very+difficult+round--+number+placement+is+so+hard+in+comparison+to+the+others.+Maybe+I+should+have+printed+it+out.

Puzzle 19 Kakuro (kropki) has no dots in the grid. Is that intentional or error? Looks like it has multiple solutions ....

Puzzle+19+is+fine%2c+I+believe.+I+suggest+re-reading+the+rules+carefully.

I really enjoyed the puzzles, but in the first round it was communicated that these contests are planned to be intentionally a bit shorter and easier for promotion and to attract new solvers, which is totally not the case. From my experience, it could easily been split into two one hour contests, which would have been better anyway with the mixed genres. If you want to promote new puzzle types, it does not help if even experienced solvers can just skip looking at these because there is enough Kakuro/Kropki stuff. I guess everbody who is forced to do them knows them anyway.

But if people still manage to finish in 40 minutes, everything might be ok and it's just me being slow as usual.

Edited by Realshaggy 2022-05-07 8:13 PM

Thanks+for+the+feedback+Christoph.+%0a%0aWhile+I+see+your+point%2c+I+think+there+is+some+gap+here+about+the+stated+goals.+It+might+be+my+own+insufficient+communication.+%0a%0aWhat+I+am+trying+to+achieve+here%2c+is+admittedly+many+things+at+once%2c+but+none+of+it+is+just+%22simpler+puzzles+to+promote+to+new+solvers%22.+%0a%0aMy+main+goal%2c+in+any+kind+of+thinking+and+re-thinking+of+these+series%2c+is+to+give+a+platform+for+Indian+solvers+to+improve+towards+the+larger+competitions%2c+and+I'm+honest+about+that+being+the+primary+goal.+Now%2c+how+to+do+that+is+up+for+debate.+%0a%0aSo+my+different+goals+are+%0aA)+the+top+Indian+solvers+should+have+a+good+challenge+and+variety.+If+they+finish+6+out+of+6+rounds+or+even+come+close+to+that%2c+unfortunately+that+is+not+a+fair+reflection+of+our+general+WPC+performance.+So+for+our+top+solvers%2c+I+want+them+to+improve+their+choices+and+be+challenged%2c+and+struggle+to+finish+most+of+the+puzzles%2c+as+they+would+in+the+WPC.+Some+rounds+can+be+sprint+rounds+like+round+1+where+they+do+get+closer+to+finishing%2c+again+consistent+with+a+WPC.+%0aB)+I+want+there+to+be+enough+easy+puzzles+to+*occupy*+newer+and+casual+solvers.+That+is+the+key+word.+I+have+been+getting+2+or+3+solvers+into+things+for+the+first+time+this+year%2c+and+I+mainly+have+been+seeing+%22can+I+tell+them+to+focus+on+two+or+three+low+pointer+sections+to+grab+their+attention%3f%22.+These+aren't+competitive+solvers+(yet)+so+I+mainly+just+don't+want+them+spending+20+or+30+minutes+thinking+%22ok+I'm+done+with+whatever+I+can+solve+now%2c+this+other+time+is+just+a+waste%22+because+more+than+3+types+can+be+beyond+their+focus.+I+also+know+that+when+getting+into+a+hobby%2c+90+minutes+may+be+a+bigger+time+sink+than+the+simple+math+of+an+hour.%0a%0aSo+the+change+to+60+minutes+fit+both+these+goals.+Where+we+may+be+falling+short+is+that+the+1+and+2+pointers+aren't+as+easy+as+I'd+like%2c+and+I+try+to+work+on+that.+%0a%0aI+am+yet+to+fully+analyze+whether+these+changes+are+working%2c+I+will+definitely+rethink+things+again+at+the+end+of+the+season+and+feedback+like+this+definitely+helps+towards+that+(though+as+I+always+do+I+encourage+newer+solvers+to+have+a+voice+and+come+forward+with+their+thoughts+too).+

It+is+also+probably+important+to+note+that+for+the+Indian+top+solvers%2c+puzz.link+isn't+a+frequented+place+for+solving.+In+fact+this+category+idea+came+from+there+being+some+puzz.link+genres+in+IPC+and+them+being+completely+new+to+the+solvers+in+our+top+3+besides+me.+So+the+goal+of+this+particular+round+is+to+leave+it+up+to+them+whether+they+want+to+go+for+some+higher+point+familiar+stuff+or+newer+stuff+and+hope+that+they+go+back+and+solve+whatever+they+missed+post+contest+%3a)+

Pretty tough set. When even the low pointers are hard, it takes the fun out of solving.
Puzzle quality was good, nonetheless.
Favourites:
20 Kakuro Kropki
13 Shimaguni
21 Shimaguni O/E
Thanks Nityant!

Very hard puzzles . Would have better suited a 90 min contest. I madly guessed in many puzzles due to time constraints and don't remember much now.

Thanks for putting together this round Nityant.

Wooohhh. What a Luck at the end. Somehow managed to click the submit button at the end for Doppelblock high pointer. Very hard puzzles but enjoyed. I knew Number placement (specially Kakuro :) ) would be my last resort in this contest and I was right . Somehow managed Kakuro (Kropki) though.Thanks Nityant for this contest :)