We are excited beyond words to announce the launch of Puzzle Weekly – our brand new weekly puzzle publication. It’s been a labor of love, hours of brainstorming, and countless moments of exhilaration as we have put together this new weekly logic puzzle collection.
We’ve been publishing free daily puzzles right here on our website for years. They’ve been popular. So popular in fact, that we wanted to do more. One puzzle a day, no matter how carefully curated, just felt a little, well, little.
Our first thought was simply to put more puzzles onto the website each day. However, we realised this was an excellent opportunity to do something different. Something better. Thus Puzzle Weekly was born: 28 brand new puzzles delivered in a beautifully crafted digital magazine direct to your inbox every week.
This brainy buffet comes to you completely free! It's our way of celebrating the pure joy of puzzles and sharing that with a community that appreciates a good brain-tease as much as we do.
It’s super easy to get your free copy in your inbox every week. Click here and you can subscribe for free at SubStack – all we need is the email address you want your copy delivered to. Don’t worry, we won’t spam you, and you can unsubscribe any time.
Get Your Free Puzzle Weekly Subscription Here
Puzzle Weekly has been designed to look great on a wide variety of devices. As well as the printable section, the magazine includes all the puzzles in large format ready to be completed directly on your device.
The instructions on this page will help you load the magazine onto a variety of popular devices.
Jump to:
The easiest way to get the magazine on your iPad is simply to open it from within your email. From whatever email app you are using (the built-in one, or any third party app like Gmail), tap on the Puzzle Weekly PDF attachment. The magazine will open right up for you.
We highly recommend saving the attachment to the Books app before starting to fill out the puzzles. This way everything you do will be saved in the file.
To save the attachment, with the magazine open, tap the share icon - it looks like this: 
If you can’t see the share icon, you might need to tap the screen to show the controls in your app.
From the pop-up menu, tap the Books app icon. If you can’t see it in the list, scroll horizontally to the end of the list, click the “…More” icon, and then select Books from the list.
If you are using a more recent version of iPadOS, you may see a “Open in Books” option right at the top of the screen, which you can use instead.
When reading the magazine in the Books app, you can tap the pen icon at the top of the screen to start solving the puzzles on your iPad.
As an alternative to the Books app, you may prefer to save the magazine to the built-in Notes app. The steps are the same, just choose Notes from the list of icons.
Further help for the iPad can be found here.
There are a couple of ways to get your copy of Puzzle Weekly onto your Kindle Scribe, depending on whether you are using a computer or a phone.
From a Computer, Using the Send to Kindle Tool:
From a Phone or Tablet, Using The Mobile App:
Further help for Kindle Scribe can be found here.
There are a couple of ways of sending the magazine to your Kobo Elipsa.
From a computer, via a USB cable:
From a phone, tablet, or computer via Google Drive or Dropbox:
Further help for Kobo Elipsa can be found here.
To get your copy of Puzzle Weekly onto your reMarkable tablet, you can use the reMarkable app, or Google Drive or Dropbox.
From a phone, tablet, or computer via the web:
From a phone, tablet, or computer using the reMarkable App:
Further help for reMarkable can be found here.
Puzzle Weekly is a multi-format magazine, incorporating a section that is specifically designed to be printed. This section fits the all the week’s puzzles (including kids puzzles) into just 7 pages optimised to minimise ink-use.
Every issue includes the page range to print in a call-out box on the Tips & Tutorials page.
The instructions on this page will guide you through how to print just the printable pages from whatever computer or device you are using.
Jump to:
When you open Puzzle Weekly it will most likely open in the default PDF reader for Windows called Microsoft Edge. We’ve also included instructions for printing from the popular Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Using Microsoft Edge:
Using Adobe Acrobat Reader:
Tips:
Most of the time Puzzle Weekly will open in the default application called Preview. Adobe Acrobat Reader DC is also available for macOS, so we’ve included instructions here for both.
Using Preview:
Using Adobe Acrobat Reader:
Tips:
Printing from a PDF on Android requires using a capable PDF viewer app. For these instructions we’ll use Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android, as it's one of the most widely-used PDF readers available. The steps might vary slightly depending on the version of Android and the app you're using.
Using Adobe Acrobat Reader for Android:
Tips:
Using the built-in PDF viewer or Books app:
Tips:
Number Cross uses a grid of numbers that at first glance might look a bit like a completed Sudoku puzzle. But contrary to Sudoku, Number Cross is a mathematical puzzle.
