Gareth Moore

Dr Gareth Moore is the author of over 20 best selling international puzzle and brain-training titles from a wide range of publishers. His titles include: Keep Your Brain Fit: 101 Ways to Tone Your Mind – Duncan Baird (UK, US) The Mammoth Book of Brain Workouts – Constable & Robinson (UK) / Running Press (US) Train the Brain: Use It or Lose It – Michael O’Mara (UK) The Little Book of Sudoku Volume 4 – Michael O’Mara (UK) The 10-Minute Brain Workout – Michael O’Mara (UK) Kakuro for Beginners – Hodder Children’s (UK) (2 books; red and blue) The Book of Japanese Puzzles – Michael O’Mara (UK) / published in the US by Simon & Schuster as The Essential Book of Japanese Puzzles The Book of Hitori – Michael O’Mara (UK) Quick Kakuro – Michael O’Mara (UK) / published in the US by Simon & Schuster as The Essential Book of Kakuro 2 The Book of Hanjie – Michael O’Mara (UK) / published in the US by Simon & Schuster as The Essential Book of Hanjie The Book of Kakuro – Michael O’Mara (UK) / published in the US by Simon & Schuster as The Essential Book of Kakuro Kids’ 10-minute Brain Workout – Buster Books (UK) / published in the US by Simon & Schuster as Sudoku Makes You Smarter! The Kids’ Book of Hanjie – Buster Books (UK) / Simon & Schuster (US) The Kids’ Book of Number Puzzles – Simon Scribbles (US) / Buster Books (UK) The Kids’ Book of Kakuro – Buster Books (UK) / Simon & Schuster (US) The Kids’ Book of Sudoku! Challenge Edition – Simon Scribbles (US)

Homepage: http://www.garethmoore.co.uk/


Posts by Gareth Moore

Sudoku Xtra 19 now available

Sudoku Xtra 19

Sudoku Xtra 19 is now available for download as a PDF or pre-printed via Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and also the French, Italian and Spanish Amazon sites.

This issue features 144 varied hand-crafted and language-neutral logic puzzles of over 50 different types, all with a unique solution which can be found without guessing.

The page size in both the PDF and pre-printed versions is now slightly larger, but the magazine is still set up so that if you print it yourself at 100% size on either A4 or Letter paper all of the content will fit perfectly on the page. This extra space has let me fit more content into less pages, so despite having 14 more puzzles than the previous issue it has 8 less pages (or 4 less in the PDF version).

In terms of content, path-finding Ultimazum is back by popular demand, and this issue also introduces Kropki Sudoku, Sudoku XV and my own Integer Multiple Sudoku. Plus there’s a twist on an existing popular type with Non-consecutive Sudoku.

Other puzzles include Hanjie, Slitherlink, Yajilin, Heyawake, Nurikabe, Masyu, Hashi and many more. Other Sudoku variants include Samurai Sudoku (both 13- and 5-grid versions), Killer Sudoku Pro, Odd Pair Sudoku, Jigsaw Sudoku, Skyscraper Sudoku, Sudoku 16×16 and tens of other types.

Printed copies are on top-quality, 8.5×11 inch (21.6×28 cm) paper ideal for solving on.

Sudoku Xtra 19, available now.

Sudoku Xtra 18

Sudoku Xtra 18The 18th issue of Sudoku Xtra is now available, either pre-printed or as a downloadable PDF.  It’s designed so each page can be printed separately, so you need only print the puzzles you want to try, and all of the puzzle content is in black and white.

This issue features 130 logic puzzles in a wide range of designs and sizes, from 5×5 right up to larger than 30×30.  Puzzle types include Yajilin, Heyawake, Nurikabe, Masyu and more of the Windows puzzles introduced in the previous issue, plus an enormous range of different Sudoku variants including many seen on this blog.

There’s also a packed Community Puzzles Section featuring content from the world’s best puzzle authors, such as David Millar’s awe-inspiring Knighted Samurai Shape Sudoku through to more of Vexus Puzzle’s delightful route-finding Tiktaka.

Sudoku Xtra 16 and Sudoku Xtra 17 have also been published since I last updated this blog, so head over to the Sudoku Xtra magazines page for more details.

