Krop Circle
(Published on 27. August 2022, 08:00 by Nordy)
I have not made a loop puzzle for quite some time, so please enjoy this snake that bites its own tail! ~3.5 stars.
Rules:
Normal Sudoku: Place the digits 1 to 9 in every row, column, and 3x3 box.
Killer Cages: Digits in cages sum to the number in the top-left corner.
Krop Circle (Kropki Loop):
- Draw a single, closed loop of orthogonally-connected cells that is 1-cell wide and does not touch itself orthogonally.
- Adjacent digits along the loop must be consecutive and/or have a ratio of 1:2 (between every set of adjacent digits on the loop, you must be able to place a black or white Kropki dot).
- The loop must visit every cage (at least one cell of the loop must appear inside every cage).
Example: Below is a Krop Circle on a 6x6 Sudoku grid. Note: if the digits 1 and 2 are adjacent, then they can satisfy either condition.
Solve online:
Solution code: Row 5
Comments
on 25. August 2023, 11:06 by MartinR
Doing kropti loop reminded to give this another go as had kept breaking it, and also helped me see the option I'd overlooked.
One of the best titled puzzles I've seen in a while too!
on 11. December 2022, 21:50 by Lizzy01
Very nice!
on 25. September 2022, 17:31 by twototenth
Excellent puzzle! Normally I stay away from snakes, but this one was just my speed.
on 11. September 2022, 13:45 by nearestneighbour
I spent about 80 minutes on this puzzle before realizing I read the rules wrong (the loop shouldn't visit every region, but every cage), and then it was a really nice, 40 min solve.
on 7. September 2022, 19:47 by KNT
I enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting. Awesome approachable puzzle
on 4. September 2022, 15:45 by mathpesto
Not *too* tricky but very fun and clever. It was very satisfying to see how the cages interacted with the drawing of the loop!
on 30. August 2022, 20:17 by filuta
approachable puzzle full of fresh new logic.
on 28. August 2022, 13:58 by Chelo
That was a Challenge, but finally very very nice!.. thank you @Nordy for setting it!
on 27. August 2022, 12:44 by Piatato
Very nice! Fun and smooth solve. :-)
on 27. August 2022, 12:20 by henrypijames
An approachable puzzle with an interesting ruleset - very suitable for CtC.
on 27. August 2022, 09:25 by Johannes Quack
Fun to solve!
on 27. August 2022, 08:45 by Racteal
does every kropki relationship necessarily appear on the loop?
Nordy: No, not necessarily. Different kropki relationships may be repeated or omitted along the loop
