrabble 55

Welcome, or welcome back!

This round features several assorted puzzles.

16
01.01 Midloop
35pts 中点回路 Example from puzz.link

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells. The loop must pass
straight through all black dots, and each dot must be at the midpoint of the loop segment it is on.

01.02 Country Road

15pts 周游列国 Example from puzz.link

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells. The loop must visit
each region exactly once. No two cells that are adjacent across a region border can both be unvisited.
Numbers indicate the number of cells visited by the loop in the region.

It is not necessary to shade the unused cells.

17
01.03 Balance Loop
90pts 平衡回路 Example adapted from PGP 2023 R1

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells, including all cells with
circles. The color of circles indicate the lengths of the two segments extending out of the circle (treating the
center of the circle as a breakpoint): white circles indicate that the two lengths are equal, and black circles
indicate that the two lengths are not equal. Numbers in circles indicate the sum of the two segments’
lengths.

01.04 Canal View

80pts 峡谷 Example adapted from PGP 2023 R7

Shade some empty cells so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is
entirely shaded. Numbers in circles indicate the number of shaded cells connected in a straight orthogonal
line to the cell (not including the cell itself).

18
01.05 Moon or Sun
5pts 日月交替 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R3

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells. The loop must visit
each region exactly once, and must pass through at least one symbol within each region. For each region,
the loop must pass through either all sun symbols and no moon symbols, or all moon symbols and no sun
symbols, and must alternate between the two symbols between consecutive regions that the loop visits.

01.06 Star Battle

45pts 星战 Example from puzz.link

Place a star in some cells so that the number of stars within each row, each column, and each region is equal
to the given number outside the grid. No two stars can be placed in touching cells.

19
01.07 Letter Weights
25pts 字母和 Example from PGP 2023 R2

Match the letters with the given list of numbers (in an outlined box), so that the sum of all letters in each
given word is equal to the corresponding number.

01.08 Scrabble
55pts 拼词 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R1

Place a character into some empty cells of the grid so that all filled cells form one connected group. The
content of every horizontal or vertical block of filled cells of length at least two (either from left to right or
from top to bottom) is given in a word list outside the grid, where each given word must appear exactly
once. Some characters may be already placed in the grid. Crosses will not be used in this puzzle (and not to
be confused with the letter X); cells that must be left empty will be represented using holes.

20
 Individual Round 02 12 Puzzles

Classic Dozen 40 Minutes

经典 400 Points

01 Hashi 35 07 Kakuro 60

02 Hitori 60 08 Slitherlink 45

03 Tents 25 09 Nurikabe 20

04 Four Winds 50 10 Masyu 15

05 Tapa 20 11 Shikaku 15

06 Akari 15 12 Snake 40

This round features the 12 classic puzzle genres that frequently appear in puzzle events
hosted by Beijing Sudoku Association as a way to promote (non-Sudoku) puzzles in China.

21
02.01 Hashi
35pts 数桥 Example adapted from puzz.link

Connect all circles into one network by drawing one or two straight orthogonal segments (representing
bridges) between some pairs of circles. Segments may not intersect each other or go over other circles.
Numbers in circles indicate the number of segments that are connected to the circle.

02.02 Hitori
60pts 数壹 Example adapted from PGP 2023 R3

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. No two unshaded cells in the same row or column may contain the same number.

22
02.03 Tents
25pts 帐篷 Example from PGP 2024 R8

For each tree in the grid, place a tent in one of the empty cells adjacent to the tree. No two tents may be in
the same cell or two touching cells. Numbers outside the grid indicate the number of tents in the row or
column.

The correspondence between tents and trees is part of the solution, and hence must be indicated for full credit.

02.04 Four Winds

50pts 四风 Example from PGP 2024 R8

Draw some straight orthogonal lines starting at an edge of a black cell, extending away from the cell, and
ending at the center of a cell. Each empty cell must be used by exactly one line, and lines may not enter
black cells or leave the grid. Numbers in black cells indicate the total number of cells used by all the lines
that begin at an edge of the cell (not including the cell itself).

23
02.05 Tapa
20pts 土派艺术 Example adapted from PGP 2023 R1

Shade some empty cells so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is
entirely shaded. Numbers indicate the lengths of groups of consecutive shaded cells in the ring of (up to)
eight touching cells around the cell, in no particular order. As a special case, a single “0” indicates that there
are no shaded cells touching the cell. A single question mark in a cell without any other numbers or question
marks may represent “0”.

02.06 Akari
15pts 美术馆 Example from PGP 2023 R5

Place a light bulb in some empty cells so that all empty cells are illuminated. A light bulb in a cell illuminates
all cells that are connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell without any black cells in between,
including the cell itself. No two light bulbs may illuminate each other. Numbers in black cells indicate the
number of light bulbs in adjacent cells.

24
02.07 Kakuro
60pts 数和 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R8

Place a digit from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that digits do not repeat within each horizontal or vertical
block of empty cells. Numbers in black triangles indicate the sum of digits in the adjacent block to the right
or below it (in the direction that the triangle is facing).

02.08 Slitherlink
45pts 数回 Example from PGP 2023 R6

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines. Numbers indicate the number of edges
adjacent to the cell that are used by the loop.

25
02.09 Nurikabe
20pts 数墙 Example adapted from PGP 2021 R3

Shade some empty cells so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is
entirely shaded. Each connected group of unshaded cells must contain exactly one numbered cell. Numbers
indicate the number of cells in its connected group of unshaded cells.

02.10 Masyu
15pts 珍珠 Example from PGP 2024 R3

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells, including all cells with
circles. The loop must turn on cells with black circles, and travel straight through both adjacent cells along
the loop. The loop must go straight through cells with white circles, and turn on at least one of the two
adjacent cells along the loop.

26
02.11 Shikaku
15pts 数方 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R1

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one
clue. Numbers in black circles indicate the area of the rectangle that it belongs to.

02.12 Snake
40pts 数蛇 Example adapted from PGP 2023 R7

Shade a one-cell-wide snake that does not touch itself. Black circles indicate that the cell is an end of the
snake, and white circles indicate that the cell is part of the body (and not an end). Numbers outside the grid
indicate the number of shaded cells in the row or column.

27
 Individual Round 03 10 Puzzles

Miscellaneous 45 Minutes
杂题 450 Points

01 Pyramid Climbers 85 06 Battleships 30

02 Heyawake 55 07 Aqre 55

03 Yajilin 40 08 Minesweeper 25

04 Magnets 55 09 Pentominous 50

05 Spiral Galaxies 30 10 Creek 25

This round features several assorted puzzles, most of which are evergreens.

28
03.01 Pyramid Climbers
85pts 攀登金字塔 Example from PGP 2023 R3

Draw a path starting from each cell on the bottom row of the pyramid, travelling upwards through adjacent
cells (one cell per row), so that each cell is used by exactly one path. (One of the paths will consist of only the
bottom cell.) A path may not visit two cells with the same letter.

For full credit, it is also sufficient to only mark the top endpoint of each path.

03.02 Heyawake
55pts 数间 Example adapted from PGP 2022 R4

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. No horizontal or vertical block of unshaded cells may cross two or more region borders. Numbers
indicate the number of shaded cells in the region.

29
03.03 Yajilin
40pts 仙人指路 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R1

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some empty cells. No two
adjacent empty cells may be both unused by the loop. Numbers with arrows in grey cells indicate the
number of unused empty cells in the indicated direction from the cell.

It is not necessary to shade the unused empty cells.

03.04 Magnets
55pts 磁铁 Example from PGP 2022 R8

Place a plus sign and a minus sign in some two-cell regions (one sign per cell) of the main grid, so that no
two adjacent cells contain the same sign. Numbers outside the grid indicate the number of plus signs or
minus signs in the row or column.

It is not necessary to shade the remaining empty cells.

30
03.05 Spiral Galaxies
30pts 星系 Example from PGP 2023 R1

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one dot. No dot may
be on the boundary of a region. All regions must have 180° rotational symmetry, where a dot must be at the
point of symmetry of its region.

03.06 Battleships
30pts 战舰 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R1

Place the given shapes (representing ships) into the grid so that no two shapes overlap or touch each other.
Numbers outside the grid indicate the number of cells occupied by ships in the row or column. Some of the
ship segments may be given in the grid; all corners of the ship pieces that are not adjacent to another ship
piece are rounded. Water wave symbols indicate that the cell must not be occupied.

31
03.07 Aqre
55pts 黑白无四 Example from PGP 2023 R6

Shade some cells so that all shaded cells form one connected group, and no 1×4 or 4×1 group of cells is
entirely shaded or entirely unshaded. Numbers indicate the number of shaded cells in the region.

03.08 Minesweeper
25pts 扫雷 Example from PGP 2020 R1

Place a mine in some empty cells. Numbers indicate the number of mines in all cells that are touching the
cell.

32
03.09 Pentominous
50pts 五格拼板 Example from PGP 2024 R1

Divide the grid into pentominoes along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent pentominoes are
congruent. Letters indicate the shape of the region that it belongs to.

The correspondence between pentominoes and letters is provided. For full credit, it is sufficient to draw the dividing
lines OR fill each cell with a letter indicating the shape of its region.

03.10 Creek
25pts 溪流 Example adapted from puzz.link

Shade some cells so that the unshaded cells form one connected group. Numbers in circles indicate the
number of shaded cells that touch the vertex.

33
 Individual Round 04 12 Puzzles

Puzzle Chain 50 Minutes

接龙 500 Points

01 Nuribou 25 07 One to X 75

02 Nurimaze 20 08 All or One 40

03 Arrow Maze 30 09 All or Nothing 30

04 Japanese Arrows 30 10 Double or Nothing 35

05 Japanese Sums 120 11 Double Choco 25

06 X-Sums 45 12 Choco Banana 25

The round’s theme is made possible by the vast number of puzzle genres with similar names.
This round features a sequence of puzzles where any two consecutive puzzles share
approximately half of their name. (You may still solve the puzzles in any order.)

NURIBOU
NURIMAZE
ARROW MAZE
JAPANESE ARROWS
JAPANESE SUMS
X-SUMS
ONE TO X
ALL OR ONE
ALL OR NOTHING
DOUBLE OR NOTHING
DOUBLE CHOCO
CHOCO BANANA

34
04.01 Nuribou
25pts 数壁 Example from PGP 2019 R8

Shade some empty cells so that each connected group of unshaded cells contain exactly one numbered cell.
Each connected group of shaded cells is a rectangle of height one or width one, and no two groups of
shaded cells with the same area may be touching. Numbers indicate the number of cells in its connected
group of unshaded cells.

04.02 Nurimaze
20pts 迷宫地图 Example from puzz.link

Shade some empty cells so that no 2×2 group of cells can be entirely shaded or entirely unshaded, and each
region is either entirely shaded or entirely unshaded. The unshaded cells must form one connected group
with no loops of unshaded cells. (In other words, between any two unshaded cells, there must be a unique
path from one to the other that travels through adjacent unshaded cells without revisiting any cell.) Circles
indicates that the cell is on the unique path from the cell with S to the cell with G, while triangles indicate
that it is not on the path.

35
04.03 Arrow Maze
30pts 箭头迷宫 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R8

Place a number in each of the empty hollow arrows so that no number appears more than once. Each arrow
must point at an arrow or circle with a number that is one greater than its own number.

04.04 Japanese Arrows

30pts 种类箭头 Example from PGP 2015 R8

Place a nonnegative integer in each of the empty hollow arrows so that numbers in arrows indicate the
number of different types of numbers that appear in the direction that the arrow is pointing at.

36
04.05 Japanese Sums
120pts 日本和 Example adapted from PGP 2022 R8

Place a number in the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number appears at most once in each
row and column. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sums of blocks of consecutive cells with numbers in
the row or column, in order. Question marks represent any single such sum (which may be zero as long as it
corresponds to a block of at least one number). As a special case, a single dash (’-’) indicates that there are
no numbers in the row or column. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a
cross cannot contain a number.

04.06 X-Sums
45pts X和 Example by Yao Yuan

Fill each cell with a number from 1 to N, where N is the number of cells in each row or column, so that each
number appears exactly once in each row and column. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of the
first X numbers in the row or column from the respective direction, where X is the number in cell that is
closest to the clue.

37
04.07 One to X
75pts 一到X Example from PGP 2024 R4

Place a number into each empty cell so that each region contains the numbers from 1 to X, where X is the
number of cells in the region. Identical numbers may not be placed in adjacent cells. Numbers outside the
grid indicate the sum of all numbers in the row or column. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid.

04.08 All or One

40pts 异或同 Example from PGP 2017 R1

Place a number from 1 to 3 into each empty cell so that each region either contains all three numbers or
only one of the numbers three times. Identical numbers may not be placed in adjacent cells across a region
border. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid.

38
04.09 All or Nothing
30pts 满或空 Example from puzz.link

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells. The loop must visit
each region at most once, and must visit every cell of each region that it visits. Unvisited regions cannot be
adjacent.

It is not necessary to shade the unvisited regions.

04.10 Double or Nothing

35pts 双或无 Example from PGP 2022 R5

Draw two loops that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells, so that each loop does not intersect
itself. Each empty cell must be used by exactly one of the loops. Each cell containing a “+” symbol must
either be used by both loops (which intersect each other orthogonally there) or neither loop.

It is not necessary to differentiate the two loops in your solution.

39
04.11 Double Choco
25pts 双巧克力 Example from PGP 2023 R5

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one connected
group of grey cells and one connected group of white cells, and the two groups are adjacent and congruent
to each other. Numbers indicate the area of one such connected group in the region that it belongs to (that
is, it is equal to half of the area of the entire region).

04.12 Choco Banana

25pts 巧克力香蕉 Example from PGP 2023 R2

Shade some cells so that all connected groups of shaded cells are rectangular and all connected groups of
unshaded cells are not rectangular. Numbers indicate the area of the connected group of shaded or
unshaded cells it is in.

40
 Individual Round 05 10 Puzzles

Elemental Cycles 40 Minutes

五行 400 Points

01 U-Bahn 65 06 Nurimisaki 20

02 Anglers 20 07 Yosenabe 20

03 Norinori 15 08 Laser 85

04 Tents 50 09 Herugolf 20

05 Araf 30 10 Statue Park 75

“Wuxing”, or the “Five Agents/Elements” — Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth — are in a sense the
Chinese analogue of the four western classical elements (previously featured in Round 14 of the
2013 WPC), but with a much greater emphasis on their pairwise interactions, especially the
cycles of generation and destruction.

This round features 10 puzzles, one themed after each pair of agents/elements. The
former 5 follow the cycle of generation and the latter 5 follow the cycle of destruction.

土
Earth

火 金
Fire Metal

木 水
Wood Water

41
05.01 U-Bahn
65pts 地铁 土+金 / Earth + Metal
Example adapted from PGP 2023 R8

U-Bahn (“underground” in German) has metal trains running through earth.

Draw orthogonal lines connecting some pairs of centers of adjacent cells in the main grid to form one
connected network. No cell can be connected to exactly one adjacent cell (i.e. no dead ends), but some may
have no connections. Numbers outside the grid indicate the number of cells in the row or column that have
the corresponding type of connections (crossing, T-junction, straight, or turn), regardless of orientation. The
contents of some cell may be given; cells marked with a cross must be left empty.

05.02 Anglers
20pts 渔夫 金+水 / Metal + Water
Example adapted from puzz.link

Anglers catch fish in water using metallic fishing hooks.

Draw an orthogonal path from each number outside the grid to a fish, passing through centers of adjacent
cells. Each fish must be connected to by exactly one number. The paths may not intersect themselves or
each other, including at the endpoints. All cells must be used by exactly one path. Numbers indicate length
of the path (which is equivalent to the number of cells its path uses, including the cell with the fish).

42
05.03 Norinori
15pts 海苔 水+木 / Water + Wood
Example from PGP 2024 R4

Nori (“seaweed” in Japanese) is a type of plant-like aquatic algae.

Shade exactly two cells in each region, so that each connected group of shaded cells has exactly two cells.

05.04 Tents
50pts 帐篷 木+火 / Wood + Fire
Example from PGP 2024 R8

Tents are found near trees, and often associated with campfires.

