So, major shake-ups in top 10 after yesterday's Tapa. Really happy to see PS at 5th. Good job PS.

Thanks! Still kicking myself for getting a mistake on the first day. Funny that I was one of the most inconsistent last year and have started out really consistently this time (except that first day of course)

Can anyone please give me link to some more classical tapa puzzle pages as I can't find it on google too......also of last year CTC.

Comments on 2013-09-03's Tapa

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-03 00:21:26
Nice intricate patterns even with the small size.

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yureklis commented at 2013-09-03 00:50:48
Last night I changed this one. Previous one was very easy, I wasn't satisfied with it. I wanted to make a little bit disturbing Tapa in small size. I made this one, altough I spent much time than making a similar size Tapa, I couldn't do it what exactly I wanted. Because there is a crack of the structure in the left of the grid, 1/2s.

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macherlakumar commented at 2013-09-03 15:08:39
Puzzle is good, after the competition I solved again (usually I do that for every puzzle) and I saw that left bottom1/2 and right top 1/3 are places where uniquness can be used to solve. The puzzle can be solved logically without using uniquness and I have solved this using some guess work.

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muhorka commented at 2013-09-03 15:17:46
Nice puzzle, but in this one was better use uniquness that normal logic. But it still solvable without this fact.

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carljohan commented at 2013-09-03 18:30:16
Couldn't solve this without guessing...

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Here's last year's CTC link

You'll also be able to find Tapa among other puzzles on various blogs like mine/Serkan's/Palmer's etc. or on the Grandmaster Puzzles website.

Comments on 2013-09-04's Tapa

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-04 00:09:32
A little difficult to start with. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so stubborn to not use uniqueness logic and actually see where the connectivity breaks. At least I didn't make a mistake on a big puzzle again like the first day.

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macherlakumar commented at 2013-09-04 00:19:58
Honestly started at a point where I did not deduce any logic to shade it. Solved most of puzzle on guess work and intuition. Too hard puzzle for me, should solve it logically now.

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-04 00:25:16
Actually I looked back and tried to spot another break-in. Is R3C6 the only break-in? Quite a nice one, but makes it a little narrow. I'll probably have to go and see others' solves and how they've done it.

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yureklis commented at 2013-09-04 00:43:22
Yes, it is difficult, but some of 35 Tapas must be difficult. This one is one of them. I planned to hide the starting point, I think it's done. You should consider these clues together: R2C5 + R3C7 + R4C6 (This is a clue pattern that I discovered recently). Then you can complete the puzzle smoothly.

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macherlakumar commented at 2013-09-04 00:44:55
Just now solved it logically. R3C6 is the break-in (coincidentally this is where I started R4C7 just diagonal) where I found the solving path to progress quickly. After that it is all about connectivity. Brilliantly constructed with more difficulty level. 10+ :)

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gareth commented at 2013-09-04 06:19:38
Too hard for me, but that's probably just me and not a criticism of the puzzle.

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About the big grid size days, I wonder if the 1 hour time limit should be extended. We don't want majority of the solvers not finishing I suppose?

Comments on 2013-09-05's Tapa

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-05 00:08:32
Could've saved 5 seconds at the end if I wasn't convinced I'd made a mistake when I hadn't :|

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macherlakumar commented at 2013-09-05 00:11:49
Good one, but I solved it slowly.

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gareth commented at 2013-09-05 00:28:36
Wow, I made that much harder than it was. I kept making the exact same (dumb) mistake at bottom-left.

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swaroop2011 commented at 2013-09-05 01:15:22
after making virtual mistake yesterday i had to solve it slowly today awesome puzzles it had been from past 2-3 days which has nice tricks and all. Hope to avoid mistakes in further days :)

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Yes, if possible, please extend the timer. I am certainly not playing for speed, just for fun. But when I take over an hour, it would be nice to still submit it so I can know for sure that it is - finally! - correct.

Also, is there any way to slow, or better yet pause or reverse the playback of "other people's solves?"

Thanks!

Comments on 2013-09-06's Tapa

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-06 00:11:23
Got distracted for a long time from the true opening near the bottom left :) Flow was nice after that.

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carljohan commented at 2013-09-06 11:57:20
So difficult...