The goal is to cross out numbers inside the grid so that the remaining numbers in each row and column add up to the numbers outside it. Here's a a small example Number Cross puzzle:
Here’s what that puzzle looks like once it’s been solved:
Start with unique numbers. If a row or column total can only be made by a unique combination of numbers present in the grid, start there.
Look for the smallest and largest totals. Small totals mean more potential numbers that can be immediately crossed out. For example, if the total for a row is ‘2’, then anything larger than ‘2’ can be crossed out in that row. Similarly, very large totals usually require keeping the larger numbers in the grid, thus narrowing down your choices.
Track remaining options. In harder puzzles, for rows or columns where you're unsure of which numbers to cross out, it can help to make a list of possible combinations that add up to the required total. As other parts of the grid get filled in, some of these options will become invalid, leaving you with the answer.
As with all logic puzzles, practicing improves performance. The more puzzles you do, the better you well become at spotting common patterns and at recognising possible combinations.
Want to try your hand at Number Cross? We sometimes include them in our free Puzzle Weekly magazine – you should totally sign up for that if you haven’t already, as it puts 28 brand new puzzles in your inbox every week.
You can also find four levels of Number Cross in our Jumbo Adult Puzzle Book – which happens to include more than 500 puzzles of 20 different varieties.
Shirokuro is played on a square grid that contains black and white circles. Here’s what a small Shirokuro puzzle looks like:
The goal of Shirokuro is to connect all the black and white circles into pairs by drawing a line between them either horizontally or vertically, according to some rules:
This is what the example puzzle looks like once it’s been solved:
Start with the corners. If a circle is near the corner, or even an edge, it may have limited directions it can connect in.
Limit options. If connecting a circle in one particular direction would make it impossible to connect another circle, then reconsider that choice.
Work incrementally. Don't try to map out long connections immediately. Work step by step, ensuring that each connection you make doesn't block future connections.
Avoid loops and crossings. Lines cannot cross over each other. If you see a setup that's leading to this scenario, you'll need to adjust.
As always, the more Shirokuro puzzles you solve, the better you'll get at spotting patterns and strategies.
Want to try out some Shirokuro? We have options. We sometimes include them in our free Puzzle Weekly magazine – you should totally sign up for that if you haven’t already, as it puts 28 brand new puzzles in your inbox every week.
You can also find four levels of Shirokuro puzzles in our Jumbo Adult Puzzle Book – which happens to include more than 500 puzzles of 20 different varieties.
Calcudoku is a mathematical and logic puzzle similar to Sudoku. It’s played on various grid sizes, usually from 4x4 to 9x9, though it can go even larger.
The size of the grid dictates the numbers you’ll use to fill out the puzzle. For instance, in a 4x4 Calcudoku, you'll use the numbers 1 to 4, and in a 6x6, you'll use the numbers 1 to 6.
Here’s an example of a small Calcudoku puzzle:
The objective of Calcudoku is to fill the grid with numbers so that:
Here’s what the earlier example puzzle looks like when completed:
Because Calcudoku shares similar rules to Sudoku, we highly recommend becoming familiar with solving Sudoku before moving on to this puzzle. As you begin to solve cells in a Calcudoku grid, you can use many regular Sudoku techniques to help you solve the rest of the puzzle. Indeed, in anything beyond the most basic puzzles, you’ll need to use Sudoku techniques. You can find our complete three-part Sudoku tutorial here.
The Calcudoku grid is divided into several outlined blocks, and each block contains a mathematical clue in the top-left corner. This clue might be a number on it’s own (ie the contents of the cell) or it could be a number followed by an operation sign (e.g., ‘12x’ or ‘3-’), in which case the calculation must be performed on the numbers that are entered in the block.
The puzzles we publish use a variety of mathematical operators. Our kids puzzles usually only include additions, but as the difficulty level increases, so do the possible operators.
A well-designed Calcudoku puzzle (such as those we publish) has only one unique solution, and it can be reached through logical deduction. There is never any need to guess.
Start with the obvious. If you see a block in a 5x5 puzzle with the clue ‘5x’ and it contains only two cells, then those cells must be filled with 5 and 1 (in some order), because that's the only way two distinct numbers between 1 to 5 can multiply to give 5.
Use a process of elimination. If you've determined certain numbers for some cells, use that information to deduce the numbers for neighbouring cells, especially within the same row or column.
Consider block position. For instance, in a 6x6 Calcudoku, a block with the clue ‘1-’ must contain a 2 and a 1 (because 2 - 1 = 1). If that block spans two rows or columns, and one of them already has a 2, then the 2 in the block must go in the other row or column.