For each tree in the grid, place a tent in one of the empty cells adjacent to the tree. No two tents may be in
the same cell or two touching cells. Numbers outside the grid indicate the number of tents in the row or
column.

The correspondence between tents and trees is part of the solution, and hence must be indicated for full credit.

43
05.05 Araf
30pts 炼狱 火+土 / Fire + Earth
Example adapted from PGP 2022 R7

Araf (“purgatory” in Turkish) is often depicted as a fiery land.

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly two numbers in
circles. The area of each region must be strictly between the two numbers in the region (in particular,
neither number can be equal to the area).

05.06 Nurimisaki
20pts 数岬 土+水 / Earth + Water
Example adapted from puzz.link

Misaki (“promontory” in Japanese) is a landmass that is mostly surrounded by water.

Shade some empty cells so that the unshaded cells form one connected group. No 2×2 group of cells can be
entirely shaded or entirely unshaded. Circles indicate the positions of all unshaded cells that is adjacent to
exactly one other unshaded cell. Numbers in circles indicate the number of unshaded cells connected in a
straight orthogonal line to the circled cell without any shaded cells in between, including the cell itself.

44
05.07 Yosenabe
20pts 火锅 水+火 / Water + Fire
Example from puzz.link

Yosenabe is a type of hot pot with boiling water.

Move each circle orthogonally into a grey region so that every grey region contains at least one circle. The
paths of the circles may not intersect each other, including at the endpoints. Circles may move past a grey
region without stopping in it. The numbers in grey regions indicate the sum of numbers of all circles that are
moved into the region.

05.08 Laser
85pts 激光 火+金 / Fire + Metal
Example from WPC 2013 IB
A laser is a high-energy beam of light that can be reflected with metallic mirrors.

Place a horizontal or vertical mirror on some vertices of the grid, and draw a path (representing a laser
beam) entering and leaving the grid at the indicated locations (in the indicated directions). The path travels
diagonally through centers of cells, and can only turn at vertices where a mirror is placed (via reflection).
Every vertex where the path intersects itself is marked with a cross. Each mirror must be used exactly once,
and cannot be placed on the arrows or crosses. Numbers to the left of or above the grid indicate the number
of cells in the row or column that is used by the path; numbers to the right or below the grid indicate the
number of mirrors placed on the horizontal or vertical line, regardless of orientation.

For full credit, it is sufficient to only place the mirrors OR only draw the path.

45
05.09 Herugolf
20pts 高尔夫 金+木 / Metal + Wood
Example adapted from puzz.link
Golf involves striking balls with metal clubs on a grassy fairway.

Move each circle to a cell marked “H” via a series of (at least one) orthogonal moves. Each cell marked “H”
must be reached by exactly one circle. The length of the first move in each series must be equal to the
number in the circle, and the length of each successive move must be exactly one less than the previous
move (hence the total number of moves cannot exceed the number in the circle). The end of each move may
not be in grey cells (representing water hazards), but circles may pass through them during a move.
Directions of consecutive moves may be the same or different, but cannot be completely opposite of each
other (i.e. no U-turns). The paths of circles may not intersect themselves or each other, including at the
endpoints.

05.10 Statue Park

75pts 雕像公园 木+土 / Wood + Earth
Example from PGP 2022 R3

A statue park is where statues made of concrete or marble are placed in a common green space.

Place the given shapes into the grid so that no two shapes overlap or are adjacent to each other (but may
touch each other at a point), and the remaining unoccupied cells form one connected group. The shapes
may be rotated or reflected before being placed in the grid. Cells with black circles must be occupied by a
shape, and cells with white circles cannot be occupied.

46
 Individual Round 06 24 Puzzles

Solar Terms 105 Minutes

节气 1050 Points

01 LITS 35 13 Fillomino 20

02 Clouds 35 14 Dominoes 100

03 Worms 10 15 Sashigane 45

04 LITS (Splitter) 75 16 Fillomino

(Matching Splitter) 95
05 Akari 25
17 Heavy Dots 65
06 Aquapelago 25
18 FiveCells 25
07 Kakuro 45
19 Simple Loop 5
08 Top Heavy Number Place 55
20 Slalom 10
09 Skyscrapers 45
21 Slalom 10
10 Kakuro (Hexagonal) 120
22 Simple Loop
11 Magic Summer 5
(All Crossings, Toroidal) 35
12 Magic Summer 30
23 Icebarn 30

24 Icebarn 105

The traditional Chinese calendar divides the year into 24 “jieqi”, or “solar terms”, 6 for each
season. The solar terms are generally named after natural or agricultural phenomena. Some of
the dates that mark the beginning of solar terms are also observed as holidays in China.

This round features 24 puzzles, one themed after each solar term. The 6 puzzles
corresponding to each season belong to the same category: Shading/Objects for spring,
Numbers for summer, Division for autumn, and Loops/Paths for winter.
This round is eligible for the more lenient partial bonus for having at least 20 puzzles.

47
06.01 LITS
35pts 四格骨墙 立春 / Beginning of Spring
Example adapted from PGP 2023 R2

Shade a tetromino in each region so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of
cells is entirely shaded. No two congruent shaded tetrominoes in different regions may be adjacent.

06.02 Clouds
35pts 云团 雨水 / Rain Water
Example adapted from PGP 2019 R4

Shade some cells so that each connected group of shaded cells is a rectangle whose width and height are
both at least 2 (representing a cloud). No two clouds may be touching. Numbers outside the grid indicate
the number of shaded cells in the row or column. The contents of some cells may be provided: a black cell
with a rounded corner indicates that it must be a corner of a cloud; a black square cell indicates that it is part
of a cloud that is not a corner; a cross indicates that it must be left unshaded.

48
06.03 Worms
10pts 蠕虫 惊蛰 / Awakening of Insects
Example by Yao Yuan

This version of “Worms” previously appeared in WPC 2015, slightly generalized here.

Shade some one-cell-wide snakes, whose lengths (in cells) are indicated by the boxed number outside the
grid. Exactly one end of each snake must be at one of the cells with a black circle, and each black circle must
be used by exactly one snake. Snakes cannot touch themselves or each other.

06.04 LITS (Splitter)

75pts 四格骨墙（分盘） 春分 / Spring Equinox
Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into two connected sub-grids along heavy dotted region borders, then shade a tetromino in
each region so that the shaded cells within each sub-grid form one connected group and no 2×2 group of
cells within a sub-grid is entirely shaded. No two congruent shaded tetrominoes in different regions of the
same sub-grid may be adjacent.

49
06.05 Akari
25pts 美术馆 清明 / Pure Brightness
Example from PGP 2023 R5

Place a light bulb in some empty cells so that all empty cells are illuminated. A light bulb in a cell illuminates
all cells that are connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell without any black cells in between,
including the cell itself. No two light bulbs may illuminate each other. Numbers in black cells indicate the
number of light bulbs in adjacent cells.

06.06 Aquapelago
25pts 千岛湖 谷雨 / Grain Rain
Example from puzz.link

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. No 2×2 group of cells may be entirely unshaded. Black circles must be in shaded cells, and numbers
in those circles indicate the number of shaded cells in the same diagonally connected group as the cell,
including the cell itself.

50
06.07 Kakuro
45pts 数和 立夏 / Beginning of Summer
Example from PGP 2024 R8

Place a digit from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that digits do not repeat within each horizontal or vertical
block of empty cells. Numbers in black triangles indicate the sum of digits in the adjacent block to the right
or below it (in the direction that the triangle is facing).

06.08 Top Heavy Number Place

55pts 头重脚轻 小满 / Grain Buds
Example from PGP 2019 R3

Place a number in the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number in the list appears exactly
once in each row and column. Whenever two numbers are in vertically adjacent cells, the number on top
must be larger than the number on the bottom. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells
marked with a cross cannot contain a number.

51
06.09 Skyscrapers
45pts 摩天楼 芒种 / Grain in Ear
Example from PGP 2024 R7

Place a number from the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number in the list appears exactly
once in each row and column. Each number represents a skyscraper of its respective height. Numbers
outside the grid indicate the number of skyscrapers that can be seen in the row or column from the
respective direction, where shorter skyscrapers are hidden behind taller ones. (Empty cells do not block
vision.) Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a cross cannot contain a
number.

06.10 Kakuro (Hexagonal)

120pts 数和（六边形） 夏至 / Summer Solstice
Example by Yao Yuan

Place a digit from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that digits do not repeat within each consecutive block of
empty cells in any of the three standard directions. Numbers in black triangles indicate the sum of digits in
the adjacent block (in the direction that the triangle is facing).

52
06.11 06.12 Magic Summer
5pts 30pts 魔夏 小暑+大暑 / Minor Heat + Major Heat
Example adapted from PGP 2015 R3

Place a digit in the indicated list into some empty cells so that each digit in the list appears exactly once in
each row and column. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of all numbers formed by the digits in the
row or column, where digits in consecutive cells form multi-digit numbers from left to right or from top to
bottom. Some digits may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a cross cannot contain a digit.

53
06.13 Fillomino
20pts 码牌 立秋 / Beginning of Autumn
Example from PGP 2022 R4

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent regions have the same area.
Numbers indicate the area of the region that it belongs to.

For full credit, it is sufficient to draw the dividing lines OR fill each cell with a number indicating the area of its
region.

06.14 Dominoes
100pts 多米诺 处暑 / End of Heat
Example from PGP 2024 R8

Divide the grid into dominoes along dashed gridlines so that every possible (unordered) pair of numbers in
the indicated list appears in the same domino exactly once.

A list of all possible pairs is provided for convenience.

54
06.15 Sashigane
45pts 曲尺分割 白露 / White Dew
Example from puzz.link

Divide the grid into 1-cell-wide L-shaped regions along dashed gridlines. Circles must be at the turn of its
region and arrows must be at an end of its region, pointing toward the turn. Numbers in circles indicate the
area of the region that it belongs to.

06.16 Fillomino (Matching Splitter)

95pts 码牌（对等分盘） 秋分 / Autumn Equinox
Example by Qin Jiaqi

Divide the grid into two connected sub-grids along dashed gridlines, then divide each sub-grid into regions
along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent regions in the same sub-grid have the same area. Any two
adjacent regions in different sub-grids must have the same area. Numbers in cells indicate the area of the
region that it belongs to.

For full credit, please clearly differentiate the notation used for dividing sub-grids and dividing regions.

55
06.17 Heavy Dots
65pts 重点 寒露 / Cold Dew
Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that no region contains a 2×2 group of cells. Each
region may contain at most one number, indicating the area of the region. Black dots must have exactly
three region borders extending out of it, while white dots must have exactly four region borders. Not all
possible black and white dots are necessarily marked, but unmarked vertices adjacent to a black or white
dot must not have three or four regions borders extending out of it.

The black and white dots contain a small “3” and “4” respectively as a reminder.

06.18 FiveCells
25pts 五格分区 霜降 / Frost’s Descent
Example from puzz.link

Divide the grid into pentominoes along dashed gridlines. Numbers indicate the number of adjacent edges
that are region borders.

56
06.19 Simple Loop
5pts 简单回路 立冬 / Beginning of Winter
Example from PGP 2023 R3

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all empty cells exactly once
(and no other cells).

06.20 06.21 Slalom

10pts 10pts 巡行通关 小雪+大雪 / Minor Snow + Major Snow
Example from puzz.link

Draw an oriented non-intersecting loop through the centers of some white cells, starting and ending at the
cell containing a circle. The loop must pass straight through each “gate” (represented by heavy dashed lines)
exactly once, without turning on the gates. Numbers with arrows in black cells indicate the order in which
the indicated gate must be visited along the loop (starting at the circle).

The number in the circle indicates the total number of gates for convenience. For full credit, the direction of the
loop must be indicated.

57
06.22 Simple Loop (All Crossings, Toroidal)
35pts 简单回路（全交叉、环面） 冬至 / Winter Solstice
Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a single loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all empty cells. The loop must intersect
itself orthogonally exactly at the cells containing a “+” symbol and nowhere else. The grid is toroidal,
meaning that the first row is adjacent to the last row (in the same order), and similar for the first and last
column.

The first and last row and column are duplicated on the opposite sides of the grid in light grey for convenience. For
full credit, it is sufficient to draw the loop within the main grid (in black).

06.23 06.24 Icebarn

30pts 105pts 冰宫游弋 小寒+大寒 / Minor Cold + Major Cold
Example from PGP 2022 R4

Draw a path that passes orthogonally through the centers of some cells, starting at the inward arrow on the
boundary of the grid and ending at the outward arrow on the boundary. The path must travel through all
arrows in the indicated direction. The path may not intersect itself on white cells. The path may not turn on
grey (“icy”) cells, but may intersect itself orthogonally on such cells. Each (outlined) connected group of grey
cells must be visited at least once.

58
 Individual Round 07 18 Puzzles

Duality 60 Minutes
太极 600 Points

01 Yin-Yang 5 11 KaitoRamma 15

02 Domino Domino 10 12 Black and White 15

03 Binairo 30 13 Shirokuro Link 25

04 Not Alone 30 14 Milk Tea 35

05 Light and Shadow 30 15 Voxas 25

06 Go 85 16 Kropki Pairs 75

07 Syuma 25 17 Clock Faces 20

08 Pearl Loop 20 18 Consecutive Quads 35

09 Alternate Loop 50

10 Kuroshiro Loop 70

“Yin-Yang” refers to the two complementary forces believed to have originated from “Taiji”, the
undifferentiated state at the start of the universe. This concept has been used to describe many
dualities in life and nature: hot and cold, growth and decay, high and low, bright and dark, etc.

This round features puzzles that mainly use black and white circles as clues. They are
grouped into pairs that have similar rules or clue presentation.

59
07.01 Yin-Yang
5pts 阴阳 Example from PGP 2023 R8

Shade some cells so that all shaded cells form one connected group and so do all unshaded cells. No 2×2
group of cells is entirely shaded or entirely unshaded. Cells with black circles must be shaded and cells with
white circles must be unshaded.

07.02 Domino Domino

10pts 双色多米诺 Example by Yao Yuan

Place some dominoes that are entirely black or entirely white so that all cells occupied by dominoes form
one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is entirely occupied. No two dominoes of the same color
may be adjacent. Cells with circles must be occupied by dominoes with the same color as the circle.

For full credit, it is sufficient to mark the colors of all occupied cells OR outline the positions of all dominoes.

60
07.03 Binairo
30pts 横竖无三 Example from PGP 2018 R2

Shade some cells so that no 1×3 or 3×1 group of cells is entirely shaded or entirely unshaded. Exactly half of
the cells in each row and column must be shaded. The shading pattern (from left to right) of any two rows
must be different, and same for any two columns (from top to bottom). Cells with black circles must be
shaded and cells with white circles must be unshaded.

07.04 Not Alone

30pts 横竖无夹 Example by Yao Yuan

Shade some cells so that there are no 1×3 or 3×1 group of cells where the center cell has the opposite color
as the other two cells. Exactly half of the cells in each row and column must be shaded. Cells with black
circles must be shaded and cells with white circles must be unshaded.

61
07.05 Light and Shadow
30pts 黑白分明 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R7

Shade some cells so that each connected group of shaded cells contain exactly one black circle (and no white
circles) and each connected group of unshaded cells contain exactly one white circle (and no black circles).
Numbers in circles indicate the area of the connected group of shaded or unshaded cells it is in.

07.06 Go
85pts 围棋 Example by Xu Chenhao

Shade some cells so that cells with black circles are shaded and cells with white circles are unshaded.
Numbers in circles indicate the number of oppositely-colored cells that are adjacent to the connected group
of shaded or unshaded cells it is in.

62
07.07 Syuma
25pts 珠珍 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells, including all cells with
circles. The loop must turn on cells with black circles, and travel straight through at least one of the two
adjacent cells along the loop. The loop must go straight through cells with white circles, and turn on both of
the adjacent cells along the loop.

07.08 Pearl Loop

20pts 明珠回路 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells, including all cells with
circles. The colors of circles indicate the number of turns that the loop make among the two adjacent cells
(to the cell with the circle) along the loop: white circles represent no turns, grey circles represent one turn,
and black circles represent two turns.

