Archive · Puzzle #1
Saturday, May 23, 2026
NumGrid
Weekend NumGrid puzzles are calibrated to the hardest tier in the weekly rotation. Puzzle #1 (Saturday, May 23, 2026) is one of those — 5-digit targets, frequent repeated digits, and digit distributions chosen specifically to defeat naive opening strategies. Expect longer solve times, higher chance of needing the full guess budget, and a higher rate of unsolved finishes than any other day of the week.
Late-month NumGrid puzzles close out the calendar month. Puzzle #1 is part of the closing run for the month; players tracking monthly streaks invest extra attention in the last week to lock in full-month records.
Related puzzles & strategy
See the solution and strategy for puzzle #1
Replay the next daily puzzle
How to solve any NumGrid in fewer guesses
Use the digit sum to narrow candidates fast
Read odd/even clues to halve the search space