Use Sudoku strategies. Because the two puzzles share common rules, you can use all valid Sudoku strategies to help solve Calcudoku. The more cells you fill in, the more these strategies will be helpful.
Practice. As with all logic puzzles, the more you practice, the more patterns and strategies you'll recognise, making it easier to solve more challenging puzzles.
Want to try out some Calcudoku? We have you covered. We sometimes include them in our free Puzzle Weekly magazine – you should totally sign up for that if you haven’t already, as it puts 28 brand new puzzles in your inbox every week.
You can also find four levels of Calcudoku puzzles in our Jumbo Adult Puzzle Book – which happens to include more than 500 puzzles of 20 different varieties.
Hashiwokakero, often abbreviated to Hashi, and also sometimes called Bridges, is a logic puzzle originating from Japan.
The puzzle is played on a square grid. The size of the grid determines the level of difficulty. Here is an example of a small Hashi grid:
As you can see, the puzzle comprises a number of circles with numbers inside. These are called islands. The objective is to connect all the islands by drawing a series of bridges between them. Here’s what that puzzle looks like once it’s been solved:
Small Hashiwokakero puzzles like this are easy to solve. But as the grids get bigger, the puzzles can get a lot tougher!
To solve a Hashiwokakero puzzle, you'll use a combination of logic and the numerical clues given. It's about gradually deducing where bridges can and cannot be, based on the constraints provided by the puzzle.
As with many logic puzzles, practice helps you recognise patterns and strategies more quickly.
Here are some tips to help you get going.
Start with islands with only one possible connection. Look for islands that have only one way to satisfy their number requirement. For example, if there's an island with a '1' and only one neighbouring island, you know where that bridge must go. Islands in the corners of the puzzle can often provide a good starting place as they are restricted to bridges in only two possible directions.
Consider islands with maximum bridges. If an island has a '4' and it's on an edge, then you know two bridges must go out from both available sides. If an island has an '8', it means it's surrounded on all four sides by two bridges each.
Avoid over-connecting. Keep track of the number of bridges each island has. If an island needs only one more bridge, you can't connect it to an island in a direction that would necessitate two bridges.
Use other islands to deduce bridge locations. Sometimes, the positioning of other islands can prevent possible bridge connections. If two islands could be connected by two bridges but there's another island in the way, you know they can only be connected by one bridge.
Ensure island interconnectivity. Avoid creating isolated clusters of islands. Every island must be connected in a network. If you see a potential cluster forming, think about how it will connect to the other islands.
Make safe assumptions and test them out. In more complex Hashi puzzles, you might reach a point where it's not immediately clear what the next step is. In these cases, it can be helpful to make an assumption and see how it affects the rest of the grid. If you reach a contradiction or an impossible situation, you'll know your assumption was wrong. If you try this, ensure you remember your steps so you can backtrack easily.
Use a process of elimination. If you're unsure about where bridges should go, consider where they can't go. Often, by eliminating impossible bridge placements, the correct placements become clear.
Continuously check for completion. As you're drawing bridges, keep checking islands to make sure their bridge requirements are being met. If you've met the bridge requirement for an island, move on to focus on the others.
Review your solution. Once you believe you've solved the puzzle, take a moment to review it. Make sure all the islands meet their number requirement. Check there are no bridges crossing each other. Verify all the islands are interconnected and there are no orphans.
Like all logic puzzles, the more you practice Hashiwokakero, the better you'll become at solving them. Over time, you'll develop an intuition for bridge placements and will recognise patterns more quickly.
Remember that patience is key. Some puzzles can be tricky, and it might take time before you see the solution. But with each puzzle you solve, the process becomes a bit more intuitive.
Want to try your hand at Hashi? We have options! We sometimes include them in our free Puzzle Weekly magazine – you should totally sign up for that if you haven’t already, as it puts 28 brand new puzzles in your inbox every week.
You can also find four levels of Hashi puzzles in our Jumbo Adult Puzzle Book – which happens to include more than 500 puzzles of 20 different varieties.
From lush green hedgerow labyrinths to intricate, multi-levelled maze books, the enthralling challenge of finding one's way from start to finish has captivated minds for centuries. Mazes, in all their twists and turns, serve as both a playful pastime and a reflection of life's journey. Just as we navigate the winding paths of personal and professional challenges, children manoeuvring through mazes confront dead ends, reroute their strategies, and ultimately find their way out.