63
07.09 Alternate Loop
50pts 交替回路 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all cells exactly once. Any two
circles consecutively visited by the loop must not have the same color.

07.10 Kuroshiro Loop

70pts 黑白回路 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all cells exactly once. Between
two consecutively visited circles of the same color, the loop must not turn. Between two consecutively visited
circles of different colors, the loop must turn exactly once. (The turns on the cells with circles are not
included for these purposes.)

64
07.11 KaitoRamma
15pts 快刀乱麻 Example from puzz.link

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines, where each dividing line must be orthogonal and starts
and ends on the grid boundary. Each region must contain at least one circle, and all circles in a region must
have the same color.

07.12 Black and White

15pts 黑白分割 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one
black circle and one white circle.

65
07.13 Shirokuro Link
25pts 黑白配 Example from puzz.link

Connect pairs of one black circle and one white circle with orthogonal line segments so that every circle
belongs to exactly one pair. The line segments may not intersect each other, including at endpoints.

07.14 Milk Tea

35pts 奶茶 Example by Yao Yuan

A slightly generalized version from the original (which requires each group to have two white circles).

Connect triples of black and white circles using “T”-shaped connections (formed by two perpendicular
segments in orthogonal directions, where one endpoint of the second segment is on the interior of the first
segment) so that each circle belongs to exactly one triple. Each triple must consists of two circles of one
color and one circle of the other color, where the two circles of the same colors are directly connected by the
first segment of the “T” and the third circle is connected to the first segment by the second segment. The “T”
shapes may not intersect each other, including at endpoints.

66
07.15 Voxas
25pts 二三分割 Example from PGP 2024 R7

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region has area 2 or 3. Such
regions are horizontal if their height is 1 and vertical if their width is 1. Given borders must separate two
different regions, and colors of dots on such borders indicate if the area and orientation of the two regions
are equal or not: white dots mean that both the area and the orientation are equal, grey dots mean that
exactly one of the two is equal, and black dots mean that neither is equal.

07.16 Kropki Pairs

75pts 黑白点对 Example by Qin Jiaqi

Fill each cell with a number from 1 to N, where N is the number of cells in each row or column, so that each
number appears exactly once in each row and column. White dots between two cells indicate that the two
numbers in those two cells have an absolute difference of 1 and black dots indicate that the two numbers
are in a 1:2 ratio (in some order). Not all possible dots are necessarily given. Some numbers may be already
given in the grid.

67
07.17 Clock Faces
20pts 钟面 Example by Yao Yuan

Fill each cell with a number from 1 to N, where N is the number of cells in each row or column, so that each
number appears exactly once in each row and column. White dots on vertices indicate that the four numbers
around the dot are strictly increasing in clockwise direction (starting from one of the numbers), and black
dots indicate that the four numbers are strictly increasing in anti-clockwise direction. All possible dots are
given. Some numbers may be already given in the grid.

The white and black dots contain a small clockwise and anti-clockwise arrow respectively as a reminder.

07.18 Consecutive Quads

35pts 连续四数组 Example by Yao Yuan

Fill each cell with a number from 1 to N, where N is the number of cells in each row or column, so that each
number appears exactly once in each row and column. Dots indicate that there are at least one pair of
consecutive numbers among the four numbers around the dot: white dots indicate that there is exactly one
such pair, and black dots indicate that there are at least two such pairs (where the pairs are allowed to
overlap). Not all possible dots are necessarily given. Some numbers may be already given in the grid.

The white and black dots contain a small “1” and “+” respectively as a reminder.

68
 Individual Round 08 15 Puzzles

Eleven Years Later 60 Minutes

回眸 600 Points

01 Corridors 55 09 Lighthouses 55

02 Thermometers 105 10 Diagonal Dissection 20

03 Skyscrapers (Digital Sum) 40 11 Hexagon Arrangement 55

04 Vista 50 12 Hamle 20

05 Pipes 20 13 Tria 4 15

06 Spiral Galaxies (Double) 20 14 Triangle Snake 35

07 Spokes 40 15 The Wall 40

08 Windows 30

The landscape of logic puzzle competitions has shifted in various ways since the last WPC in
China (almost exactly!) 11 years ago. We revisit some of the genres that were perhaps more
popular back in those days.

This round features 15 puzzle genres, one from each round of the 2013 World Puzzle
Championship (including team rounds and playoffs). Some of the genres have been
slightly modified in name or rule to better fit modern conventions.

69
08.01 Corridors
55pts 走廊 R01 - Welcome to China!
Example from WPC 2013 IB

This ruleset is generalized from the 2013 WPC version, and a special case of the 2019 WPC version.

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one black circle and
one white circle. No region may contain a 2×2 group of cells. All regions have the same area, which is
indicated by the boxed number outside the grid.

08.02 Thermometers
105pts 温度计 R02 - Classic Puzzles
Example from WPC 2013 IB

Shade some cells so that for each “thermometer” (represented by a grey path extending from a grey circle)
in the grid, the shaded cells are filled in from the bulb (the end with the circle) to the other end. In other
words, no shaded cells may be further along a thermometer than an unshaded cell on the same
thermometer. Thermometers may be entirely shaded or entirely unshaded. The numbers outside the grid
indicate the number of shaded cells in the row or column.

70
08.03 Skyscrapers (Digital Sum)
40pts 摩天楼（数码管和） R03 - Digital Puzzles
Example from WPC 2013 IB

Place a number from the indicated list into some cells so that each number in the list appears exactly once in
each row and column. Each number represents a skyscraper of its respective height. The numbers outside
the grid indicate the sum of heights of all skyscrapers that can be seen in the row or column from the
respective direction, where shorter skyscrapers are hidden behind taller ones. (Empty cells do not block
vision.) The outside numbers are represented in seven-segment display; some segments are hidden but all
placeholders are given (indicating the number of digits).

A list of all digits in seven-segment display is provided for reference. It is not necessary to complete the outside
numbers in your solution.

08.04 Vista
50pts 视野 R04 - Dutch Delight
Example adapted from WPC 2013 IB

Also known as “Office” in 2013 WPC. Note that the clues are all incremented by 1 to better resemble similar genres,
as with the version in 2017 WPC.

Draw some dividing lines (representing walls) along dashed gridlines so that all cells of the grid remains
connected. Numbers indicate the number of cells connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell without
any walls in between, including the cell itself.

71
08.05 Pipes
20pts 管道 R05 - Indian Intrigue
Example from WPC 2013 IB

Draw a path from each number to a dot that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells. Each dot
must be connected to by at least one number. The paths may not intersect with themselves or each other
(except at the dot that both paths end at), and all empty cells must be used by exactly one path. Numbers
indicate the total length of its path (which is equivalent to the number of cells the path uses, including both
endpoints, minus one).

08.06 Spiral Galaxies (Double)

20pts 星系（双） R06 - Doubled Decathlon
Example from WPC 2013 IB

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region either contains one white dot and no
black dots, or two black dots and no white dots. No dot may be on the boundary of a region. All regions
must have 180° rotational symmetry. A white dot must be at the point of symmetry of its region; the two
black dots in the same region must be rotationally symmetric around the point of symmetry of the region.

72
08.07 Spokes
40pts 辐条 R07 - Serbian Snacks
Example from WPC 2013 IB

Connect all black circles into one network by drawing straight segments between circles along dashed lines
(in the compass directions). Segments may not intersect each other. Numbers in circles indicate the number
of segments that are connected to the circle.

08.08 Windows
30pts 窗口 R08 - Black and White Matrix
Example from WPC 2013 IB

Shade two cells in each 2×2 region so that all shaded cells form one connected group and all unshaded cells
are connected to the boundary of the grid. No 2×2 group of cells may be entirely shaded or entirely
unshaded. Cells with black circles must be shaded.

73
08.09 Lighthouses
55pts 灯塔 R09 - Assorted Puzzles
Example adapted from WPC 2013 IB

Place a ship in some empty cells of the grid so that no ship is touching a black cell, and no two ships are in
touching cells. Numbers in black cells indicate the total number of ships in the same row or column as the
number, disregarding other black cells.

08.10 Diagonal Dissection

20pts 对角分割 R10 - Sprint
Example adapted from WPC 2013 IB

Divide the given shape into some rotationally congruent pieces. Each piece must be a diagonally connected
group of cells (but might not be orthogonally connected). The number of pieces is given in a circle outside
the grid.

For full credit, it is sufficient to divide the shape (using lines to connect diagonally touching parts of each shape) OR
draw one instance of the piece in the auxiliary grid below the shape.

74
08.11 Hexagon Arrangement
55pts 六边形拼图 R11 - Visual Puzzles
Example from WPC 2013 IB

Place the numbered hexagons into the placeholders of the diagram so that whenever two hexagons are
adjacent by an edge, the triangles on the two sides of that edge have the same color. Each numbered
hexagon may be rotated before being placed in the diagram, but cannot be reflected.

For full credit, it is sufficient to write the numbers in the center of the placeholders OR indicate colors of all
triangles. The symbols in each colored triangle are meant as a visual aid for solvers with difficulty identifying colors
and a solving aid for ease of notating colors, and carry no additional information.

08.12 Hamle
20pts 纵横移动 R12 - The Zodiac
Example from WPC 2013 IB

Draw an orthogonal arrow from each circle to a different cell so that no two arrow tips are in the same cell
or adjacent cells, and all cells that are not occupied by arrow tips form one connected group. The arrows
may intersect or overlap with each other, including at endpoints, and may be drawn over holes. Numbers in
circles indicate length of the arrow.

For this puzzle, the holes are in a much lighter shade of grey so that arrows can be drawn visibly over them.

75
08.13 Tria 4
15pts 三角含四 R13 - Weakest Link - Samurai
Example from WPC 2013 IB

Place a number from 1 to 4 into each empty cell so that any four cells that form a large triangle (of side
length two, in either orientation) contains each number exactly once. Some numbers are already given.

08.14 Triangle Snake

35pts 三角蛇 R14 - Year of Snake
Example by Yao Yuan
Shade some cells and halves of some cells (that are right isosceles triangles) of the grid to form a triangle
snake. The cells and half-cells along the snake must be edge-connected (i.e. two consecutive (half-)cells must
both fully use the common edge). The snake cannot touch itself, not even diagonally: more precisely, for any
vertex of the grid there must be an unshaded (half-)cell with it as a vertex, and all unshaded (half-)cells must
be connected to the boundary. The grey shapes outside the grid indicate the consecutive groups of shaded
(half-)cells in the row or column, in the order of appearance (the groups are separated by lines). Consecutive
fully shaded cells in each group are represented by a single grey cell with a number indicating the number
of consecutive cells.

There is a heavy line every five rows and columns for convenience. These lines are not relevant to the puzzle.

76
08.15 The Wall
40pts 隔墙有耳 R15 - Playoffs
Example adapted from WPC 2013 IB

Divide the grid into two regions along dashed gridlines. Numbers indicate the total number of cells in the
same row or column as the cell that are in the opposite region from the cell.

For full credit, it is sufficient to draw the dividing lines OR shade one of the two regions.

77
 Individual Round 09 12 Puzzles

Variants 60 Minutes
变型 600 Points

01 Slitherlink (Touching) 35 07 Nurimisaki (Domino) 25

02 Akari (Regional) 15 08 Statue Park (Hitori) 105

03 Pentopia (Diagonal) 55 09 Star Battle (Generalized) 35

04 Doppelblock (Anti-Knight) 135 10 Skyscrapers (Deficit) 45

05 Nurikabe (Araf) 20 11 Shape Division (Splitter) 55

06 Maxi Loop (Mini) 25 12 Hashi (Projective Plane) 50

This round features variants of many common puzzle genres, ranging from well-known to
brand-new.

78
09.01 Slitherlink (Touching)
35pts 数回（接触） Example from puzz.link

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines. Numbers indicate the number of times the
loop visits (and leaves) the set of vertices and edges around the cell.

09.02 Akari (Regional)

15pts 美术馆（区域） Example by Yao Yuan

Generalized from “Regional Akari” in WPC 2017 and 2018.

Place a light bulb in some empty cells so that all empty cells are illuminated. A light bulb in a cell illuminates
all cells that are connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell without any black cells in between,
including the cell itself. No two light bulbs may illuminate each other.

Numbers indicate the number of light bulbs in the region.

79
09.03 Pentopia (Diagonal)
55pts 近视骨牌（对角线） Example by Yao Yuan

Place some (not necessarily all) of the given shapes into the grid so that no two shapes touch each other.
Cells with arrows may not be occupied. Arrows in a cell indicate all diagonal directions where an occupied
cell appears closest to the cell (ignoring any orthogonal directions).

09.04 Doppelblock (Anti-Knight)

135pts 双黑格（无马） Example by Qin Jiaqi

Place a number from the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number in the list appears exactly
once in each row and column. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of all numbers between the two
empty cells in the row or column. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a
cross cannot contain a number.

Identical numbers may not be placed in cells that are a knight’s move apart. (A knight moves two cells in an
orthogonal direction and one cell in a perpendicular direction.)

It is not necessary to shade the remaining empty cells.

80
09.05 Nurikabe (Araf)
20pts 数墙（炼狱） Example from PGP 2019 R2

Also known as “Nuraf”.

Shade some empty cells so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is
entirely shaded. Each connected group of unshaded cells must contain exactly two numbered cells, and its
area must be strictly between the two numbers (in particular, neither number can be equal to the area).

09.06 Maxi Loop (Mini)

25pts 极大回路（极小） Example by Yao Yuan

Also known as “Mini Loop”.

Draw a single non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all cells exactly once.
Numbers indicate the minimum number of cells that the loop goes through within one visit of the region.
This minimum must be attained in some visit.

81
09.07 Nurimisaki (Domino)
25pts 数岬（多米诺） Example by Wang Mingyi

Shade some empty cells so that the unshaded cells form one connected group. No 2×2 group of cells can be
entirely unshaded. Circles indicate the positions of all unshaded cells that is adjacent to exactly one other
unshaded cell. Numbers in circles indicate the number of unshaded cells connected in a straight orthogonal
line to the circled cell without any shaded cells in between, including the cell itself.

Each connected group of shaded cells must have exactly two cells.

09.08 Statue Park (Hitori)

105pts 雕像公园（数壹） Example by Qiu Yanzhe

Place the given shapes into the grid so that no two shapes are adjacent to each other (but may touch each
other at a point), and the remaining unoccupied cells form one connected group. The shapes may be rotated
or reflected before being placed in the grid.

No two unoccupied cells in the same row or column may contain the same number.

82
09.09 Star Battle (Generalized)
35pts 星战（广义） Example by Yao Yuan

Place a star in some cells so that the number of stars within each row, each column, and each region is equal
to the three given numbers outside the grid respectively (labeled by a horizontal line, a vertical line, and a
box respectively). No two stars can be placed in touching cells.

83
09.10 Skyscrapers (Deficit)
45pts 摩天楼（缺数） Example by Wang Mingyi

Place a number from the indicated list into each empty cell so that each number in the list appears at most
once in each row and column. Each number represents a skyscraper of its respective height. Numbers
outside the grid indicate the number of skyscrapers that can be seen in the row or column from the
respective direction, where shorter skyscrapers are hidden behind taller ones. Some numbers may be
already placed in the grid.

09.11 Shape Division (Splitter)

55pts 全等分割（分盘） Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into two connected sub-grids along dashed gridlines, then divide each sub-grid into some
congruent regions along dashed gridlines. The numbers of regions within the two sub-grids are given in
circles outside the grid.

It is not necessary to differentiate the notation used for dividing sub-grids and dividing regions in your solution.

84
09.12 Hashi (Projective Plane)
50pts 数桥（射影平面） Example by Yao Yuan

Connect all circles into one network by drawing one or two straight orthogonal segments (representing
bridges) between some pairs of circles. Segments may not intersect each other or go over other circles.
Numbers in circles indicate the number of segments that are connected to the circle.

The grid is a projective plane, meaning that the first row is adjacent to the last row (in reversed order), and
similar for the first and last column. (For example, the top-left corner of the grid is the same as the bottom-
right corner, but not the other two corners.) If a circle connects to itself, both endpoints of the connections
are included in the count (i.e. the segment will be counted twice).

The first and last row and column are duplicated on the opposite sides of the grid (in reversed order) in light grey
for convenience, and the edges of the grid are marked with arrows as a reminder of the reversal. For full credit, it is
sufficient to draw parts of the connections within the main grid (in black).

85
 Individual Round 10 10 Puzzles

Irregular 60 Minutes
异形 600 Points

01 Yajisan-Kazusan (Triangular) 75 06 Double Choco (Snub Square) 50

02 Straight Cross (Hexagonal) 60 07 Slant (Deltoidal Trihexagonal) 80

03 Choco Banana 08 Area Division

(Tetrakis Square) 60 (Rhombitrihexagonal) 20

04 Cave (Truncated Square) 70 09 Sudoku (Penrose) 70

05 Koburin (Cairo Pentagonal) 55 10 Arithmetic Square (Cubic) 60

This round features puzzles on various grids with non-square cells. The first 8 puzzles are
grouped into pairs of geometrically dual grids, where one can obtain one grid from the
other by replacing vertices with cells and vice versa.

86
10.01 Yajisan-Kazusan (Triangular)
75pts 真假仙人（三角形） Example by Wang Mingyi

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. Numbers with arrows in unshaded cells indicate the number of shaded cells in the indicated direction
from the cell. Such clues in shaded cells give no information.

10.02 Straight Cross (Hexagonal)

60pts 连续数列（六边形） Example by Yao Yuan

Place a number from the indicated list into some empty cells so that for each consecutive block of white cells
in any of the three standard directions, the numbers do not repeat and form a consecutive sequence in
some order. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid.

87
10.03 Choco Banana (Tetrakis Square)
60pts 巧克力香蕉（四角化正方形） Example by Yao Yuan

Shade some cells so that all connected groups of shaded cells are rectangular and all connected groups of
unshaded cells are not rectangular. Numbers indicate the number of cells in the connected group of shaded
or unshaded cells it is in.

10.04 Cave (Truncated Square)

70pts 山洞（截角正方形） Example by Xu Chenhao

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines. Numbers must be inside the loop, and
indicate the number of cells inside the loop connected in a straight line (perpendicular to one of this cell’s
edges) to the cell without any loop segments in between, including the cell itself. In other words, a square
cell sees all four diagonal directions and an octagonal cell sees all eight compass directions.

88
10.05 Koburin (Cairo Pentagonal)
55pts 仙人指邻（开罗五边形） Example by Wang Mingyi

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes through centers of some empty cells, travelling between adjacent
cells only. No two adjacent empty cells may be both unused by the loop. Numbers in grey cells indicate the
number of unused empty cells adjacent to the cell.

It is not necessary to shade the unused empty cells.

10.06 Double Choco (Snub Square)

50pts 双巧克力（扭棱正方形） Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one connected
group of grey cells and one connected group of white cells, and the two groups are adjacent and congruent
to each other. Numbers indicate the number of cells in one such connected group in the region that it
belongs to (that is, it is equal to half of the number of cells in the entire region).

89
10.07 Slant (Deltoidal Trihexagonal)
80pts 斜线迷宫（鸢形） Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a diagonal line segment in each cell (connecting two opposite vertices) so that the line segments do
not form any loops. Numbers in circles indicate the number of segments connected to the vertex it is on.

10.08 Area Division (Rhombitrihexagonal)

20pts 字母分区（小斜方截半六边形） Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains each character in the
indicated list exactly once, in any order.

90
10.09 Sudoku (Penrose)
70pts 数独（彭罗斯菱形） Example by Qin Jiaqi

Place a number from 1 to N into each empty cell so that each number appears exactly once in each “row” or
region, where N is the number of cells in each “row”. Here, each “row” starts on an edge on the grid
boundary and passes through opposite sides of each rhombus that are parallel to that edge.

10.10 Arithmetic Square (Cubic)

60pts 算术方阵（立方） Example adapted from PGP 2023 R4

Place a number from the indicated list into each circle so that each number in the list appears exactly once
on each face, and does not repeat along any “straight” dashed lines that span two faces. When the given
expressions within a face or edge are evaluated from left to right (at an angle) or top to bottom (fully
vertically), ignoring the usual precedence of operations, the results must satisfy the indicated equalities or
inequalities.

The directions of evaluation are shown with thick arrows on each face. Numbers, operators, and equality signs are
not rotated, but inequality signs are rotated to point at the lesser side.

91
 Individual Round 11 40 Puzzles

Little Happiness 20 Minutes

小四喜 200 Points

01 Yajisan-Kazusan 7 17 Line of Sight 14 33 Easy as 3

02 Context 7 18 Myopia 8 34 Doppelblock 2

03 Kurodoko 5 19 Slitherlink 5 35 Skyscrapers 3

04 Aquapelago 3 20 Cave 10 36 Fuzuli 4

05 Cross the Streams 7 21 Yajilin 5 37 Suguru 2

06 Canal View 9 22 Koburin 2 38 Ripple Effect 3

07 Tapa 2 23 Castle Wall 4 39 Cojun 3

08 Nurikabe 2 24 Tapa-like Loop 2 40 Makaro 2

09 Cocktail Lamp 3 25 Sashikaku 4

10 Martini 6 26 Shikaku (Ratio) 3

11 Shimaguni 7 27 Recto 3

12 Stostone 11 28 Shikaku 2

13 Rail Pool 7 29 Symmetry Area 4

14 Double Back 10 30 Snake Pit 4

15 Detour 5 31 Wafusuma 3

16 Maxi Loop 7 32 Subomino 7

The “Four Happiness” in Chinese culture generally refers to Fortune, Wealth, Longevity, and Joy.
The Chinese title of this round also refers to the Mahjong hand “Little Four Winds”.

This round features many small puzzles (ranging from 4×4 to 6×6), grouped into sets of 4
similar genres (on the same page). For reasons that will be clear in the next round, some
clues are presented differently from usual; check the examples for the exact changes.
The time bonus of this round is 5 points per full half-minute remaining. This round is eligible
for the more lenient partial bonus for having at least 20 puzzles.

92
11.01 Yajisan-Kazusan
7pts 真假仙人 Example adapted from puzz.link

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. Numbers with arrows in unshaded cells indicate the number of shaded cells in the indicated direction
from the cell. Such clues in shaded cells give no information.

11.02 Context
7pts 黑斜白邻 Example from puzz.link

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. Hollow numbers in unshaded cells indicate the number of shaded cells adjacent to the cell. Such
clues in shaded cells indicate the number of shaded cells touching (but not adjacent to) the cell.

93
11.03 Kurodoko
5pts 田鼠挖洞 Example from PGP 2023 R2

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. Numbers in white circles must be in unshaded cells, and indicate the number of unshaded cells
connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell without any shaded cells in between, including the cell
itself.

11.04 Aquapelago
3pts 千岛湖 Example from puzz.link

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. No 2×2 group of cells may be entirely unshaded. Numbers in black circles must be in shaded cells,
and indicate the number of shaded cells in the same diagonally connected group as the cell, including the
cell itself.

94
11.05 Cross the Streams
7pts 过河 Example from PGP 2022 R3

Shade some empty cells so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is
entirely shaded. Numbers outside the grid indicate the lengths of blocks of consecutive shaded cells in the
row or column, in order. Question marks represent any single such number clue. Asterisks represent any
number of consecutive such number clues, including none at all. As a special case, a single “0” indicates that
there are no shaded cells in the row or column.

11.06 Canal View

9pts 峡谷 Example from PGP 2023 R7

Shade some empty cells so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is
entirely shaded. Numbers in circles indicate the number of shaded cells connected in a straight orthogonal
line to the cell (not including the cell itself).

95
11.07 Tapa
2pts 土派艺术 Example adapted from PGP 2023 R1

Shade some empty cells so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is
entirely shaded. Numbers in diamonds indicate the lengths of groups of consecutive shaded cells in the ring
of (up to) eight touching cells around the cell, in no particular order. As a special case, a single “0” indicates
that there are no shaded cells touching the cell. A single question mark in a cell without any other numbers
or question marks may represent “0”.

11.08 Nurikabe
2pts 数墙 Example adapted from PGP 2021 R3

Shade some empty cells so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is
entirely shaded. Each connected group of unshaded cells must contain exactly one numbered cell. Numbers
in boxes indicate the number of cells in its connected group of unshaded cells.

96
11.09 Cocktail Lamp
3pts 鸡尾酒灯 Example by from puzz.link

Shade up to one connected group of cells in each region so that no two groups in different regions are
adjacent. Numbers without additional markings indicate the number of shaded cells in the region. All
shaded cells must form a diagonally connected group. No 2×2 group of cells may be entirely shaded.

11.10 Martini
6pts 马提尼 Example from puzz.link

Shade up to one connected group of cells in each region so that no two groups in different regions are
adjacent. All shaded cells must form a diagonally connected group. Black circles must be in shaded cells and
white circles must be in unshaded cells. Numbers in white circles indicate the number of white circles in each
connected group of unshaded cells (possibly spanning multiple regions), including the circle itself.

97
11.11 Shimaguni
7pts 岛国 Example by from puzz.link

Shade exactly one connected group of cells in each region so that no two groups in different regions are
adjacent. Numbers without additional markings indicate the number of shaded cells in the region. No two
adjacent regions can have the same number of shaded cells.

11.12 Stostone
11pts 垒石 Example from PGP 2022 R3

Shade exactly one connected group of cells in each region so that no two groups in different regions are
adjacent. Numbers without additional markings indicate the number of shaded cells in the region. If the
connected groups of shaded cells fall straight down without changing shape, they must exactly occupy the
bottom half of the grid.

98
11.13 Rail Pool
7pts 轨道库 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R7

Draw a single non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all cells exactly once.
Numbers without additional markings indicate the set of all lengths of straight segments that are at least
partially contained in the region. Numbers (including unknowns) do not repeat in a region.

11.14 Double Back

10pts 二次返回 Example from PGP 2024 R4

Draw a single non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all cells exactly once.
The loop must visit each region exactly twice.

99
11.15 Detour
5pts 绕道 Example from puzz.link

Draw a single non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all cells exactly once.
Numbers in black circles indicate the total number of times that the loop turns in the region.

11.16 Maxi Loop

7pts 极大回路 Example from PGP 2023 R2

Draw a single non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all cells exactly once.
Numbers in white circles indicate the maximum number of cells that the loop goes through within one visit
of the region. This maximum must be attained in some visit.

100
11.17 Line of Sight
14pts 视线 Example from puzz.link

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines. Numbers with arrows indicate the length of
the first straight segment of the loop seen in the indicated direction from the cell. As a special case, a “0”
indicates that there are no loop segments in the indicated direction.

11.18 Myopia
8pts 近视回路 Example from PGP 2023 R7

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines. Arrows indicate all orthogonal directions
where a loop segment appears closest to the cell.

101
11.19 Slitherlink
5pts 数回 Example from PGP 2023 R6

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines. Numbers with diamonds indicate the
number of edges adjacent to the cell that are used by the loop.

11.20 Cave
10pts 山洞 Example from PGP 2023 R8

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines. Numbers with circles must be inside the
loop, and indicate the number of cells inside the loop connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell
without any loop segments in between, including the cell itself.

102
11.21 Yajilin
5pts 仙人指路 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R1

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some empty cells. No two
adjacent empty cells may be both unused by the loop. Numbers with arrows in grey cells indicate the
number of unused empty cells in the indicated direction from the cell.

It is not necessary to shade the unused empty cells.

11.22 Koburin
2pts 仙人指邻 Example from puzz.link

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some empty cells. No two
adjacent empty cells may be both unused by the loop. Numbers with circles in grey cells indicate the number
of unused empty cells adjacent to the cell.

It is not necessary to shade the unused empty cells.

103
11.23 Castle Wall
4pts 城堡墙 Example from PGP 2021 R6

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some empty cells. Numbers with
arrows in black or white outlined cells indicate the total lengths of straight segments in the indicated
direction from the cell. Black cells with such clues must be outside the loop and white cells with such clues
must be inside the loop.

11.24 Tapa-like Loop

2pts 土派回路 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R7

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some empty cells. Numbers with
diamonds in grey cells indicate the lengths of each visit to the ring of (up to) eight touching cells around the
cell, in no particular order. As a special case, a single “0” indicates that the loop does not visit any of the
touching cells around the cell. A single question mark in a cell without any other numbers or question marks
may represent “0”.

104
11.25 Sashikaku
4pts 差方 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one
clue. Numbers in white boxes indicate the (nonnegative) difference between the height and width of the
rectangle that it belongs to.

11.26 Shikaku (Ratio)

3pts 商方 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one
clue. Numbers in white circles indicate the ratio between the height and width of the rectangle that it
belongs to (in some order).

105
11.27 Recto
3pts 和方 Example from PGP 2019 R2

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one
clue. Numbers in black boxes indicate the sum of the height and width of the rectangle that it belongs to.

11.28 Shikaku
2pts 数方 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R1

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one
clue. Numbers in black circles indicate the area of the rectangle that it belongs to.

106
11.29 Symmetry Area
4pts 对称码牌 Example from PGP 2024 R1

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent regions have the same area.
Numbers in cells indicate the area of the region that it belongs to. All regions must have 180° rotational
symmetry.

For full credit, it is sufficient to draw the dividing lines OR fill each cell with a number indicating the area of its
region.

11.30 Snake Pit

4pts 蛇窝 Example from PGP 2023 R6

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent regions have the same area.
Numbers in cells indicate the area of the region that it belongs to. All regions must be in the shape of a
snake with width one and length least two cells that does not touch itself. Circles indicate the end of a snake
and grey cells indicate a cell that is not the end of a snake.

For full credit, it is sufficient to draw the dividing lines OR fill each cell with a number indicating the area of its
region.

107
11.31 Wafusuma
3pts 和障 Example from puzz.link

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent regions have the same area.
Numbers in circles on gridlines must be between two different regions, and indicate the sum of areas of
these two regions.

For full credit, it is sufficient to draw the dividing lines OR fill each cell with a number indicating the area of its
region.

11.32 Subomino
7pts 无包含码牌 Example from puzz.link

Unlike the previous three puzzles, this one is arguably not a Fillomino variant.

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that for any two adjacent regions, one cannot put one
inside the other through translation only. Numbers in cells indicate the area of the region that it belongs to.

Since adjacent regions may have the same area, writing area values is not sufficient in substituting division.

108
11.33 Easy as
3pts 简单字符 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R8

Place a number from the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number in the list appears exactly
once in each row and column. Numbers in diamonds outside the grid indicate the first number in the row or
column from the respective direction. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a
cross cannot contain a number.

11.34 Doppelblock
2pts 双黑格 Example by Yao Yuan

Place a number from the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number in the list appears exactly
once in each row and column. Numbers in boxes outside the grid indicate the sum of all numbers between
the first two empty cells in the row or column from the respective direction. Some numbers may be already
placed in the grid. Cells marked with a cross cannot contain a number.

It is not necessary to shade the remaining empty cells.

109
11.35 Skyscrapers
3pts 摩天楼 Example from PGP 2024 R7

Place a number from the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number in the list appears exactly
once in each row and column. Each number represents a skyscraper of its respective height. Numbers in
circles outside the grid indicate the number of skyscrapers that can be seen in the row or column from the
respective direction, where shorter skyscrapers are hidden behind taller ones. (Empty cells do not block
vision.) Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a cross cannot contain a
number.

11.36 Fuzuli
4pts 冗余 Example from PGP 2021 R5

Place a number from the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number in the list appears exactly
once in each row and column. No 2×2 group of cells may be entirely filled with numbers. Some numbers
may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a cross cannot contain a number.

110
11.37 Suguru
2pts 数组 Example from PGP 2022 R3

Place a number into each empty cell so that each region contains the numbers from 1 to N, where N is the
number of cells in the region. Identical numbers may not be placed in touching cells. Some numbers may be
already placed in the grid.

