Hurra für Zafer!
(Published on 30. August 2011, 00:00 by Richard)
Hurray for Zafer!
Today Zafer is celebrating his 32nd birthday.
This is my present for him.
Congratulations!
I really like to solve Zafer's puzzles in the portal and they have also inspired me to make my own variants. I had never heard of renban sudokus and palindrome sudokus before Zafer introduced them in the portal.
In my birthday-gift-puzzle for you I have combined some of my favourite variants that you used in your puzzles before. It was not easy to create, but while constructing, testing and fine-tuning, I learned new techniques myself too!
I wish you a happy birthday, Zafer!
Samurai-Sudoku
Place the digits 1 to 9 in all rows, columns and 3x3-blocks of all five overlapping sudokus.
Letters
Replace all letters A, E, F, H, R, U and Z inside and outside the grid by seven different numbers. The sum of all letters is 32 (of course).
Skyscrapers (all five grids)
After replacement by numbers, the letters outside the grid are skyscraper clues. The number tells you how many skyscrapers are visible from that vintage point. A skyscraper is visible if no higher number is placed before it.
Palindrome-Sudoku (upper left grid)
The numbers on the grey line form a palindromic sequence from one end to the other.
Arrow-Sudoku (upper right grid)
The number in the point of the arrow is the sum of the other numbers the arrow goes through.
Renban-Sudoku (lower left grid)
Gray painted (pentomino-shaped) cells form renban groups. These groups must hold consecutive numbers, in any order.
Sudoku with extra regions (bottom right grid)
In this grid the 3x3-blocks are coloured white and grey, to distinguish better from the irregular shapes. The numbers 1 to 9 have to be placed also in the 9 fat outlined irregular shapes as well.
Argyle-Sudoku (middle grid)
On the marked diagonals all numbers must be different.
Solution code: The main diagonals, first top left to bottom right, then top right to bottom left (2x21 digits).
Comments
on 6. May 2023, 03:25 by Krokant
Your birthday presents are always a delight. Zafer is a truly lucky person. This is such a beautiful puzzle. Difficult, but very rewarding. And fun all round. :)
on 14. December 2022, 12:34 by Nick Smirnov
Penpa:
https://tinyurl.com/2pg2hz9f
What a delightful adventure! I love skyscrapers very much, so no wonder this puzzle has officially become my favourite Richard's puzzle (5 Years Portal Anniversary has shifted to the second position).
on 28. December 2018, 23:09 by ingmanc
Fantastico! Una combinazione perfetta di tutte le varianti proposte. I enjoyed myself very much. Dieci e lode a Richard Stolk!
on 31. August 2012, 04:26 by Ours brun
Sooo good. I am glad you advised me to try it Richard, this was really worth the time spent on it. All parts were nice, all parts were hard, but the irregular/extra regions grid was just as tough as beautiful. No superfluous clue, nice aesthetics, great use of all variants...
Thanks !
on 14. July 2012, 11:17 by Richard
@CHalb: please, don't make me blush! :-)
on 14. July 2012, 09:35 by CHalb
This is the most beautiful Sudoku I have ever solved. Richard, thank you very much once again for this masterpiece.
on 4. November 2011, 16:57 by ibag
Hatte meine Lösung vom Testlösen verbummelt - aber hat auch ein zweites Mal großen Spaß gemacht!
on 8. September 2011, 18:13 by Saskia
Wonderful!
on 8. September 2011, 00:10 by Statistica
Schöööööön und auch schön schwierig! Hat viel Spaß gemacht! Danke.
on 6. September 2011, 09:48 by AnnaTh
Superschön!
on 5. September 2011, 23:11 by Joe Average
Beautiful puzzle, especially the mix of the various kinds of sudokus, and the intersections that require you to switch between them. Ithink it's impossible to solve them all five separately, as sometimes I couldn't go on before I solved some other are before coming back to one that I got stuck in before.
The only "problem" with this puzzle is that after spending several days if not hours solving it, everyone knows Zafer's name, but the true mastermind at work here - Richard - is not mentioned in the puzzle. Credit where credit's due, I can't even begin to imagine how long it must have taken to create this one.
Belated happy birthday to Zafer. I turned 32 " U " years ago.... it was a nice age. Hope you enjoy it. :-)
on 4. September 2011, 11:15 by Mody
Wirklich eins der schönsten logisch lösbaren Sudokus aller Zeiten :).
Die härteste Nuß war für mich das Palindrom, das ich bestimmt sechsmal in einen Widerspruch geführt habe.
on 3. September 2011, 18:50 by zhergan
Hi Richard,
Thanks for this very very nice birthday present:)) As Rainer stated it is absolutely the right one for me :D I had to say that it is really beautifully designed and one of the best puzzles in the portal. Thanks to others for their greetings also:)
Regards,
Zafer
on 2. September 2011, 19:55 by Alex
Congrats Zafer!! You got a really nice present!
on 2. September 2011, 15:00 by zuzanina
Super schönes Rätsel! :-)
@flaemchen: Vielen Dank für deine Bestätigung. Ich hätte's sonst bestimmt nicht NOCH ZWEIMAL versucht... Keine Ahnung, warum ich bestimmt vier mal in der gleichen Ecke in Widersprüchen geendet habe...
on 2. September 2011, 12:25 by Realshaggy
Hurra for Richard!
One of the best puzzles in the portal. Not too hard that you feel like banging your head against a brick wall, and logically solvable in every part. But big enough that it took me several hours.
I especially liked the diagonal steps in the middle, which I'm usually unable to see. The chaos sudoku gave me a hard time, but finally fell.
@Realshaggy: this kind of comments may be read by everybody! Thanks! :-)
@Richard: Sorry, I just thought I accidently made an "open" comment. :-)
Another special hint: sometimes its much easier to see the next step after a break.
on 1. September 2011, 17:58 by flaemmchen
@Richard: das war eins der schönsten Rätsel, die ich in letzter Zeit gelöst habe :-))
@zuzanina: Ich habe da die gleichen Zahlen :-))
on 31. August 2011, 10:53 by r45
Just the right present for Zafer, I think. THX Richard.
on 31. August 2011, 00:43 by Realshaggy
Congratulations to Zafer and thanks to Richard for sharing his present! I'm looking forward to my holiday in two days. I've still a lot of puzzles left from the design contest, but this looks like a "must do!" :-)
on 30. August 2011, 21:14 by Richard
Hmmm
After 21 hours no solvers yet...
Is everybody politely waiting for Zafer to be the first solver? :-)
on 30. August 2011, 12:18 by r45
Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Zafer. Danke an Richard, weil Du uns alle beschenkt hast.
on 30. August 2011, 12:11 by Eisbär
Congratulations Zafer!!
This puzzle is a monster... :-)))
on 30. August 2011, 12:03 by flaemmchen
Herzlichen Glückwunsch Zafer ... und so ein schönes Geschenk :-)))