This seemingly innocuous activity does more than just entertain; it introduces young minds to the invaluable skill of perseverance, essential for facing the broader challenges of life.
In a world increasingly filled with instant gratifications from the likes of TikTok and YouTube, teaching kids the virtue of persistence through mazes can be a useful parenting tool.
Perseverance is the linchpin of success and personal growth in our ever-evolving world. In life, we are constantly met with unforeseen obstacles, from minor hiccups in plans like a cancelled school lesson or a missed bus, to significant life-altering challenges like loss of a job, illness, or even the death of a loved one. It's not the absence of these obstacles, but the will to persist through them, that often defines our accomplishments and character.
For children, the development of perseverance is even more crucial. As they stand at the threshold of understanding the world, they face a myriad of tasks and challenges, be it learning a new skill, facing academic challenges, or navigating social relationships.
By cultivating perseverance early on, we can equip them not only to overcome these challenges, but to view them as opportunities for growth.
As they mature, this resilience, born from perseverance, becomes the bedrock of their adaptability, self-confidence, and an unwavering belief in their capabilities.
Navigating through a maze serves as a fitting metaphor for the complexities and challenges we encounter in life. Just as we meticulously chart our course in a maze, often anticipating a clear path ahead, so life presents us with unforeseen turns and unexpected dead ends. These moments, though initially disheartening, challenge our resilience and compel us to reevaluate, adapt, and forge onward.
Similarly, in life, when confronted with obstacles, we are prompted to reassess our strategies, cultivate patience, and maintain our determination to reach our goals. The beauty of both life and mazes lies not in an unobstructed path but in the invaluable lessons and growth derived from navigating their intricate passages.
Perseverance is not merely the act of pushing forward, but it's the resilience we display when faced with setbacks. And setbacks, in their many forms, are an inevitable part of any journey, whether we're pursuing a personal goal, a professional milestone, or navigating the complexities of life.
These moments of delay, deviation, or difficulty often serve as pivotal points, prompting introspection, recalibration, and renewed determination. While it's natural to feel disheartened when confronted with a setback, true perseverance shines when we view these challenges not as definitive endings but as opportunities to learn, adapt, and grow stronger.
Embracing this perspective turns setbacks from formidable obstacles into invaluable stepping stones, leading us closer to our aspirations with each hurdle we overcome.
The concept of a growth mindset, introduced by psychologist Carol Dweck, revolves around the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. It's a perspective that values learning over talent.
When children tackle challenges, such as solving mazes, they aren't just navigating pathways, they're constantly engaging with trial and error, learning from mistakes, and celebrating small victories.
Every twist, turn, and dead end in a maze becomes a microcosm of real-world challenges, teaching kids that failure isn't a reflection of any inability but rather a temporary hurdle. By repeatedly confronting and overcoming these challenges, children can internalise the idea that with effort and resilience, they can improve and succeed.
Mazes then, can be practical training grounds where the foundational tenets of a growth mindset are instilled and nurtured in young minds. This has far reaching benefits, not least when it comes to nurturing self-esteem.
Perseverance and self-esteem are intricately woven together in the tapestry of a child's emotional and cognitive development. At its core, perseverance is the sustained effort against obstacles, and every time a child successfully navigates these challenges, a powerful message is learned: "I can do it."
This simple affirmation, when repeated and reinforced, bolsters a child's self-esteem. Every hurdle overcome not only builds their problem-solving toolkit but also amplifies their belief in their own capabilities. This self-assurance doesn't just relate to the task at hand, but permeates all aspects of their life, shaping their overall confidence.
For children, the journey of persevering, whether in mastering a new skill or navigating interpersonal relationships, becomes a consistent source of evidence that they are capable, worthy, and competent, fortifying their self-worth at each triumphant step.
Mazes, with their intricate pathways and deceptive turns, are more than just puzzles; they're lessons in patience and strategy. At first glance, a maze might appear as a tangled web of choices, tempting a hasty dash towards the finish. However, as the impatient soon discover, impulsiveness often leads to dead ends. What mazes truly demand is a patient, deliberate approach.
With practice, children quickly learn that to successfully navigate a maze, they must observe, plan, and proceed with caution. It's not just about moving forward, but about choosing the right direction. Sometimes that means backtracking. Often it requires taking a pause to reassess the path ahead. This methodical progression can teach kids the value of patience and the importance of a well-thought-out approach – lessons that are invaluable in a fast-moving world that often champions speed over careful consideration.