11.38 Ripple Effect

3pts 涟漪 Example from PGP 2024 R1

Place a number into each empty cell so that each region contains the numbers from 1 to N, where N is the
number of cells in the region. Identical numbers in the same row or column must be separated by at least as
many cells (including holes) as the value of the number. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid.

111
11.39 Cojun
3pts 叠叠高 Example from puzz.link

Place a number into each empty cell so that each region contains the numbers from 1 to N, where N is the
number of cells in the region. Identical numbers may not be placed in adjacent cells. Whenever two
numbers are in vertically adjacent cells in the same region, the number on top must be larger than the
number on the bottom. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid.

11.40 Makaro
2pts 极大箭头 Example from puzz.link

Place a number into each empty cell so that each region contains the numbers from 1 to N, where N is the
number of cells in the region. Identical numbers may not be placed in adjacent cells. Arrows in black cells
must point to the unique largest number among all numbers adjacent to the black cell. Some numbers may
be already placed in the grid.

112
 Individual Round 12 10 Puzzles

Quadruple Happiness 65 Minutes

大四喜 650 Points

01 Yajisan-Kazusan + Context + Kurodoko + Aquapelago 55

02 Cross the Streams + Canal View + Tapa + Nurikabe 60

03 Cocktail Lamp + Martini + Shimaguni + Stostone 125

04 Rail Pool + Double Back + Detour + Maxi Loop 85

05 Line of Sight + Myopia + Slitherlink + Cave 50

06 Yajilin + Koburin + Castle Wall + Tapa-Like Loop 40

07 Sashikaku + Shikaku (Ratio) + Recto + Shikaku 20

08 Symmetry Area + Snake Pit + Wafusuma + Subomino 45

09 Easy as + Doppelblock + Skyscrapers + Fuzuli 125

10 Suguru + Ripple Effect + Cojun + Makaro 45

The Chinese title of this round also refers to the Mahjong hand “Big Four Winds”.

This round features puzzles that are each hybrids of a set of 4 similar genres from the
previous round, combining all the rules and clue types in those genres (sometimes with
minor modifications or generalizations).
In the instructions, rules that are shared by two or more genres will be introduced first,
then the unique additions from each genre. Different types of clues will be underlined.

113
12.01 Yajisan-Kazusan + Context + Kurodoko + Aquapelago

55pts 真假仙人 + 黑斜白邻 + 田鼠挖洞 + 千岛湖 Example by Yao Yuan

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group.

1. Yajisan-Kazusan: Numbers with arrows in unshaded cells indicate the number of shaded cells in the
indicated direction from the cell. Such clues in shaded cells give no information.

2. Context: Hollow numbers in unshaded cells indicate the number of shaded cells adjacent to the cell. Such
clues in shaded cells indicate the number of shaded cells touching (but not adjacent to) the cell.

3. Kurodoko: Numbers in white circles must be in unshaded cells, and indicate the number of unshaded
cells connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell without any shaded cells in between, including the
cell itself.

4. Aquapelago: No 2×2 group of cells may be entirely unshaded. Numbers in black circles must be in shaded
cells, and indicate the number of shaded cells in the same diagonally connected group as the cell,
including the cell itself.

114
12.02 Cross the Streams + Canal View + Tapa + Nurikabe

60pts 过河 + 峡谷 + 土派艺术 + 数墙 Example by Yao Yuan

Shade some empty cells so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is
entirely shaded.

1. Cross the Streams: Numbers outside the grid indicate the lengths of blocks of consecutive shaded cells in
the row or column, in order. Question marks represent any single such number clue. Asterisks represent
any number of consecutive such number clues, including none at all. As a special case, a single “0”
indicates that there are no shaded cells in the row or column.

2. Canal View: Numbers in circles indicate the number of shaded cells connected in a straight orthogonal
line to the cell (not including the cell itself).

3. Tapa: Numbers in diamonds indicate the lengths of groups of consecutive shaded cells in the ring of (up
to) eight touching cells around the cell, in no particular order. As a special case, a single “0” indicates that
there are no shaded cells touching the cell. A single question mark in a cell without any other numbers or
question marks may represent “0”.

4. Nurikabe: Each connected group of unshaded cells must contain exactly one numbered cell (which is not
necessarily a Nurikabe clue). Numbers in boxes indicate the number of cells in its connected group of
unshaded cells.

115
12.03 Cocktail Lamp + Martini + Shimaguni + Stostone

125pts 鸡尾酒灯 + 马提尼 + 岛国 + 垒石 Example by Yao Yuan

Shade exactly one connected group of cells in each region so that no two groups in different regions are
adjacent. Numbers without additional markings indicate the number of shaded cells in the region. All
shaded cells must form a diagonally connected group.

1. Cocktail Lamp: No 2×2 group of cells may be entirely shaded.

2. Martini: Black circles must be in shaded cells and white circles must be in unshaded cells. Numbers in
white circles indicate the number of white circles in each connected group of unshaded cells (possibly
spanning multiple regions), including the circle itself.

3. Shimaguni: No two adjacent regions can have the same number of shaded cells.

4. Stostone: If the connected groups of shaded cells fall straight down without changing shape, they must
exactly occupy the bottom half of the grid.

116
12.04 Rail Pool + Double Back + Detour + Maxi Loop

85pts 轨道库 + 二次返回 + 绕道 + 极大回路 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a single non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all cells exactly once.

1. Rail Pool: Numbers without additional markings indicate the set of all lengths of straight segments that
are at least partially contained in the region. Numbers (including unknowns) do not repeat in a region.

2. Double Back: The loop must visit each region exactly twice.

3. Detour: Numbers in black circles indicate the total number of times that the loop turns in the region.

4. Maxi Loop: Numbers in white circles indicate the maximum number of cells that the loop goes through
within one visit of the region. This maximum must be attained in some visit.

117
12.05 Line of Sight + Myopia + Slitherlink + Cave

50pts 视线 + 近视回路 + 数回 + 山洞 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines.

1. Line of Sight: Numbers with arrows indicate the length of the first straight segment of the loop seen in
the indicated direction from the cell. As a special case, a “0” indicates that there are no loop segments in
the indicated direction.

2. Myopia: Arrows (without numbers) indicate all orthogonal directions where a loop segment appears
closest to the cell.

3. Slitherlink: Numbers in diamonds indicate the number of edges adjacent to the cell that are used by the
loop.

4. Cave: Numbers in circles must be inside the loop, and indicate the number of cells inside the loop
connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell without any loop segments in between, including the
cell itself.

118
12.06 Yajilin + Koburin + Castle Wall + Tapa-Like Loop

40pts 仙人指路 + 仙人指邻 + 城堡墙 + 土派回路 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some empty cells. No two
adjacent empty cells may be both unused by the loop.

1. Yajilin: Numbers with arrows in grey cells indicate the number of unused empty cells in the indicated
direction from the cell.

2. Koburin: Numbers with circles in grey cells indicate the number of unused empty cells adjacent to the
cell.

3. Castle Wall: Numbers with arrows in black or white outlined cells indicate the total lengths of straight
segments in the indicated direction from the cell. Black cells with such clues must be outside the loop and
white cells with such clues must be inside the loop.

4. Tapa-like Loop: Numbers with diamonds in grey cells indicate the lengths of each visit to the ring of (up
to) eight touching cells around the cell, in no particular order. As a special case, a single “0” indicates that
the loop does not visit any of the touching cells around the cell. A single question mark in a cell without
any other numbers or question marks may represent “0”.

All boundaries between clue cells and empty cells are marked with thick borders. It is not necessary to shade the
unused empty cells.

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12.07 Sashikaku + Shikaku (Ratio) + Recto + Shikaku

20pts 差方 + 商方 + 和方 + 数方 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one
clue.

1. Sashikaku: Numbers in white boxes indicate the (nonnegative) difference between the height and width
of the rectangle that it belongs to.

2. Shikaku (Ratio): Numbers in white circles indicate the ratio between the height and width of the rectangle
that it belongs to (in some order).

3. Recto: Numbers in black boxes indicate the sum of the height and width of the rectangle that it belongs
to.

4. Shikaku: Numbers in black circles indicate the area of the rectangle that it belongs to.

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12.08 Symmetry Area + Snake Pit + Wafusuma + Subomino

45pts 对称码牌 + 蛇窝 + 和障 + 无包含码牌 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent regions have the same area.
Numbers in cells indicate the area of the region that it belongs to.

1. Symmetry Area: All regions must have 180° rotational symmetry.

2. Snake Pit: All regions must be in the shape of a snake with width one and length least two cells that does
not touch itself. Circles indicate the end of a snake and grey cells indicate a cell that is not the end of a
snake.

3. Wafusuma: Numbers in circles on gridlines must be between two different regions, and indicate the sum
of areas of these two regions.

4. Subomino: For any two adjacent regions, one cannot put one inside the other through translation only.

For full credit, it is sufficient to draw the dividing lines OR fill each cell with a number indicating the area of its
region.

121
12.09 Easy as + Doppelblock + Skyscrapers + Fuzuli

125pts 简单字符 + 双黑格 + 摩天楼 + 冗余 Example by Yao Yuan

Place a number from the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number in the list appears exactly
once in each row and column. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a cross
cannot contain a number.

1. Easy as: Numbers in diamonds outside the grid indicate the first number in the row or column from the
respective direction.

2. Doppelblock: Numbers in boxes outside the grid indicate the sum of all numbers between the first two
empty cells in the row or column from the respective direction.

3. Skyscrapers: Each number represents a skyscraper of its respective height. Numbers in circles outside
the grid indicate the number of skyscrapers that can be seen in the row or column from the respective
direction, where shorter skyscrapers are hidden behind taller ones. (Empty cells do not block vision.)

4. Fuzuli: No 2×2 group of cells may be entirely filled with numbers.

It is not necessary to shade the remaining empty cells.

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12.10 Suguru + Ripple Effect + Cojun + Makaro

45pts 数组 + 涟漪 + 叠叠高 + 极大箭头 Example by Yao Yuan

Place a number into each empty cell so that each region contains the numbers from 1 to N, where N is the
number of cells in the region. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid.

1. Suguru: Identical numbers may not be placed in touching cells.

2. Ripple Effect: Identical numbers in the same row or column must be separated by at least as many cells
(including holes) as the value of the number.

3. Cojun: Whenever two numbers are in vertically adjacent cells in the same region, the number on top
must be larger than the number on the bottom.

4. Makaro: Arrows in black cells must point to the unique largest number among all numbers adjacent to
the black cell.

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 Individual Round 13 9 Puzzles

Secret Symmetry 60 Minutes

对称 600 Points

01 Shakashaka 70 06 Tatamibari 65

02 Stostone 70 07 Slash Pack 55

03 Aquarium 80 08 Four Winds 75

04 Regional Yajilin 45 09 Scrabble 65

05 Angle Loop 75

In each of the 9 puzzles of this round, there is a square area in the center of the grid,
marked by a cage with grey dashed lines. In the interior of these 9 cages (i.e. not
including the boundary), the solution elements added by the solver must each satisfy one
of the 9 possible symmetry types in a square:

• Horizontal / Vertical / Main Diagonal / Antidiagonal line of symmetry

• Two-fold / Four-fold rotational symmetry

• Both Orthogonal / Diagonal lines of symmetry (includes Two-fold rotational symmetry)

• Every line of symmetry (includes Four-fold rotational symmetry)

No two cages can have the same symmetry type, and a cage assigned to one symmetry
type cannot have extraneous symmetries. Even though some puzzles may have multiple
solutions using different symmetry types, points are only awarded if the solution matches
the one in the global solution where all 9 symmetry types appear. An auxiliary table will
be given to help you find the correspondence between puzzles and symmetry types.

124
13.00 Symmetry Matchmaker
0*pts 对称配对 Example by Yao Yuan

This table will be provided on a separate sheet of paper. Make sure to put it in the booklet at the end of the round.

Match the other nine puzzles of this round with the nine symmetry types by placing exactly one symbol in
each row and column in the table below. Each puzzle should correspond to a different symmetry type. In this
round, the part inside the grey dashed cage of the solution to each of the other puzzles should satisfy the
symmetry type that this puzzle corresponds to.

*This “puzzle” is only to reiterate the global rules of this round and provide a table for your convenience, so it will
not be marked at all, and is hence worth nothing and not needed for time bonus.

(The example puzzle above already has the solution marked. This correspondence needs to be deduced
from the 9 example puzzles on the following pages.)

125
13.01 Shakashaka
70pts 摇啊摇 Example by Yao Yuan

Shade some halves of some empty cells (that are right isosceles triangles), so that all remaining unshaded
areas are all rectangles, either orthogonal or diagonal. Numbers in black cells indicate the number of empty
cells adjacent to the cell that are half-shaded.

13.02 Stostone
70pts 垒石 Example by Yao Yuan

Shade exactly one connected group of cells in each region so that no two groups in different regions are
adjacent. Numbers indicate the number of shaded cells in the region. If the connected groups of shaded
cells fall straight down without changing shape, they must exactly occupy the bottom half of the grid.

126
13.03 Aquarium
80pts 水族馆 Example by Yao Yuan

Shade some cells (representing water) so that the body (or bodies) of water in each region is at a resting
state. More precisely, no unshaded cell may be adjacent to a shaded cell without a region border in between
unless the unshaded cell is above the shaded cell (the horizontal edge between the two cells is a water
surface), and all water surfaces adjacent to a connected group of shaded cells must be on the same
horizontal line. Numbers outside the grid indicate the number of shaded cells in the row or column.

13.04 Regional Yajilin

45pts 仙人指区 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some empty cells. No two
adjacent empty cells may be both unused by the loop. Numbers indicate the number of unused empty cells
in the region.

It is not necessary to shade the unused empty cells.

127
13.05 Angle Loop
75pts 角度回路 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a non-intersecting loop through all the symbols on vertices. The loop may contain non-orthogonal
segments, but must make a turn exactly at the vertices with symbols (and nowhere else). Shapes of symbols
indicate the angle formed by the two segments adjacent to the vertex: black triangles represent acute
angles (less than 90°), grey squares represent right angles (exactly 90°), and white pentagons represent
obtuse angles (greater than 90°).

13.06 Tatamibari
65pts 榻榻米 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one
symbol. No vertex may be shared by four different rectangles. Symbols indicate the relative lengths of the
width and height of the rectangle: Horizontal bars mean that the width is longer, vertical bars mean that the
height is longer, and plus signs mean that the two are equal.

128
13.07 Slash Pack
55pts 斜线分区 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions by drawing diagonals in some empty cells. Each region must contain each
number that is present in the grid exactly once.

13.08 Four Winds

75pts 四风 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw some straight orthogonal lines starting at an edge of a black cell, extending away from the cell, and
ending at the center of a cell. Each empty cell must be used by exactly one line, and lines may not enter
black cells or leave the grid. Numbers in black cells indicate the total number of cells used by all the lines
that begin at an edge of the cell (not including the cell itself).

129
13.09 Scrabble
65pts 拼词 Example by Yao Yuan

Place a letter into some empty cells of the grid so that all cells with letters form one connected group. The
content of every block of cells with letters of length at least two (either from left to right or from top to
bottom) is given in a word list outside the grid, where each given word must appear exactly once. Some
letters may be already placed in the grid. Crosses will not be used in this puzzle (and not to be confused with
the letter X); cells that must be left empty will be represented using holes.

Beware that the shapes of the letters themselves are also part of the symmetry, although it is not necessary to
reproduce the exact shapes in your solution. A complete alphabet is given above the puzzle for reference.

