Yin Yang Sudoku Deconstruction [9x9]
(Published on 7. April 2024, 09:21 by Christounet)
This puzzle is part of a little serie I started, combining deconstruction with various shading puzzle genres (cave, nurikabe). If you want, you can try the 5x5 grid I published first with the same ruleset. It also has a different approach that I found interesting. Take a look at the diagram below to see an example of how the ruleset works. Testing feedback placed difficulty between 3 and 4. Have fun solving !
The puzzle :
Rules :
- Normal sudoku deconstruction apply : Fill the grid with 9 non-overlapping 3x3 square regions, such that each region contains the digits 1-9 once each and no digit repeats in any row or column. Cells outside regions do not contain digits.
- Yin yang : the whole 11x11 grid must form a valid yin yang grid, that is shade some cells such that all shaded cells are orthogonally connected, all unshaded cells are orthogonally connected, and no 2x2 area is fully shaded or fully unshaded.
- Killer cages : Digits in a cage must not repeat. The number in the top left corner indicates either the sum of the digits of the shaded cells or the sum of the digits of the unshaded cells contained within that cage (It may also happen that both shaded and unshaded cells sum to that same total independantly).
Diagram example (not meant to be solvable) :
Solution code: Row 9 with X for empty cells, then for each row from top to bottom, the length of the longest stretch of 1 color (shaded or unshaded). For the diagram example, row 2, it would be 34X2151144.
Comments
on 31. July 2024, 01:36 by SHERAX
Wow everything about this is hard and amazing even entering the solution is a puzzle… 11 out of 10 (perfect +1point extra for creating something never seen before)
on 16. April 2024, 04:26 by KNT
first sudoku i solved in quite some time, that was a lot of fun, especially the 45 cage. thanks as always for the great set!
on 16. April 2024, 00:38 by heliosfant
Thanks for the puzzle. It was a delight. Your deconstruction puzzles are the best.
on 14. April 2024, 18:16 by LehanLehan
Oh,man,that was beyond brutal for me,but logic is so smooth and solid you wouldn't ever complain. Thank you very much for the puzzle,Christounet.
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@LehanLehan : Nice !! Glad you made it even if it was a big challenge for you, and glad it was enjoyable :)
on 12. April 2024, 08:21 by zzw
Super cool puzzle! Lots of fun new logic here.
The difficulty seems to be controversial--I personally found it to be a solid 5.
on 12. April 2024, 05:00 by waffles_the_dog
This was a fun puzzle, I saw it come up in CTC and thought I'd give it a try before finding out how to solve it from Simon, but I was able to solve it myself o/
All the logic is super interesting, and the interaction between yin yang and cage totals was really fun and I'd love more like this :D
I'm not sure if the 5/5 difficulty is warranted? I don't feel there were any individual steps that were extremely hard, it was just after the initial break in almost every step required a 3-4/5 difficulty step and that just took (me) a lot of time by virtue of having a lot more work than typical puzzles.
on 11. April 2024, 11:48 by Piatato
Awesome puzzle! I'm always very happy to see so much varied logic spring from such an elegant and relatively simple ruleset!
on 11. April 2024, 10:12 by Tacosian
Excellent!
on 11. April 2024, 00:48 by GertVonnegut
I always feel quite fulfilled after solving a Christounet, and this one was no different. Wonderful puzzle, thanks for setting!
on 10. April 2024, 23:21 by GertVonnegut
I always feel quite fulfilled after solving a Christounet, and this one was no different. Wonderful puzzle, thanks for setting!
on 10. April 2024, 02:10 by bansalsaab
Phew. That was hard nut. Broke it couple of times initially but survived.
on 9. April 2024, 16:29 by Christounet
Rules clarification.
on 9. April 2024, 16:16 by 9Rookienumbers
After a total of 5 hours I finally did it (i think)... I can't seem to put in the correct code but I think I already suffered enough and will call it a day. Truly awesome puzzle anyway, I'm so glad I persisted!
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What does "or both" mean in the last sentence? E.g. in a 16 cage,
both shaded and unshaded cell can sum to 16 altogether,
OR
Shaded cells sum to 16 and unshaded cells sum to 16, indipendently?
This puzzle is intriguing, been scratching my head for 1 hour now, hope to find a way to solve it!
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@9Rookienumbers : The rules need clarification indeed. I meant that it may happen that both shaded and unshaded cells sum to the same total independantly. For example, if the clue is 16, there could be 16 in the shaded cells and/or 16 in the unshaded cells.
If you need help for the solve, don't hesitate to reach out.
I'll update the rules. Thanks.
on 8. April 2024, 20:50 by fajoogaloo
Took me a while to grasp, but a very satisfying solve once I got used to the logic. Excellent puzzle :)
on 8. April 2024, 17:35 by Jesper
Awesome, thanks!
on 8. April 2024, 17:16 by MagnusJosefsson
Fantastic! Very enjoyable and satisfying solve, well set!
on 8. April 2024, 01:02 by ONeill
That was fun! and not as brutal as some of your other deconstructions :)
