New Word Sudoku Puzzles for Monday, 5/26/2008

New Word Sudoku Puzzles for Monday, 5/26/2008

I give you a 'classic' 9x9 Sudoku puzzle to solve (but not publish yourself--these are copyrighted!) every day--but the puzzles are Word Sudoku, using the letters of a 9-letter word, not the numbers 1-9.

Word Sudoku Puzzle: YEARLINGS

Each row, column and 3x3 square contain the letters in the word or phrase exactly once

Every once in a while, I like to give you a "little somethin' else"--a variant that extends the classic puzzle. Today I'm including a 9x9 Hidden Word Sudoku, where I give you the letters of the hidden word or phrase, but rearranged in an anagram; as you solve the Sudoku using the normal rule, you spell out the hidden word (usually down or up one of the diagonals). The anagram sometimes provides a very obscure clue. But you won't know it until you solve it, and then you'll either grin or grimace as you get the play on words.

Hidden Word Sudoku Puzzle: RICE AXONS

Each row, column and 3x3 square contain the letters in the anagram of the word or phrase exactly once; the hidden word or phrase is spelled down the diagonal

Later this week (Wednesday, I think), I'll show you a 14x14 (2x7 internal rectangles) Hidden Word Sudoku: a mid-week challenge!

--Dave