Jaguar's Paw (irregular 6x6)
(Published on 23. July 2022, 10:10 by Samish)
- 1. Kitten's Got Claws : a 5x5 that solving first would appreciably lessen the difficulty of this one.
- 3. Tiger's Jaw : a harder 8x8 that you should try next if you liked this one.
Rules :
- Normal irregular sudoku rules apply : place 1-6 in each row, column, region.
- Digits along a thermometer must increase from the bulb.
- Renban : a purple line must contain a set of consecutive digits in any order.
I've included hints and explanations of my path in white text below the image. Highlight it to read !
Step 1 : You should be able to find an equivalence between 2 sets constrained by the corner thermos.
Hint 2 : Using that set, try to find 6 cells in the grid that all contain different digits. Think about the low of leftovers. Use colors to keep track !
Step 2 : r4c3 is lower than all the cells in the set r25c25, and r5c3 sees them all.
Hint 3 : Do some work on colors equivalencies. Can you spot a naked single color ?
Step 3 : r3c5=r4c3, so 1 must be on the 3-cells renban line. Carefully color the rest of the grid to finally resolve the puzzle.
Solution code: Row 1 then row 6.
Comments
on 29. October 2023, 15:28 by Yann
Not that hard after solving the 5x5, but still a hard (at least for me) color disambiguation. In any case, thanks for these spectacular and ferocious tiny puzzles, Kafkapharnaum was right recommending the 8x8 !
on 1. September 2022, 06:34 by antiknight
Beautiful 6x6 puzzle !
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Thank you very much ! I'm glad your attention was drawn to it. :-)
on 18. August 2022, 18:27 by Piatato
Quite a tough one! Luckily I avoided the Jaguar’s strikes and managed to fight back. :-)
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There’s no such thing as luck, you just have too good (solving) reflexes for him ! Beware of the teeth of the tiger however, they’re told to be sharp. :D
on 15. August 2022, 16:21 by Aaronomys
Two down, one to go. I enjoyed this puzzle a lot just like the previous! The same main trick was used, but new and certainly more challenging logical ideas were layered on top. Thank you for this! I’m excited to see what waits in the 8 by 8.
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Thank you so much ! I'm really happy that such a setter as you are enjoy the construction of this one. :-)
I'm also very excited to know what you think of the 8x8 !
on 14. August 2022, 02:42 by Samish
Trilogy update
on 27. July 2022, 02:04 by Kafkapharnaum
2.5/5 sounds about right -- you should add the Beginner tag and maybe change the difficulty to 1 star to attract more solvers ;-P
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Hahaha ! I'm learning as a setter that estimating difficulty is the main difficulty. Glad you sticked to it and eventually succeeded !
on 23. July 2022, 14:11 by filuta
great puzzle! would be very hard for me though if I haven't solved the 5x5 version.
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Thank you very much ! And thanks again for testing it, it was of great help. I'm glad you found the intended path, and enjoyed it most of all :-)
on 23. July 2022, 10:18 by cdwg2000
Difficulty:2.5/5
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Wow, it's an impressive solve, in less than 8mn ! I'm not sure everyone will perceive it as an easy puzzle though. I invite you to try my first puzzle Ukrainian Whispers if you like something more challenging :D
