Advent Calendar (25 in 1 sudoku!)
(Published on 27. November 2023, 02:44 by AnalyticalNinja )
Rules:
Digits on arrows sum to the attached circles.
Digits within cages can't repeat and sum to the small number in the corner. (or to an even/odd total for certain cages)
This puzzle is solved in THREE stages:
Stage 1:
Each 3x3 box is solved independently as a 3x3 mean mini. (each box uses exactly three digits from 1-9 without repeating in the rows or columns of that box)
Stage 2:
Delete all digits except for the central cell of each 3x3 box, then solve each 6x6 quadrant as a Quattroquadri. (place the digits 1-9 once each into the 3x3 boxes such that they don't repeat within rows and columns of the 6x6 bold outlined region)
Stage 3:
Delete all digits except for the sixteen digits saved from Stage 1 and the central four cells of each quattroquadri; this should result in four small X shapes of givens in the grid.
Each row, each column, and each quattroquadri of 3x3 boxes consists of three sudoku boxes and one mean-mini box.
Each sudoku box contains the digits 1–9 once each. Among the sudoku boxes, digits cannot repeat in the grid’s rows nor columns.
Each mean-mini box can be solved again as mean-minis with one doubler per row and column of the box. The doublers don't have to contain different digits.
This puzzle is a long one with many places to make mistakes, so I'm including two different links.
This link will include the puzzle in full and only trigger the answer check upon final completion.
Whereas this link will include an answer check after just stage 1 and have a link to stage 2 in the success message.
Solution code: The digits in row 7 of the final solution.
Comments
on 6. May 2024, 19:43 by SudokuHero
This is it. This is my favorite puzzle. Peak sudoku right here.
on 18. April 2024, 06:49 by CcmarvMD
Hands down, the most difficult but also my absolute favorite sudoku I have ever solved! I can't even begin to understand how this was set, but the number of jaw dropping realizations I had even late into the puzzle just... wow! 10/10 puzzle
on 7. December 2023, 22:47 by Rollo
Ein sehr schönes Rätsel!
Es fiel mir allerdings schwer die Regeln für Stufe 3 zu erkennen. Ich wusste nicht was eine Mean-Mini-Box ist und habe es mit 9 Ziffern versucht. Den Begriff Verdoppler habe ich geraten, zum Glück richtig. Erst einmal alles kapiert, mit Hilfe eines guten Freundes, fand ich es genial und doch recht leicht.
on 4. December 2023, 15:51 by theParad0x
Absolutely amazing!! At first, this looks like it would be a nightmare to solve but after just a few minutes of scanning things start to get illuminated. Well done in setting this and thanks for sharing.
on 30. November 2023, 21:03 by Shrouded
Two hours of deep thinking, confusion and a lot of satisfaction. I have no idea how people come up with these but it just unfolds so beautifully. Absolutely breathtaking puzzle!
on 30. November 2023, 20:14 by CHalb
Wow! I definitely don't like doublers and arrows not very much either. But the mean-minis and the overall setting made me very curious. Wonderful puzzle and solving was a pleasure!
on 29. November 2023, 20:54 by OGRussHood
The gift that keeps on giving!
on 28. November 2023, 23:30 by zondebok
Finally finished. Fantastic puzzle. I'd never done a mean-mini nor a quattroquadri puzzle, so I had to figure out a bunch of new tricks, but it was a pleasure the whole way through.
I'm a pretty mediocre solver, so it's not too difficult, though it took me several hours.
on 28. November 2023, 22:37 by zondebok
Not a huge deal, but each of the single-step links says that the puzzle has FOUR stages, while this page and the overall link say THREE.
The puzzle originally had stage 3 split into two stages, but it added a layer of confusion, so I combined those stages. Also, I had an error in the solution of one of the nested links initially, so I guess when I went back and fixed that part of the old wording must've snuck in. I hate it when that happens!
on 28. November 2023, 16:00 by wilsig
Thanks for the clarification.
What a puzzle!!!
on 28. November 2023, 14:10 by wilsig
Stage 3:
How can 1 1-dimensional row or column consist of a 2-dimensional 3x3 box? And what is a mean-mini box?
- the "of 3x3 boxes" applies to the full list of things before it in an attempt to write more concisely. Written out fully, it would say "each row of 3x3 boxes, each column of 3x3 boxes, and each Quattroquadri of 3x3 boxes..." Sorry that my wording has caused confusion!
Also, a mean mini was described in stage 1, it's one of the 3x3 boxes solved as a 3x3 sudoku with a set of three digits from 1-9 that the solver must deduce.
on 28. November 2023, 08:38 by Playmaker6174
I haven't even started this yet but after reading all of the rules, I can already state that AnalyticalNinja is a supreme wizard or something, how the hell could one even construct something like this xD
on 28. November 2023, 08:16 by Nylimb
Thanks; it's amazing how everything fits together!
I couldn't figure out what I'd done wrong in stage 2, and then saw the comment that its solution code had been wrong but was now fixed. It still didn't work for me, and then I realized that I needed to recheck stage 1 to get the new stage 2 link. After that it all went smoothly.
on 28. November 2023, 01:10 by AnalyticalNinja
Solution check had two incorrect digits for stage two, I have now fixed the link. Sorry to everyone affected by this tremendous oversight!
on 27. November 2023, 21:04 by wand
really enjoyed that all the way through! although I'm not sure the answer check in the separate stage 2 version works just fyi - did get success ping upon transferring digits to the full version
- I'm so incredibly sorry for this oversight, it appears I transposed two digits in box 9 for the solution check. I have now fixed the links so it shouldn't be a problem for future solvers! Sorry again, this was a terrible oversight on my part!
on 27. November 2023, 16:11 by mihel111
So many boxes for a first Xmas gift.
Thank you so much, Analitical Ninja.
on 27. November 2023, 15:46 by mathpesto
Absolutely brilliant, intricate setting! Super impressive.
on 27. November 2023, 15:05 by dumediat
This is a fantastic idea, nice and smooth throughout the solve. I'm impressed at how well the constraints interacted at the various stages!
on 27. November 2023, 15:01 by Laake
A master class. How you set this is still beyond me.
on 27. November 2023, 09:06 by Dermerlin
tbh i don't understand the last rule for the mean-minis.
"One doubler per row and column of the box".
If there is ONE double in any cell of a box, is THAT the doubler for row and box at the same time? Or are there TWO different Doublers for each box, one only counting for the row, the other only counting for the column.
OR is there a double in each row and each column???
- I'm sorry for the confusion. It's just normal doubler rules, exactly one doubler in each row and column of the box.
on 27. November 2023, 05:17 by MicroStudy
what an adventure!!