130
 Individual Round 14 21 Puzzles

Brain Power 50 Minutes

脑力 1000 Points

01 Elastic Bands 25 08 Elastic Words 45 15 Elastic Sums 75

02 Jigsaw Puzzle 105 09 Letter Pairs 30 16 Letter Weights 85

03 Picture Slice 15 10 Crisscross 55 17 Darts 30

04 Find the Pairs 50 11 Alphabet Blocks 30 18 Arithmetic Square 30

05 Old Maid 30 12 Mastermind 30 19 Operation Square 30

06 Password Path 55 13 Wordle Bank 55 20 Abacus Beads 60

07 Maze Collector 80 14 Word Search 35 21 Balance 50

This round features puzzles that mostly test mental abilities other than grid-based logic
(sometimes referred to as “casual” puzzles). The puzzles are grouped into three
categories: Observational, Word, and Numerical, with 7 puzzles in each category. For
Observational puzzles, ignore subtle differences due to graphic anomalies or overall
distortion.
Beware that even though some puzzles have independent sub-parts, there is no partial
credit for solving only some of the parts.
The point values of this round are not inflated; the shorter time limit vs. point total is due to a
combination of scheduling constraints, higher variance in solve times, and allowing for players
to focus on stronger categories/puzzle genres. The time bonus for this round is doubled (20
points per full minute). This round is also eligible for the more lenient partial bonus for having
at least 20 puzzles.

131
14.01 Elastic Bands
25pts 弹力绳 Example from PGP 2024 R8

Place a character in each empty circle so that no character repeats within a network and the two networks
are identical. In other words, if two characters in one network are connected by a line segment, then they
are also connected in the other network, and vice versa.

14.02 Jigsaw Puzzle

105pts 拼图 Example adapted from PGP 2016 R3

Assemble some of the given jigsaw pieces into the complete picture shown. Pieces may be rotated but not
reflected. Not all pieces are necessarily used.

For full credit, it is sufficient to write the label for the pieces in the provided placeholder grid, without indicating
pieces’ orientations or how adjacent pieces fit together.

132
14.03 Picture Slice
15pts 切片 Example by Yao Yuan

For each of the partial pictures (surrounded by colored edges), determine the pairs of endpoints so that
cutting the original picture (surrounded by black edges) along straight lines connecting those pairs of
endpoints would result in the partial pictures. The partial pictures are not rotated or reflected.

The cuts do not need to be drawn on the original picture. There should be one pair of endpoints per edge of the
partial picture (to be written on the corresponding edge), unless the edge coincides with an edge of the original
picture, in which case the pair can be omitted. Each pair of endpoints can be written in either order. Each partial
picture can be solved independently, but credits are only given for identifying all cuts of all partial pictures.

133
14.04 Find the Pairs
50pts 找对子 Example by Yao Yuan

Among the shapes shown, find the indicated number of pairs of rotationally congruent shapes.

For full credit, make sure to distinctly label each pair (e.g. with a different number or shape).

14.05 Old Maid

30pts 抽鬼牌 Example by Yao Yuan

Among the shapes shown, find the indicated number of shapes that do not have another shape that is
rotationally congruent to it. (All other shapes come in rotationally congruent pairs.)

134
14.06 Password Path
55pts 密码路径 Example from PGP 2024 R8

Draw a non-intersecting path that passes orthogonally or diagonally through centers of all cells exactly
once, starting from the circled top-leftmost cell and ending at the circled bottom-rightmost cell. When the
characters encountered along the path are read in order, they must only repeat the given password.

14.07 Maze Collector

80pts 迷宫收集 Example by Qin Jiaqi

Find a path that enters the grid at the indicated arrow, passes orthogonally through centers of some white
cells, and exits the grid at a different location. Each number in the indicated range must appear on the path
exactly once. The path may not cross outlined borders, enter black cells, or visit a cell more than once.

A checklist of all numbers in the range is provided for convenience.

135
14.08 Elastic Words
45pts 弹力词 Example from PGP 2021 R4

Place a character in each empty circle so that no character repeats within the network, and each word in the
given list can be read by starting at a circle and traversing lines in the network. In other words, if two
characters are adjacent within a word, there must be a line connecting the circles with those two characters.
Not all connections need to be used by a word. Some characters may be given in some circles.

14.09 Letter Pairs

30pts 字母对 Example from PGP 2017 R4

Place each of the given words in the list either from left to right or from top to bottom into the grid, one
character per cell, so that no two words overlap. All pairs of adjacent cells that contain the same character
are marked with a black dot on the edge between them.

For full credit, it is sufficient to place all the characters, without drawing the boundary for each word.

136
14.10 Crisscross
55pts 填词 Example adapted from PGP 2023 R1

Place a character into each empty cell of the grid. The content of every horizontal or vertical block of cells of
length at least two (either from left to right or from top to bottom) is given in a word list outside the grid,
where each given word must appear exactly once. Some characters may be already placed in the grid.

14.11 Alphabet Blocks

30pts 字母积木 Example from PGP 2017 R2

Partition all characters that appear at least once among the given words into groups of six (one group per
column), so that each word can be spelled by taking exactly one character from each group, in some order.

You may put the groups in any order in the columns of the grid, and enter the characters of each group in any
order within each column.

137
14.12 Mastermind
30pts 猜词 Example from PGP 2024 R7

Identify the secret code consisting of characters from the provided rows of guesses. (In other words, each
character in the code must appear in at least one of the guesses.) For each guess, a black circle indicates a
character in the same position as a character in the code, and a white circle indicates a character in the code
but not in the same position. Each character in a guess or the code contributes at most one circle (i.e. if a
match between the guess and the code is found, both characters will be ignored for further matches), and
any possible black circles are given before white circles.

138
14.13 Wordle Bank
55pts 词兜 Example from PGP 2024 R7

Place each of the given words in the list into the rows of the grid(s), one character per cell from left to right,
so that each word is used exactly once. Each grid has a secret code consisting of some characters (whose
length is equal to the number of columns of the grid), not necessarily all of which appear in the grid. A green
circle with heavy solid border indicates that the character is the same as the character of the code in the
same position. A yellow hexagon with thin solid border indicates that the character appears in a different
position in the code, and the code’s character has not been matched with a previous character in the row.
(In other words, each character in the row or the code contributes at most one circle or hexagon; for each
distinct character, green circles are marked first, then yellow hexagons from left to right.) A white square
with dashed border indicates that it cannot be a green circle or yellow hexagon.

It is not necessary to determine the secret code for each grid, and the secret code might not be uniquely
determined by the grid.

139
14.14 Word Search
35pts 搜词 Example from PGP 2023 R7

Find all but N of the words from the given list in the grid, where N is the circled number. Each word can be
found along a straight path in one of the eight compass directions.

It is not necessary to indicate the direction of each path; in the case of a palindromic word, the direction might not
be unique. It is not necessary to mark the unfound words.

14.15 Elastic Sums

75pts 弹力和 Example by Yao Yuan

Place a number from the indicated list into each empty circle so that each number appears exactly once in
the network. Each uncircled number S next to a circled number X (in the form of “X — S” next to the network)
indicates that the sum of all numbers directly connected to X in the network is exactly S. Some numbers may
be given in some circles.

140
14.16 Letter Weights
85pts 字母和 Example from PGP 2023 R2

Match the letters with the given list of numbers (in an outlined box), so that the sum of all letters in each
given word is equal to the corresponding number.

14.17 Darts
30pts 飞镖 Example from PGP 2021 R1

Select exactly X of the numbers on the dartboard so that their sum is exactly S, where X and S are given
above the dartboard in the form of “X → S”. No number may be selected more than once.

141
14.18 Arithmetic Square
30pts 算术方阵 Example from PGP 2023 R4

Place a number from the indicated list into each empty cell so that each number appears exactly once. When
the given expressions are evaluated from left to right or top to bottom, ignoring the usual precedence of
operations, the results must satisfy the indicated equalities or inequalities. It is possible for expressions and
partial expressions to be negative or non-integral.

14.19 Operation Square

30pts 算符方阵 Example by Yao Yuan

Place an operator (+, -, ×, ÷) into each empty cell so that each operator appears exactly the indicated number
of times. When the given expressions are evaluated from left to right or top to bottom, ignoring the usual
precedence of operations, the results must satisfy the indicated equalities or inequalities. It is possible for
expressions and partial expressions to be negative or non-integral.

142
14.20 Abacus Beads
60pts 算珠 Example by Qin Jiaqi

For each of the given equations, move the indicated number of abacus beads so that the result is a correct
arithmetic equation. Each column of the abacus represents a digit, where a bead above the horizontal bar
represents 5 and a bead below the bar represents 1. There can be at most one bead above the bar and four
beads below the bar for each column. Numbers are allowed to start with a digit 0 if there is an empty
column. For the part below the bar, the bottommost beads are added or removed first. Beads may move
between different numbers in the equation.

The correspondence between digits and bead configurations is provided for convenience. It is also acceptable to
write the correct digits below each column instead of indicating the moved beads. Each equation can be solved
independently, but credits are only given for solving all equations correctly.

143
14.21 Balance
50pts 杠秤 Example adapted from PGP 2023 R6

Attach the given weights and/or balloons (with negative weight) to the mobile at the diamond-shaped
attachment points, one per point, so that the entire system is balanced. Precisely, at each fulcrum indicated
by a round black dot, the total torque (weight multiplied by distance to the fulcrum) on both sides of the
balance must be the same. Ignore the weight of the horizontal rods and the vertical strings. A rod above its
attachment point indicates that the total of the weights attached to it plus the weights attached to all
subsequent rods is negative. (Otherwise the total weight is zero or positive.) Some weights or balloons may
be already attached.

144
 Team Round A 8 Puzzles

Chinese Knot 50 Minutes

中国结 4000 Points

01 Barns 4 × 125 05 Masyu 4 × 125

02 Country Road 4 × 125 06 Maxi Loop 4 × 125

03 Detour 4 × 125 07 Tapa-like Loop 4 × 125

04 Dotchi Loop 4 × 125 08 Yajilin 4 × 125

Chinese knots are a type of traditional woven crafts that are commonly used as household
decorations or ornaments, especially during festivals.
This round features 8 connected puzzles, and the goal is to draw a single loop that passes
orthogonally through cell centers, visiting all 8 grids. There are grey dashed lines
(“threads”) connecting some pairs of cells in different grids or the same grid, and the loop
can only travel between the grids along these threads. The loop is allowed to intersect
itself on threads, as well as any of the grids that allow for intersections. Rules for a grid
might influence some cells immediately before or after visiting the grid, these will be
clarified with individual rules.
For genres without regions, grid boundaries connected to threads will be replaced by dashed
gridlines as a reminder that they can be crossed. For genres with regions, such boundaries will
be replaced by thin solid gridlines; they can also be crossed, but still function as region borders
for the puzzle itself.
Each grid is square-shaped and has even dimensions; during marking the grids will each
be divided into four equal quadrants and marked separately. Credits are given for a
quadrant if the parts of the loop within that quadrant are drawn correctly, including the
entries and exits to the quadrant.

145
 A.01 Barns
500pts 冰宫巡行 Example by Yao Yuan

The loop must visit all cells in the grid, and may not cross any thick borders. The loop may not intersect itself
on white cells. The loop may not turn on grey (“icy”) cells, but may intersect itself orthogonally on such cells.

A.02 Country Road

500pts 周游列国 Example by Yao Yuan

The loop may not intersect itself in the grid, and must visit each region exactly once. No two cells (in this
grid) that are adjacent across a region border can both be unvisited. Numbers indicate the number of cells
visited by the loop in the region.

Cells connected by threads are not considered adjacent. It is not necessary to shade the unused cells.

146
 A.03 Detour
500pts 绕道 Example by Yao Yuan

The loop may not intersect itself in the grid, and must visit all cells in the grid exactly once. Numbers indicate
the total number of times that the loop turns in the region.

A.04 Dotchi Loop

500pts 二择回路 Example by Yao Yuan

The loop may not intersect itself in the grid, and must visit all cells with white circles and no cells with black
circles. Within each region, the loop must either go straight through all white circles or turn on all white
circles.

147
 A.05 Masyu
500pts 珍珠 Example by Yao Yuan

The loop may not intersect itself in the grid, and must visit all cells with circles. The loop must turn on cells
with black circles, and travel straight through both adjacent cells along the loop. The loop must go straight
through cells with white circles, and turn on at least one of the two adjacent cells along the loop.

Traversing threads does not count as going through a cell, so one or both of the “adjacent cells along the loop”
may be cells separated by a thread, even if the cells are in a different grid.

A.06 Maxi Loop

500pts 极大回路 Example by Yao Yuan

The loop may not intersect itself in the grid, and must visit all cells in the grid exactly once. Numbers indicate
the maximum number of cells that the loop goes through within one visit of the region. This maximum must
be attained in some visit.

148
 A.07 Tapa-like Loop
500pts 土派回路 Example by Yao Yuan

The loop may not intersect itself or enter grey cells in the grid. Numbers in grey cells indicate the lengths of
each visit to the ring of (up to) eight touching cells around the cell, in no particular order. As a special case, a
single “0” indicates that the loop does not visit any of the touching cells around the cell. A single question
mark in a cell without any other numbers or question marks may represent “0”.

Cells do not touch over threads and threads do not count as cells, so set of cells in each ring is the same as if there
are no threads.

A.08 Yajilin
500pts 仙人指路 Example by Yao Yuan

The loop may not intersect itself or enter grey cells in the grid. No two adjacent empty cells may be both
unused by the loop. Numbers with arrows in grey cells indicate the number of unused empty cells in the
indicated direction from the cell.

Cells connected by threads are not considered adjacent. Clues do not see through threads. It is not necessary to
shade the unused empty cells.

149
Round Example
Example by Xu Chenhao

This example uses four grids: Barns, Masyu, Tapa-like Loop, Detour. The grids are labeled with the first few
letters of the genre name.

150
Round Example Solution
Example by Xu Chenhao

Quadrants will look like this:

151
 Team Round B 8 Puzzles

Octahedron 70 Minutes
八面玲珑 5600 Points

01 Canal View 4 × 175 05 Nurikabe 4 × 175

02 Cave 4 × 175 06 Pentopia 4 × 175

03 Kurotto 4 × 175 07 SLICY 4 × 175

04 Minesweeper 4 × 175 08 Tapa 4 × 175

To say that someone is “refined on (all) eight faces” in Chinese is an idiomatic way to describe
their ability to adapt to different people and situations.
This round features 8 puzzles that all involve shading some empty cells. Each of the
puzzles is on a triangular grid with hexagonal cells, printed on a triangular piece of
paper. The 8 grids must be placed on the faces of a regular octahedron (see round icon)
so that whenever two grids are adjacent across an edge of the octahedron, the shading
patterns of the two rows of hexes closest to that edge must be either completely identical
or completely inverted. Each grid may be rotated but not reflected during assembly (i.e.
the grids must be facing outwards). While the rules for each grid are independent, the
puzzles might not be uniquely solvable in isolation without using this edge rule.
Each grid has an even number of hexes on each side; during marking the grids will each
be divided into four smaller triangular sub-grids and marked separately (the center sub-
grid does not touch the edge of the big grid and is slightly smaller than the other three
sub-grids). Credits are given for a sub-grid if the shading pattern within that sub-grid is
drawn correctly. While assembling the octahedron is an important part of solving this
round, the assembly itself will not be marked, nor is it needed for time bonus. In fact,
between the end of round and start of marking, the grids will be disassembled for ease
of transport. (Feel free to re-assemble the octahedron when the grids are returned after
marking.)

152
 B.01 Canal View
700pts 峡谷 Example by Yuan Yao

The shaded cells in the grid form one connected group, and no vertex is entirely surrounded by three
shaded cells. Numbers in circles indicate the number of shaded cells connected in a straight line to the cell in
one of the six standard directions without any unshaded cells in between (not including the cell itself).

B.02 Cave
700pts 山洞 Example by Yuan Yao

The unshaded cells in the grid form one connected group, and the shaded cells are connected to the grid
boundary. Numbers indicate the number of unshaded cells connected in a straight line to the cell in one of
the six standard directions without any shaded cells in between, including the cell itself.

153
 B.03 Kurotto
700pts 凝块 Example by Yuan Yao

Numbers indicate the total number of cells in all connected groups of shaded cells adjacent to the cell.

B.04 Minesweeper
700pts 扫雷 Example by Yuan Yao

Numbers indicate the number of shaded cells that are adjacent to the cell.

154
 B.05 Nurikabe
700pts 数墙 Example by Yuan Yao

The shaded cells in the grid form one connected group, and no vertex is entirely surrounded by three
shaded cells. Each connected group of unshaded cells must contain exactly one numbered cell. Numbers
indicate the number of cells in its connected group of unshaded cells.

