Normal Sudoku rules apply. Each row, column, and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1-9 once each.
Grey squares are even; grey circles are odd.
Digits may not repeat along the indicated diagonal.
Inequality symbols are to be respected.
A circled digit indicates exactly how many circles contain that digit (this includes all of the grey circles).
The idea of so-called “Counting Circles” originated with marty_sears and was continued by stimim. Be sure to check out their puzzles as well! Thanks also to dumediat, fjam and bellsita, who suffered through a painful solve of an earlier version of this puzzle.
The title continues a tradition started by ICHTUES of naming puzzles after seemingly random North American metropolises.
F-puzzles version.
In the CtC app.
Solution code: The 4th row, then the 2nd column (18 digits)
on 6. December 2023, 20:03 by Fool on Hill
Very nicely done - I had already solved Qodec's Empty Circles puzzle, so did them in the "wrong order"
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As I'm sure you know there is no right order... the two puzzles have very different sets of logic in my opinion. Thanks for solving and for your comment & support.
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Indeed - the comment was not meant to be over serious. I caught the Qodec one in testing and had missed yours till I registered my solve recently and saw your one referenced. The puzzles are certainly very different, but I can see how Qodec's one uses ideas that are present under the surface here. This one was lovely to solve by the way.
on 23. October 2023, 14:45 by stimim
Very difficult puzzle, I like the ending, that some nontrivial sudoku technique is still required. Thank you for the puzzle!
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Thank you for the comment!
on 10. October 2023, 14:27 by yuanbangod
good
on 9. October 2023, 16:51 by glum_hippo
Thank you, twobear and RebelSystem! Glad that you enjoyed the puzzle.
on 9. October 2023, 16:46 by twobear
Very smooth solve with beautiful logic. Thank you!
on 7. October 2023, 22:09 by RebelSystem
That was tough - about my limit for getting through a puzzle at all. A lot of fun though and a sense of triumph! Excellent.
on 6. October 2023, 14:09 by Ragna
Wow!!! Very hard, very tricky, very good! Fun puzzle.
Thank you for setting. :-))
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Hallo liebe Ragna, schön von Dir zu hören. Danke fürs Lösen
on 5. October 2023, 19:51 by SenatorGronk
Very nice, though the largest Chillicothe I see in the US has a population of about 20K, which really stretches the definition of "metropolis". ;-)
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You are gradually coming to know my odd sense of humor. An earlier puzzle I gave the title 'Council Bluffs', which is in Iowa, population ca 62 000. Thanks for solving :D
on 4. October 2023, 18:36 by Godrick
Was lucky to test solve this. Very nice puzzle with beautiful logic. Thanks for setting :-)
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Thanks for solving and helping with the test process, Godrick!