There's a unique, exhilarating rush that washes over someone when they finally escape a complex maze. For children, this sense of achievement is magnified tenfold. After manoeuvring through a series of twists, turns, and cul-de-sacs, reaching the end of a maze feels like conquering a miniature mountain. And it's more than just a momentary thrill – it's a potent blend of relief, pride, and newfound confidence.
This triumph can reaffirm a kid’s ability to tackle and overcome challenges, providing a tangible testament to their capabilities.
More to the point, the journey through the maze, peppered with missteps and recalibrations, makes the eventual success even sweeter.
For a child, the elation of solving a challenging maze serves as a poignant reminder that perseverance, strategy, and grit often lead to the most rewarding victories.
At first glance, a complex maze can appear daunting, much like a sizeable task we might find in a school or work project. It's a sprawling network of paths, choices, and potential pitfalls. However, one of the subtle yet profound lessons mazes impart to kids is the art of decomposition — breaking down the behemoth into bite-sized challenges, or “eating the elephant one spoonful at a time”.
Instead of viewing the maze as one giant, unsolvable puzzle, children learn to tackle one section at a time. They assess and make decisions based on immediate turns and junctions. This strategy of parsing larger tasks into smaller, actionable steps, makes the maze-solving project less intimidating and more achievable.
As kids traverse the maze, they intuitively develop a sequential approach: first, identify the closest obstacle, then strategise, and move forward. This methodical progression not only makes the maze more navigable but also instills a vital skill in young minds. By learning to decompose larger challenges, whether they be mazes, school projects, or personal goals, children are better equipped to manage and ultimately conquer them with confidence and efficiency.
In the grand tapestry of life, teaching children the art of perseverance stands out as one of the most enduring gifts we can bestow upon them. It's a lesson that, once learned, echoes through countless challenges, victories, and moments of personal growth.
While there are plenty of ways to instil this virtue, the simplicity and intrigue of mazes offer a tangible, engaging, and above all fun means to do so.
Through each twist and turn, mazes subtly reinforce the power of perseverance, preparing our young ones for the broader, more intricate mazes of life, armed with resilience, focus, and an indomitable spirit.
As children trace their fingers or gaze through the winding paths of a maze, they're not just seeking an exit; they're internalising the essence of persistence, learning to navigate setbacks, breaking down seemingly impossible tasks into manageable chunks, and celebrating the joy of accomplishment.
For younger kids, or those starting out with mazes, we highly recommend Amelia Baker’s The Amazing Book of Mazes For Kids. It contains no fewer than eight different kinds of maze, and is filled with fun characters and illustrations.
For older kids, and adults, our own Mazes for Smart People contains a hundred gigantic mazes, over five levels of difficulty.
Finally, for tips and tricks on solving mazes, be sure to check out our guide here.
What’s your favourite kind of puzzle? Are you a sudoku aficionado? Perhaps it’s mazes that float your boat? Or maybe a bit of word search gets you going? Can’t decide? Then have we got the book for you!
One of the things Puzzle Genius is known for is the generous size of our puzzle books. Even our popular Pocket range pushes the boundaries of the page to bring you the biggest grids possible in the compact space. Our Jumbo range of books are Jumbo in every sense – big puzzles and lots of them.
But sometimes you need to go even bigger. Which is why we are excited to announce our new Large Print puzzle book range.
We’re kicking off with two extremely popular puzzles: 
Both books are 8”x10” format, and they both push the size of the puzzles to new limits. They are ideal for anyone who needs bigger text – whether that be due to less than perfect vision, tired eyes, or quite simply a preference for easier-to-read letters and numbers.
Just because we made the puzzles bigger, doesn’t mean we cut any corners. You’ll find both books have bee meticulously crafted to our usual high standards, beginning with the puzzles themselves.
Large Print Sudoku Puzzles offers no fewer than 180 brand new grids, over three levels of difficulty (60 each of Easy, Medium, and Hard). Plus we’ve put a couple of bonus puzzles at the end, to extend your enjoyment and mix things up a little. Of course, full solutions are included for every puzzle.
Word Search for Adults: Large Print is filled with 125 classic word search puzzles, comprising a total of 3000 words to find! Each puzzle is themed, by topic or letter groupings, offering a wide variety of challenges. And because we love word puzzles as much as you do, we’ve added some bonus Word Finder puzzles at the end of the book. Naturally, you’ll find a complete set of solutions in the back, too.
Both books are available now: