Riders on the Storm (antiknight fog puzzle)
(Published on 26. October 2022, 18:07 by jwsinclair)
Normal sudoku rules apply.
The grid is covered with fog, with an initial light source in the center cell. Digits also act as light sources and, when placed correctly, illuminate the cells around them.
The sum of the digits within a cage is given in the left-most cell of the top row reached by the cage (all cage sums are given). Digits cannot repeat within a cage.
Digits on arrows sum to the number in the connected circle, and can repeat if allowed by other rules. All arrow sums are single-digit, and arrows do not overlap or intersect.
Digits in cells with a gray circle must be odd.
Digits in cells with a gray square must be even.
Cells separated by a knight's move (in chess) cannot contain the same digit.
SudokuPad
(Note: This function is still in development. Some SudokuPad features, like the pencilmark-checker and the killer cage calculator, may need to be disabled to prevent spoiling parts of the grid still covered by fog.)
This puzzle has been featured on Cracking the Cryptic! Click here to watch Simon Anthony's solve.
Solution code: row 1, row 9 (18 characters, no spaces)
Comments
on 31. December 2024, 00:02 by TheNineElements
Solve Time: 35:47
I rated this 2/5 difficulty
Very nice FoW puzzle. I enjoyed the solve thoroughly and really liked the use of fog and killer cage rules to force the solver to make certain deductions about the nature of the cages.
I spent the first 5-10 minutes of the solve attempting the break-in without realizing the anti-knight constraint - and I was able to get surprisingly far in boxes 4/5/6 by just using sudoku, killer cage geometry, and arrow logic without even considering knight moves. The shape of the cages is just so restrictive i was able to place either full digits/colors or pairs/triples into every cell of those three boxes eithout using the knight move. Once I realized this had an antiknight constraint, the rest of the puzzle came togethrr very nicely. The geometry of the cages is wonderful and had a bunch of really great ideas.
So I made the break-in quite a bit harder than it needed to be, but the solve was still very nice and the setting was very well thought-out. If I had remembered the knight move constraint, I think I would have saved about 5 minutes of solve time, but even without it during the break in the logic still held up very well.
Great puzzle!
on 24. July 2023, 15:52 by vorash00
I struggle with where to start on 3 stars so fog of wars are always great to narrow that start point down. I started working out the cage logic but then doubted myself. Started the ctc video and Simon started working on cages so I shut the video off and continued with a little more confidence. The first digit was a huge challenge but that first one quickly became the first handful and a few more stalling but not for too long mostly me missing the obvious! this is certainly doable once you crack the entry point.
on 16. November 2022, 18:16 by jwsinclair
edit: added link to CtC video
on 4. November 2022, 13:30 by waibibabu
I stared at this puzzle for a lobg while,then i realized that i misunderstood a rule.lol
perfect idea!
on 28. October 2022, 09:05 by StephenEsven
This one was hard for me. The fog is a cool new feature, but in this one I did have a hard time finding the deductions that would progress my solve.
on 28. October 2022, 04:53 by econtrout
What a fun puzzle. Still wondering about the new "fog" puzzle
on 28. October 2022, 03:57 by argl
Another one of these!!! Exciting!!!
... can LMD make a fog tag?
on 27. October 2022, 19:02 by GeorgeTheToad2
Love these new fog of war puzzles, they make you think more.
on 27. October 2022, 18:26 by Christounet
Very fun !
The idea of the break in was very innovative !
Love the new foggy style :)
on 27. October 2022, 13:46 by Ragna
That was fun!!! :-))
on 26. October 2022, 23:38 by farodin64
A very special break-in, really like it. Thx for the fun.
on 26. October 2022, 22:36 by Fool on Hill
Loved this puzzle. The break-in is novel and interesting but not monstrous and gives you a great buzz when you find it. And it keeps you on your toes a bit, whilst solving smoothly and elegantly throughout. Just a joyful solve - a worthy addition to an emerging genre.
on 26. October 2022, 21:35 by AdamGaffney96
I loved the break-in, I was very quick to notice the break-in but then as always, sudoku cost me time! Once you break-in it's a very smooth flow though, very enjoyable.
on 26. October 2022, 21:24 by Mrtn
Beautiful break-in. Thank you.
on 26. October 2022, 20:38 by StephenR
Thanks, a very enjoyable variant. The start was especially rewarding.
on 26. October 2022, 19:13 by Snookerfan
Very nice! Interesting opening, very smooth after that. Thank you!
on 26. October 2022, 18:08 by jwsinclair
Thanks for solving and rating! If you or someone you know might enjoy a weekly set of puzzles that are a bit easier than the ones here, but still engaging and challenging, check out Artisanal Sudoku. Primarily killer sudokus, often in combination with other rulesets.
Oh! And the most recent bonus puzzle is another (more approachable) fog puzzle.
https://artisanalsudoku.substack.com