B.06 Pentopia
700pts 近视五格 Example by Yuan Yao

Each connected group of shaded cells must be congruent to one of the given shapes, and each shape must
be used at most once. Arrows in a cell indicate all standard directions where a shaded cell appears closest to
the cell.

In the competition puzzle, the list of shapes will be given on a separate sheet of paper.

155
 B.07 SLICY
700pts 四格骨墙 Example by Yuan Yao

Exactly one tetrahex is shaded in each region so that the shaded cells form one connected group and no
vertex is entirely surrounded by three shaded cells. No two congruent shaded tetrahexes in different
regions may be adjacent.

B.08 Tapa
700pts 土派艺术 Example by Yuan Yao

The shaded cells in the grid form one connected group, and no vertex is entirely surrounded by three
shaded cells. Numbers indicate the lengths of groups of consecutive shaded cells in the ring of (up to) six
adjacent cells around the cell, in no particular order. As a special case, a single “0” indicates that there are no
shaded cells adjacent to the cell. A single question mark in a cell without any other numbers or question
marks may represent “0”.

156
Round Example
Example by Xu Chenhao

This example uses four grids: Kurotto, Nurikabe, Pentopia, Tapa. The task is to assemble a tetrahedron (i.e.
triangular pyramid) satisfying the same edge rule: the two rows of hexes closest to each edge must have
completely identical or completely inverted shading patterns. The corners of each grid are labeled with the
first few letters of the genre names (in the same orientation as the number clues).

157
Round Example Solution
Example by Xu Chenhao

This is the net of the tetrahedron when unfolded.

Sub-grids will look like this:

158
 Team Round C 18 Puzzles

Reunion 60 Minutes
分久必合 4800 Points

T1 Countries 400

W1 Lohkous 250 P1 Compass 300

W2 Shape Division 100 P2 Pentominous 125

W3 Araf 150 P3 NIKOJI 175

W4 Spiral Galaxies 300 P4 Shikaku 50

S1 Araf 250 C1 NIKOJI 350

S2 Spiral Galaxies 100 C2 Shikaku 75

S3 Compass 300 C3 Lohkous 50

S4 Pentominous 150 C4 Shape Division 75

T2 Shape Jigsaw 32 × 50

“Unity succeeds division and division follows unity. One is bound to be replaced by the other
after a long span of time. This is the way with things in the world.”
— Opening line of Romance of the Three Kingdoms
This round proceeds in three stages. In Stage 1 the team works together to solve a
Countries puzzle with four regions (labeled W, S, P, C). In Stage 2, the four team members
each takes a region from Stage 1 and work (mostly) individually to solve four puzzles (16
puzzles total) by placing the region they have in each of the four grids and then dividing
the remaining grid along dashed gridlines using the individual puzzle rules. Each of the
puzzles in Stage 2 contains two grey cells; each of them will be in a region in the solved
puzzle, giving 32 regions containing a grey cell. These regions will be assembled in Stage
3 to fill one large grid by the whole team, again without rotation or reflection.
The precise rules of each stage will be explained in further detail in the next page.

159
General Rules
1. Team members in different stages may not communicate with each other.

2. Regions extracted from one stage must be used in the next stage without rotation or reflection. Clear
plastic sheets (40 per team) and markers (4 per team) will be provided for players to transfer the regions
between stages (make sure to label the orientations to prevent accidental rotation/reflection).

Stage 1 — Team (Puzzle T1)

1. When a team submits the puzzle (either by solving it or by abandoning it), they will receive an envelope
with the solution to the puzzle (4 copies per team).

2. Team members are allowed to enter Stage 2 before Puzzle T1 is submitted (e.g. after determining one of
the four regions). The last player to enter Stage 2 should submit Puzzle T1 before they do so. Once a
player enters Stage 2, they may not return to Stage 1.

Stage 2 — Individual (Puzzles W/S/P/C+1/2/3/4)

1. There will be four areas labeled W, S, P, C, each with four puzzles. When a team member enters Stage 2,
they may choose any of the four areas to work on, subject to the constraint that there may not be more
than two players in the same area at any time. Team members in different areas may not communicate
with each other, but members in the same area may.

2. After a player enters an area, they may not leave the area unless they submit all four puzzles in the area.
Unlike Stage 1, the answers to the submitted puzzles will not be given. (The submitted puzzles will not be
collected, but will be marked as “submitted” and remain in the area.)

3. When a player leaves an area, they may either enter Stage 3 or enter another area that still has puzzles
(subject to the same constraint above).
4. The region corresponding to the area should be placed completely inside each of the four puzzle grids in
a grid-aligned fashion, without overlapping with any of the clues, grey cells, or holes (black cells). This
region will be treated as holes (i.e. not part of the grid) for solving purposes. It is possible for the
placement to disconnect the grid. In the solution, this region can be notated just like any other region
(and there is no need to distinguish it from the other regions).

5. In the solution to each puzzle, each grey cell will belong to one of the regions in the solution. These
regions should be copied and carried into Stage 3. If both grey cells belong to the same region, this
region should be copied twice. It might be possible to determine these two regions without fully solving
the puzzle, but credits for the puzzle are only given for a complete solution.

Stage 3 — Team (Puzzle T2)

1. Players may not enter Stage 3 when there are still teammates in Stage 1. Players in Stage 3 may return to
areas of Stage 2 where the puzzles have been submitted to check their work, but may not modify any of
their submitted solutions.

2. While Puzzle T2 is about assembling the regions from Stage 2 to fill the grid, the solution is still notated
like in a region division puzzle. 50 points will be given for each correctly located region (even if the region
was not identified in Stage 2), defined by drawing all of its borders correctly (without extraneous internal
borders) or drawing lines connecting all the cells in the region. Hence, it is possible to “accidentally” get
credit for an unlocated region by drawing borders for all adjacent regions.

160
 C.T1 Countries
400pts 国家 Example from PGP 2023 R1

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one letter. Numbers
outside the grid indicate the number of cells in the row or column that are in the same region as the closest
cell to the number, including the cell itself.

The resulting regions from this puzzle are to be used in each of the Stage 2 puzzles whose ID has the same letter as
the region’s letter.

The next 8 example puzzles (one for each genre) will each use one of the regions from this example puzzle’s
solution. Each example puzzle will have a letter next to the grid indicating which region should be used. The
placed region will be in dark grey in the example solutions (although it is not necessary to shade them in
your solutions.)

161
 C.W1 C.C3 Lohkous
250pts 50pts 长宽度量 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one numbered cell.
Numbers indicate the set of all lengths of horizontal and vertical blocks of cells in the region. Numbers
(including unknowns) do not repeat in a region.

C.W2 C.C4 Shape Division

100pts 75pts 全等分割 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into some congruent regions along dashed gridlines. The number of regions is given in a
circle outside the grid, and the area of each region is given in a box outside the grid.

162
 C.S1 C.W3 Araf
250pts 150pts 炼狱 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly two numbers in
circles. The area of each region must be strictly between the two numbers in the region (in particular,
neither number can be equal to the area).

C.S2 C.W4 Spiral Galaxies

100pts 300pts 星系 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one dot. No dot may
be on the boundary of a region. All regions must have 180° rotational symmetry, where a dot must be at the
point of symmetry of its region.

163
 C.P1 C.S3 Compass
300pts 300pts 指南针 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one cell with a cross
(representing a compass). Numbers in compasses indicate the number of cells in the region that are strictly
further in the indicated (orthogonal) direction than the compass itself, ignoring offsets in perpendicular
directions. (For example, a number in the top section of the compass indicates the number of cells in the
same region that is in a strictly higher row than the compass, regardless of the columns they are in.)

C.P2 C.S4 Pentominous

125pts 150pts 五格拼板 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into pentominoes along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent pentominoes are
congruent. Letters indicate the shape of the region that it belongs to.

The correspondence between pentominoes and letters is provided. For full credit, it is sufficient to draw the dividing
lines OR fill each cell with a letter indicating the shape of its region.

164
 C.C1 C.P3 NIKOJI
350pts 175pts 异同分割 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one letter. Regions
containing the same letter must be translationally congruent, including the relative positions of the letters in
those regions. Regions containing different letters must not be congruent in any way.

C.C2 C.P4 Shikaku

75pts 50pts 数方 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one
clue. Numbers in black circles indicate the area of the rectangle that it belongs to.

165
 C.T2 Shape Jigsaw
1600pts 图形拼图 Example by Yao Yuan

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region is translationally congruent to a
region that contains a grey cell from Stage 2, and each such region is appears exactly once.

50 points will be given for each correctly located region. It is not necessary to label which puzzle each region comes
from.

The shapes to be extracted from the previous 8 example puzzles (each containing a grey cell) are
reproduced below for reference, each labeled with the first three letters of the genre name:

166
 Team Round D 40 Puzzles

Marathon 70 Minutes
车轮战 5600 Points

01 Yajilin 10 16 Statue Park 50 31 Falling Letters 200

02 Akari 15 17 Hidato 55 32 Double Choco 225

03 Numberlink 15 18 Simple Gako 60 33 Japanese Sums 250

04 Meadows 15 19 Scrin 60 34 Magnets 275

05 X-Sums 20 20 Vertigo 75 35 Slitherlink

(Knapp Daneben) 325

06 Anglers 20 21 Nagenawa 85 36 Snake (Wide) 375

07 Battleships 22 Hashi (Cipher) 95 37 Arrows (Killer) 375

(Minesweeper) 20 23 Look-Air 115 38 Magnets (Liar) 450
08 Square Jam 25 24 Mintonette 115 39 One to X 500
09 Spokes 30 25 Rectangle Slider 115 40 Letter Weights 600
10 Heyawake 30

11 Lohkous 30 26 Masyu 140

12 Gaps 30 27 Fillomino
(Matching Splitter) 165
13 Geradeweg 35
28 Sukoro 165
14 Pentominous 40
29 Tren 170
15 Kurotto 40
30 Coral (Fish) 185

167
There were many puzzles that we could not fit into the individual rounds for various reasons
but also didn’t want to reject entirely, so we made another round out of them.
This round is split into 8 sets, each with 5 independent puzzles. Each team can only work
on one set of puzzles at a time, starting from the first set, and once they submit a set
(even if not all puzzles are solved), they will receive the next set, but also will not be
allowed to return to a previous set. The overall difficulty and point values of each set
increase from one to the next.
Remember that individual puzzle point values have been doubled due to this being a team
round. Moreover, puzzles in later sets are slightly further inflated to encourage more attempts.
At the beginning, teams will each send one person to retrieve the first set of puzzles from
one of the judging tables, distributed evenly around the competition hall to reduce
variance in distances. The same judging table will be used to submit finished sets and
retrieve new sets.
This round is eligible for the more lenient partial bonus for having at least 20 puzzles.

168
 D.01 Yajilin
10pts 仙人指路 See Puzzle 03.03

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some empty cells. No two
adjacent empty cells may be both unused by the loop. Numbers with arrows in grey cells indicate the
number of unused empty cells in the indicated direction from the cell.

It is not necessary to shade the unused empty cells.

D.02 Akari
15pts 美术馆 See Puzzle 02.06

Place a light bulb in some empty cells so that all empty cells are illuminated. A light bulb in a cell illuminates
all cells that are connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell without any black cells in between,
including the cell itself. No two light bulbs may illuminate each other. Numbers in black cells indicate the
number of light bulbs in adjacent cells.

D.03 Numberlink
15pts 数连 Example from PGP 2018 R3

Draw an orthogonal path from each number to its equal counterpart, passing through centers of adjacent
cells. The paths may not intersect themselves or each other, including at the endpoints.

169
 D.04 Meadows
15pts 裁方块 Example from PGP 2024 R7

Divide the grid into square regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one black
circle.

D.05 X-Sums
20pts X和 See Puzzle 04.06

Fill each cell with a number from 1 to N, where N is the number of cells in each row or column, so that each
number appears exactly once in each row and column. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of the
first X numbers in the row or column from the respective direction, where X is the number in cell that is
closest to the clue.

D.06 Anglers
20pts 渔夫 See Puzzle 05.02

Draw an orthogonal path from each number outside the grid to a fish, passing through centers of adjacent
cells. Each fish must be connected to by exactly one number. The paths may not intersect themselves or
each other, including at the endpoints. All cells must be used by exactly one path. Numbers indicate length
of the path (which is equivalent to the number of cells its path uses, including the cell with the fish).

170
 D.07 Battleships (Minesweeper)
20pts 战舰（扫雷） Example by Yao Yuan

Place the given shapes (representing ships) into the grid so that no two shapes overlap or touch each other.
Some of the ship segments may be given in the grid; all corners of the ship pieces that are not adjacent to
another ship piece are rounded. Water wave symbols indicate that the cell must not be occupied.

Numbers indicate the number of occupied cells that are touching the cell. Numbered cells may not be
occupied by ships.

D.08 Square Jam

25pts 正方密铺 Example from PGP 2024 R7

Divide the grid into square regions along dashed gridlines. No vertex may be shared by four different
squares. Numbers indicate the side length of the square it is in.

171
 D.09 Spokes
30pts 辐条 See Puzzle 08.07

Connect all black circles into one network by drawing straight segments between circles along dashed lines
(in the compass directions). Segments may not intersect each other. Numbers in circles indicate the number
of segments that are connected to the circle.

D.10 Heyawake
30pts 数间 See Puzzle 03.02

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. No horizontal or vertical block of unshaded cells may cross two or more region borders. Numbers
indicate the number of shaded cells in the region.

D.11 Lohkous
30pts 长宽度量 Example adapted from puzz.link

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one numbered cell.
Numbers indicate the set of all lengths of horizontal and vertical blocks of cells in the region. Numbers
(including unknowns) do not repeat in a region.

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 D.12 Gaps
30pts 空隙 Example from PGP 2024 R1

Place a star in some cells so that there are exactly two stars within each row and each column. No two stars
can be placed in touching cells. Numbers outside the grid indicate the number of cells between the two stars
in the row or column (not including the cells with stars).

D.13 Geradeweg
35pts 直线回路 Example adapted from PGP 2024 R7

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells, including all cells with
circles. The length of any straight segment that intersect with a circle must be equal to the number in the
circle.

173
 D.14 Pentominous
40pts 五格拼板 See Puzzle 03.09

Divide the grid into pentominoes along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent pentominoes are
congruent. Letters indicate the shape of the region that it belongs to.

The correspondence between pentominoes and letters is provided. For full credit, it is sufficient to draw the dividing
lines OR fill each cell with a letter indicating the shape of its region.

D.15 Kurotto
40pts 凝块 Example adapted from PGP 2022 R5

Shade some empty cells. Numbers indicate the total area of all connected groups of shaded cells adjacent to
the cell.

D.16 Statue Park

50pts 雕像公园 See Puzzle 05.10

Place the given shapes into the grid so that no two shapes overlap or are adjacent to each other (but may
touch each other at a point), and the remaining unoccupied cells form one connected group. The shapes
may be rotated or reflected before being placed in the grid. Cells with black circles must be occupied by a
shape, and cells with white circles cannot be occupied.

174
 D.17 Hidato
55pts 一笔画 Example from PGP 2022 R7

Place a number in each empty cell so that each number from 1 to N appears exactly once, where N is the
number of cells in the grid. Every pair of consecutive numbers in this range must be in touching cells. Some
numbers may be already placed in the grid.

For full credit, it is sufficient to place all numbers OR draw a path from 1 to N in numerical order.

D.18 Simple Gako

60pts 简单计数 Example from puzz.link

Place a number in each empty cell so that each number is equal to the total number of cells in its row and
column that has the same number as the cell (including the cell itself).

175
 D.19 Scrin
60pts 屏风 Example from puzz.link

We removed the rule that the loop must contain at least five rectangles.

Shade some cells so that each connected group of shaded cells is rectangular and contains at most one
circle. All circles must be in shaded cells. Each shaded rectangle must be diagonally adjacent to exactly two
other shaded rectangles, and all rectangles must be diagonally connected (forming a loop). Numbers in
circles indicate the area of the rectangle it is in.