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Thanks much for the timer extension!
Cheers,
EMJ

Comments on 2013-09-07's Tapa

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-07 00:08:12
Pretty much had to use uniqueness on this one, just wasn't spotting the necessary logic. Went back and resolved and it was pretty well constructed. I see Serkan used the 22-22-23 pattern again ;)

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gareth commented at 2013-09-07 00:13:30
Nice solving theme, although trying to solve it quickly I only spotted it by accident as I repeatedly got it wrong. :)

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macherlakumar commented at 2013-09-07 12:55:00
Certainly a hard one right from start to end. Serkan has put the same trick as Sep 4 puzzle. R4C3,R5C4 and R6C2 clues. Puzzle is completely packed with deductions only. Honestly solved this by intuition only.

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carljohan commented at 2013-09-08 11:50:31
Too hard for me too :(

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so with bigger size grids this time,
i guess with big PuPo, the rankings gonna be affected by large amounts if we do mistakes :)
Hope to do good. :)

I'm one of the first victims :P Hopefully, I make it up with the other big ones.

Comments on 2013-09-09's Tapa

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MellowMelon commented at 2013-09-09 00:19:39
Adjacent clues... still my nemesis.

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kiwijam commented at 2013-09-09 08:18:14
A minor setback, but I'm sure you'll survive (unless Serkan suddenly changes the rest of the puzzles). I enjoy adjacent clues, they're better for us logical plodders, whereas separated clues are better for the intuitive solvers. What do others think?

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-09 12:18:58
I'm not sure what to classify mysellf as. I'd say I use a bit of both, but mainly, compared to last year, I'm solving a little slower and going for consistency. Within that constraint, I think I'm faster when there's more of connectivity type logic, and a bit slower at clue-influenced logic. Many times I just forget to mark the basic patterns until its a bit late.

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yureklis commented at 2013-09-09 14:18:03
I'll make some changes :)

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Comments on 2013-09-11's Tapa

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-11 00:06:09
What a stupid error! Great thematic puzzle.

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rob commented at 2013-09-11 01:39:27
Well... took quite a while to realise that two neighbouring 2s aren't neighbouring 22s.

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swaroop2011 commented at 2013-09-11 06:11:07
Ahha, I guess because of symmetric clues arrenged symmetrically i was able to do fast as most of the places no need to think again :)

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swaroop2011 commented at 2013-09-11 06:11:43
But yes an awesome and beautiful puzzle to begin the bigger grids :)

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kiwijam commented at 2013-09-11 16:09:06
Serrkan, I was just kidding ;)

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yureklis commented at 2013-09-11 16:12:43
:) I know. I made these puzzles nearly one week ago

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debmohanty commented at 2013-09-11 16:27:16
I will have the solution ready in a paper, and see if I can type it in '113' seconds

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chaotic_iak commented at 2013-09-11 18:34:30
@deb: Actually it's possible; you only need to shade the black cells right. If you don't just see the paper (but also thinking for some trivial steps so no time wasted looking on the paper), 113 sounds likely. :P

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figonometry commented at 2013-09-11 23:08:00
I like the big grids, except when it takes forever to find a stupid error.

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Comments on 2013-09-12's Tapa

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-12 00:14:15
The 2s of the right side reminded me of yesterday :P

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xevs commented at 2013-09-12 08:39:15
1 cell wrong at 186(ToT)

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deu commented at 2013-09-13 12:52:49
Same time with my wife!

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debmohanty commented at 2013-09-13 12:57:00
!!! Interesting coincidence !!!

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Comments on 2013-09-13's Tapa

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-13 00:09:31
Got a slight pause for connectivity in the middle, not as easy as the other two big ones I think. I could be proved wrong though :)

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yureklis commented at 2013-09-13 00:14:56
You are right, this one is harder than last two big puzzles. If I remember correctly you need to black just one cell for connecting two groups in the end. Probably some solvers will miss this.

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gpagano commented at 2013-09-13 03:51:16
I probably am one of the solvers who missed that last square :P. Thanks for all the puzzles so far Serkan.

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Comments on 2013-09-14's Tapa

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prasanna16391 commented at 2013-09-14 00:03:25
Ok wow, I really thought I dragged through that area. :|

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rajeshk commented at 2013-09-14 22:21:39
Very good puzzle. Cleared many of my concepts of Tapa puzzle

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Comments on 2013-09-15's Tapa

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Para commented at 2013-09-15 05:17:59
Couldn't find the logical path during my solve for the left side, but got it afterwards. Tricky finish.

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feels good to be at first place even though for some time ;) :)