Jabberwocky
(Published on 13. August 2022, 16:34 by DadJokes)
Jabberwocky
Rules:
- Please READ FULL RULES before attempting. Thanks and enjoy!
- Arrows: The digits along each arrow must sum to the digit in the circled cell. Digits may repeat on arrows if allowed by other rules.
- German Whispers: Adjacent digits along each German whisper line (green line) must have a difference of at least 5.
- Renban: Digits along each renban line (magenta line) must be a set of consecutive digits in any order, and must not repeat.
- Entropic: Any set of three sequential cells along an entropic line must contain a low digit (1-3), a medium digit (4-6), and a high digit (7-9).
- Kropki: A black dot between cells indicates cell values with a 2:1 ratio. A white dot between cells indicates cells with consecutive values. Not all dots are shown.
- Cells with color are used in Stage 2, but otherwise have no purpose.
- This puzzle is solved in 3 stages:
- Stage 1:
- Normal Sudoku Rules DO NOT apply.
- Place the digits 1 to 9 exactly once in each row and each column.
- Each 3x3 box within the grid is solved as an abstract 3x3: three digits need to be placed in each row and column once each. It's up to the solver to determine which three digits they are. (Valid digits are from the range 1-9 and are the same for each row/column). These 3x3’s are NOT necessarily solved independently. You may need to use clues from other boxes in the grid in order to complete these.
- Stage 2:
- Color the entire grid into three different snakes whose heads and tails are the given cells with the same color.
- These snakes are non-branching and do not touch themselves orthogonally or diagonally.
- Exactly one of the snakes contains all of the white kropki dots.
- The black kropki dot is a border between two snakes.
- Stage 3:
- Erase all of the digits that appear on the longest snake.
- Erase all of the digits that appear on arrows (including the circles).
- Erase all of the digits that appear on Renbans.
- Now, solve as a regular variant Sudoku using the constraints in the grid and remaining numbers as givens.
- Normal sudoku rules will apply at this point.
F-puzzles link: Click Here
CTC app link: Click Here
Enjoy!
Solution code: Row 9 read left to right
Comments
on 4. April 2024, 08:50 by Carolin
What a gem!
on 14. November 2022, 14:42 by vfig
really enjoyed it! felt very daunting at first, but extremely satisfying when the abstract 3x3s all suddenly filled out with digits, like dominoes toppling. i was afraid the stage 3 sudoku would be a monster, but it fell with a surprisingly quick snicker-snack!
on 1. October 2022, 01:26 by npubem
Simply amazing puzzle. I first read the rules on the CTC app, and there it really felt like the mad hatter wrote the rules because I had no idea what an abstract 3x3 box is, if the digits in the circles had to go or if the snakes could move diagonally. Feels nice to have the rules clarified here though. Nothing else to say really, amazing setting!
on 22. September 2022, 22:06 by belfieldtj
Completely remarkable - I absolutely loved it. Many thanks!
on 17. September 2022, 23:03 by MatthewDonovan
Nice puzzle, thanks! The only feedback I have is that I didn't understand what an "abstract 3x3" was for stage 1. I had to watch the CtC video to learn that it meant each 3x3 box had 3 distinct digits in it, which themselves could not repeat in any of the rows or columns of that individual 3x3 box. Extra clarification on this rule might be helpful.
on 15. September 2022, 12:54 by Crusader175
Very fun puzzle!
on 10. September 2022, 13:35 by Raumplaner
Very nice variation on the abstract 3x3 ruleset. Lots of nice interactions between the boxes.
on 13. August 2022, 23:16 by BlackApolloX
Amazing puzzle, and quite astonishing that you managed to make all three stages solve individually but be intertwined as well!
on 13. August 2022, 17:57 by Kafkapharnaum
Can't quite convey just how much fun that was testing that! Every single stage is super fun in itself and really clever, and the way they all combine together is legitimately VERY impressive, and all the more so with the extra constraint you placed on yourself for stage 1. So kudos, and another kudos -- eagerly looking forward to the next one! :D