D.20 Vertigo
75pts 晕头转向 Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all empty cells at least once (and no other cells).
The loop may intersect itself orthogonally at any cell. When traveling along the loop in one direction, all
turns must be in the same direction (i.e. all left-turns or all right-turns).

It is not necessary to indicate direction of travel.

176
 D.21 Nagenawa
85pts 套索 Example from puzz.link

Draw some loops that pass orthogonally through centers of cells so that each loop is a rectangle. Loops may
intersect each other orthogonally but may not overlap in other ways, including at corners. Numbers in
regions indicate the number of cells in the region that are used by at least one loop.

It is not necessary to shade the unused empty cells.

D.22 Hashi (Cipher)

95pts 数桥（加密） Example from PGP 2018 R2

Connect all circles into one network by drawing one or two straight orthogonal segments (representing
bridges) between some pairs of circles. Segments may not intersect each other or go over other circles.

Numbers in circles indicate the number of segments that are connected to the circle. However, the numbers
are replaced by letters. The same letter represents the same number, and different letters represent
different numbers.

The letters are hollow to make it easy to write numbers over them, but it is not necessary to write the
corresponding numbers in your solution.

177
 D.23 Look-Air
115pts 观云 Example from puzz.link

Shade some cells so that each connected group of shaded cells is a square. Within each row or column, any
two shaded cells separated by at least one unshaded cell and no other shaded cells can be in two congruent
shaded squares (i.e. no two congruent shaded squares can “see” each other). Numbers represent the
number of shaded cells that are either its own cell or an adjacent cell.

D.24 Mintonette
115pts 排球 Example by Yao Yuan

Connect the circles into pairs with orthogonal paths that pass through centers of adjacent cells. The paths
may not intersect themselves or each other, including at the endpoints. All cells must be used by exactly one
path. Numbers in circles indicate the number of turns that the path connected to it makes.

178
 D.25 Rectangle Slider
115pts 长方滑动 Example from puzz.link

Move some circles orthogonally so that after all movements, each connected group of cells occupied by
circles is rectangular and has area at least two. The paths of the circles may not intersect each other,
including at endpoints, and may not visit cells occupied by unmoved circles. Numbers in circles represent
the distance that the must be moved by (0 represents that the circle must not be moved).

D.26 Masyu
140pts 珍珠 See Puzzle 02.10

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells, including all cells with
circles. The loop must turn on cells with black circles, and travel straight through both adjacent cells along
the loop. The loop must go straight through cells with white circles, and turn on at least one of the two
adjacent cells along the loop.

D.27 Fillomino (Matching Splitter)

165pts 码牌（对等分盘） See Puzzle 06.16

Divide the grid into two connected sub-grids along dashed gridlines, then divide each sub-grid into regions
along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent regions in the same sub-grid have the same area. Any two
adjacent regions in different sub-grids must have the same area. Numbers in cells indicate the area of the
region that it belongs to.

For full credit, please clearly differentiate the notation used for dividing sub-grids and dividing regions.

179
 D.28 Sukoro
165pts 数殖 Example from PGP 2024 R4

Place a number in some cells so that all cells with numbers form one connected group. Each number must
be equal to the number of adjacent cells with numbers, and no two adjacent cells may contain the same
number. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a cross cannot contain a
number.

For full credit, it is sufficient to mark all cells that contain numbers without actually writing numbers in them.

D.29 Tren
170pts 停车场 Example from PGP 2023 R3

Place some rectangular cars in the grid so that each car occupies either two or three cells. Each car must
contain exactly one numbered cell, and each numbered cell must be occupied by a car. Each car has two
sides of length 1, and is able to move in perpendicular directions to those sides. Numbers in cars indicate
the total number of cells the car is able to move in the two possible directions without overlapping with
other cars.

180
 D.30 Coral (Fish)
185pts 珊瑚（鱼） Example by Qin Jiaqi

Shade some empty cells so that all shaded cells form one connected group and no 2×2 group of cells is
entirely shaded. The unshaded cells must be connected to the grid boundary. Numbers outside the grid
indicate the lengths of blocks of consecutive shaded cells in the row or column, in no particular order. As a
special case, a single “0” indicates that there are no shaded cells in the row or column.

For each fish in the grid, there must be exactly one orthogonal direction for which the fish is directly
connected to the grid boundary along unshaded cells (without turning), possibly going through other fish.

It is not necessary to draw the path for each fish in your solution.

D.31 Falling Letters

200pts 递降字母 Example by Wang Mingyi

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. Each region must contain at least one shaded cell. When the unshaded cells in each region are filled
with letters in alphabetical order starting from A and in the usual reading order (left to right, top to bottom,
one letter per cell, no two cells adjacent across region borders may contain the same letter.

It is not necessary to write the letters in your solution.

181
 D.32 Double Choco
225pts 双巧克力 See Puzzle 04.11

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one connected
group of grey cells and one connected group of white cells, and the two groups are adjacent and congruent
to each other. Numbers indicate the area of one such connected group in the region that it belongs to (that
is, it is equal to half of the area of the entire region).

D.33 Japanese Sums

250pts 日本和 See Puzzle 04.05

Place a number in the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number appears at most once in each
row and column. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sums of blocks of consecutive cells with numbers in
the row or column, in order. Question marks represent any single such sum (which may be zero as long as it
corresponds to a block of at least one number). As a special case, a single dash (‘-’) indicates that there are
no numbers in the row or column. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a
cross cannot contain a number.

D.34 Magnets
275pts 磁铁 See Puzzle 03.04

Place a plus sign and a minus sign in some two-cell regions (one sign per cell) of the main grid, so that no
two adjacent cells contain the same sign. Numbers outside the grid indicate the number of plus signs or
minus signs in the row or column.

It is not necessary to shade the remaining empty cells.

182
 D.35 Slitherlink (Knapp Daneben)
325pts 数回（差一） Example by Yao Yuan

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines. Numbers indicate the number of edges
adjacent to the cell that are used by the loop.

However, all numbers are off by one (either one higher or one lower than the correct value).

The numbers are hollow as a reminder that they are incorrect. It is not necessary to write the correct numbers in
your solution.

D.36 Snake (Wide)

375pts 数蛇（加宽） Example by Yao Yuan

Shade a two-cell-wide snake that does not touch itself. (Precisely, the snake consists of all cells touching a
path drawn along gridlines where the path does not touch the grid boundary. If the path makes two turns in
the same direction, the segment in between has length at least three. All unshaded cells must be
orthogonally connected to the grid boundary.) Black circles indicate that the cell is part of an end of the
snake (i.e. it only touches an endpoint of the path), and white circles indicate that the cell is part of the body
(and not at an end). Numbers outside the grid indicate the number of shaded cells in the row or column.

For full credit, it is sufficient to either shade all cells of the snake OR draw the path at the center of the snake.

183
 D.37 Arrows (Killer)
375pts 数箭（杀手） Example by Qin Jiaqi

Place an arrow in each of the cells outside the outlined main grid, pointing in one of the eight compass
directions. Each arrow must point at at least one cells of the main grid. The value of each cell in the main
grid is equal to the number of arrows pointing at the cell. Some values may be already given in the grid.

Moreover, some cells of the main grid are in dashed cages. The values of cells inside each cage may not
repeat. Small numbers in cages indicate the sum of values of all cells inside the cage.

It is not necessary to write the values for cells without a given value in your solution.

D.38 Magnets (Liar)

450pts 磁铁（谎言） Example by Qin Jiaqi

Place a plus sign and a minus sign in some two-cell regions (one sign per cell) of the main grid, so that no
two adjacent cells contain the same sign. Numbers outside the grid indicate the number of plus signs or
minus signs in the row or column.

However, exactly one of the numbers for plus signs and one of the numbers for minus signs are incorrect.

The numbers are hollow as a reminder that they are not all correct. It is not necessary to write the correct values
for the incorrect clues in your solution.

184
 D.39 One to X
500pts 一到X See Puzzle 04.07

Place a number into each empty cell so that each region contains the numbers from 1 to X, where X is the
number of cells in the region. Identical numbers may not be placed in adjacent cells. Numbers outside the
grid indicate the sum of all numbers in the row or column. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid.

D.40 Letter Weights

600pts 字母和 See Puzzle 01.07

Match the letters with the given list of numbers (in an outlined box), so that the sum of all letters in each
given word is equal to the corresponding number.

185
 Individual Rounds X/Y/Z 8/8/8 Puzzles*

Playoffs 20/25/45 Minutes

决赛 Champion

Round X (20 min) Round Y (25 min) Round Z (45 min)

01 Shakashaka 20 01 Kurotto 25 01 Barns 40

02 Aquapelago 20 02 Yin-Yang 30 02 Fillomino 40

03 Sukoro 20 03 FiveCells 30 03 Lohkous 40

04 Square Jam 25 04 Shikaku 35 04 Kurodoko 50

05 Dominoes 25 05 Geradeweg 35 05 Doppelblock

(Anti-Knight) 60
06 Koburin 30 06 Slitherlink 35
06 Cave 60
07 Spokes 35 07 Easy as 40
07 Kropki Pairs 75
08 Pentopia 35 08 Star Battle 45
08 Statue Park (Hitori) 90

These playoff rounds feature puzzle genres that have appeared in previous individual and
team rounds (possibly as variations or with twists).
*Only half of the listed puzzles will actually be solved, as chosen by the playoff players.
The playoff puzzles will be somewhat enlarged compared to normal individual round puzzles,
in order to make them a bit easier to see for viewers.

186
 X.01 Shakashaka
20pts 摇啊摇 Example from PGP 2022 R3

Shade some halves of some empty cells (that are right isosceles triangles), so that all remaining unshaded
areas are all rectangles, either orthogonal or diagonal. Numbers in black cells indicate the number of empty
cells adjacent to the cell that are half-shaded.

X.02 Aquapelago
20pts 千岛湖 See Puzzle 06.06

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. No 2×2 group of cells may be entirely unshaded. Black circles must be in shaded cells, and numbers
in those circles indicate the number of shaded cells in the same diagonally connected group as the cell,
including the cell itself.

X.03 Sukoro
20pts 数殖 See Puzzle D.28

Place a number in some cells so that all cells with numbers form one connected group. Each number must
be equal to the number of adjacent cells with numbers. No two equal numbers may be in adjacent cells.
Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a cross cannot contain a number.

For full credit, it is sufficient to mark all cells with numbers (without actually fill in the numbers) or all cells without
numbers.

187
 X.04 Square Jam
25pts 正方密铺 See Puzzle D.08

Divide the grid into square regions along dashed gridlines. No vertex may be shared by four different
squares. Numbers indicate the side length of the square it is in.

X.05 Dominoes
25pts 多米诺 See Puzzle 06.14

Divide the grid into dominoes along dashed gridlines so that every possible (unordered) pair of numbers in
the indicated list appears in the same domino exactly once.

A list of all possible pairs is provided for convenience.

X.06 Koburin
30pts 仙人指邻 See Puzzle 11.22 (no circle markings)

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some empty cells. No two
adjacent empty cells may be both unused by the loop. Numbers in grey cells indicate the number of unused
empty cells adjacent to the cell.

It is not necessary to shade the unused empty cells.

X.07 Spokes
35pts 辐条 See Puzzle 08.07

Connect all black circles into one network by drawing straight segments between circles along dashed lines
(in the compass directions). Segments may not intersect each other. Numbers in circles indicate the number
of segments that are connected to the circle.

188
 X.08 Pentopia
35pts 近视五格 Example from puzz.link

Place some (not necessarily all) of the given shapes into the grid so that no two shapes touch each other.
Cells with arrows may not be occupied. Arrows in a cell indicate all orthogonal directions where an occupied
cell appears closest to the cell.

Y.01 Kurotto
25pts 凝块 See Puzzle D.15

Shade some empty cells. Numbers indicate the total area of all connected groups of shaded cells adjacent to
the cell.

Y.02 Yin-Yang
30pts 阴阳 See Puzzle 07.01

Shade some cells so that all shaded cells form one connected group and so do all unshaded cells. No 2×2
group of cells is entirely shaded or entirely unshaded. Cells with black circles must be shaded and cells with
white circles must be unshaded.

189
 Y.03 FiveCells
30pts 五格分区 See Puzzle 06.18

Divide the grid into pentominoes along dashed gridlines. Numbers indicate the number of adjacent edges
that are region borders.

Y.04 Shikaku
35pts 数方 See Puzzle 02.11

Divide the grid into rectangular regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one
clue. Numbers in black circles indicate the area of the rectangle that it belongs to.

Y.05 Geradeweg
35pts 直线回路 See Puzzle D.13

Draw a non-intersecting loop that passes orthogonally through centers of some cells, including all cells with
circles. The length of any straight segment that intersect with a circle must be equal to the number in the
circle.

Y.06 Slitherlink
35pts 数回 See Puzzle 02.08

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines. Numbers indicate the number of edges
adjacent to the cell that are used by the loop.

190
 Y.07 Easy as
40pts 简单字符 Example from PGP 2024 R8

Place a character from the indicated list into some empty cells so that each character in the list appears
exactly once in each row and column. Characters outside the grid indicate the first character in the row or
column from the respective direction. Some characters may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with
a cross cannot contain a character.

Y.08 Star Battle

45pts 星战 See Puzzle 01.06

Place a star in some cells so that the number of stars within each row, each column, and each region is equal
to the given number outside the grid. No two stars can be placed in touching cells.

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 Z.01 Barns
40pts 冰宫巡行 Example from puzz.link

Draw a loop that passes orthogonally through the centers of all cells. The loop may not cross any thick
borders. The loop may not intersect itself on white cells. The loop may not turn on grey (“icy”) cells, but may
intersect itself orthogonally on such cells.

Z.02 Fillomino
40pts 码牌 See Puzzle 06.13

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that no two adjacent regions have the same area.
Numbers indicate the area of the region that it belongs to.

For full credit, it is sufficient to draw the dividing lines OR fill each cell with a number indicating the area of its
region.

Z.03 Lohkous
40pts 长宽度量 See Puzzle D.11

Divide the grid into regions along dashed gridlines so that each region contains exactly one numbered cell.
Numbers indicate the set of all lengths of horizontal and vertical blocks of cells in the region. Numbers
(including unknowns) do not repeat in a region.

192
 Z.04 Kurodoko
50pts 田鼠挖洞 See Puzzle 11.03

Shade some cells so that no two shaded cells are adjacent and the unshaded cells form one connected
group. Numbers in white circles must be in unshaded cells, and indicate the number of unshaded cells
connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell without any shaded cells in between, including the cell
itself.

Z.05 Doppelblock (Anti-Knight)

60pts 双黑格（无马） See Puzzle 09.04

Place a number from the indicated list into some empty cells so that each number in the list appears exactly
once in each row and column. Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of all numbers between the two
empty cells in the row or column. Some numbers may be already placed in the grid. Cells marked with a
cross cannot contain a number.

Identical numbers may not be placed in cells that are a knight’s move apart. (A knight moves two cells in an
orthogonal direction and one cell in a perpendicular direction.)

It is not necessary to shade the remaining empty cells.

Z.06 Cave
60pts 山洞 See Puzzle 11.20 (no circle markings)

Draw a single non-intersecting loop along the dashed gridlines. Numbers must be inside the loop, and
indicate the number of cells inside the loop connected in a straight orthogonal line to the cell without any
loop segments in between, including the cell itself.

193
 Z.07 Kropki Pairs
75pts 黑白点对 See Puzzle 07.16

Fill each cell with a number from 1 to N, where N is the number of cells in each row or column, so that each
number appears exactly once in each row and column. White dots between two cells indicate that the two
numbers in those two cells have an absolute difference of 1 and black dots indicate that the two numbers
are in a 1:2 ratio (in some order). Not all possible dots are necessarily given. Some numbers may be already
given in the grid.

Z.08 Statue Park (Hitori)

90pts 雕像公园（数壹） See Puzzle 09.08

Place the given shapes into the grid so that no two shapes are adjacent to each other (but may touch each
other at a point), and the remaining unoccupied cells form one connected group. The shapes may be rotated
or reflected before being placed in the grid.

No two unoccupied cells in the same row or column may contain the same number.

194