You can also view a full list of the contents of each magazine on the Sudoku Xtra site.

Sudoku Xtra 16Sudoku Xtra 17

Non-Consecutive Sudoku


Non-consecutive Sudoku puzzle
I’m currently working on a new book of sudoku variants for a major publisher, so have been making lots of new puzzles of different types.  From time to time I’ll probably post again here with some examples of these.

I thought I’d start off with Non-Consecutive Sudoku.  This is a minor variant on Consecutive Sudoku, where all the rules of standard Sudoku apply but there is one additional constraint:

  • Neighbouring squares are not consecutive.  This means there is never a difference of ‘1′ between two edge-adjacent squares (i.e. touching, not including diagonally).

For example, if a square contains ‘3′ then any neighbouring square cannot contain either ‘2′ or ‘4′.

Good luck!


Jigsaw Sudoku 6×6


Jigsaw 6×6 puzzle 2

Jigsaw 6×6 puzzle 1
I just made some Jigsaw Sudoku puzzles for a book and had a couple spare which I thought I’d post here.  Just place A to F once each into every row, column and bold-lined jigsaw shape.

Giant maze


Giant Maze Puzzle

I’ve recently made a few mazes for a puzzle book, which included one that was too large to go in in the end – so I thought I’d post it here. Have fun. :)  (Just find your way from the in arrow to the out arrow…)

Sudoku Xtra Issue 15

Sudoku Xtra Issue 15Sudoku Xtra issue 15 is now available for download from SudokuXtra.com, and it’s another packed issue of the logic puzzle magazine.  With 59 different types of logic puzzle at a wide range of difficulties it’s got something in it for everyone, and it’s far from just Sudoku and variants. In fact there’s not a single regular 9×9 Sudoku in the whole magazine! From the giant cover Masyu through to the Tapa, Heyawake, Nurikabe, new puzzles and more there is plenty to keep you busy.

The magazine can be downloaded as a PDF and printed at home, or it can be ordered pre-printed from Lulu or Amazon.com (the last of these coming in the next week or so, once their system updates and lists it).

I’m also now posting full lists of content over on the magazines page at SudokuXtra.com,so you can click the expanding links to see a list of every puzzle in both this and the previous two issues, as well as order back issues.

And talking of back issues, I didn’t post here previously but issues 13 and 14 are also available (and have been for 4 and 2 months respectively), although the Amazon.com issues of these have only just been uploaded so again these should appear in the next week or so.

Sudoku Xtra 13Sudoku Xtra 14

Skyscraper puzzles

Skyscraper on Puzzlemix

I’ve just added Skyscraper puzzle support to Puzzlemix. Hop on over if you’d like to try playing Skyscraper puzzles online!

This means that there are now 16 different types of puzzle on the site, plus a variety of sizes for each of those puzzle types.

7×7 Calcudoku+


Calcudoku+ 7×7

I had a request for a 7×7 Calcudoku-esque puzzle that uses only + operations, so I thought “why not?”.  And here it is. :)

Sudoku Xtra 12

Sudoku Xtra 12I must apologise for the delayed announcement, but Sudoku Xtra issue 12 has been available for a while from www.sudokuxtra.com. Both download and pre-printed copies available.

The cover puzzle is a giant Masyu, and then it follows through from there with the usual varied mix of sudoku variants and other puzzles, plus an extra-large bumper-packed Community Puzzles section.

This issue features more than 65 pages, leading to a record-breaking total of 139 puzzles! You’d need to complete more than 4 a day in order to do them all in time for the next issue. There are also two special Christmas Tree Sudoku puzzles (both much easier than they might look and really quite fun I think!) – it may be past Christmas now but they’re still fun puzzles!

Issue 13 is also due out in the next few days.

Sudoku [Jigsaw] 6×6


Sudoku 6×6 puzzle

Jigsaw 6×6 puzzle

I had a couple of 6×6 Sudoku puzzles left over when making issue 58 of Sudoku Pro magazine, so I thought I’d post them here.

Just place 1-6 into each row, column and bold-lined area.