Chackstones (XVXV/Kropki pairs/X-sums)
(Published on 27. April 2024, 02:42 by dumediat)
This is a puzzle that I created for Malrog's birthday, and they were gracious enough to suggest that I publish it here to share with all of you.
Ratings, comments, and feedback are much appreciated! Please feel free to reach out to me on Discord if you have any comments or questions. Please also feel free to try my other puzzles here.
Rules:
- Normal sudoku rules apply. Place the digits 1 to 9 in the grid such that digits do not repeat in any row, column, or 3x3 box.
- XVXV: Cells connected by a V must sum to either 5 or 15, and cells connected by an X must sum to either 10 or 15. Not all possible Vs and Xs are given.
- Kropki pairs: Numbers separated by a white dot are consecutive, and numbers separated by a black dot have a 1:2 ratio. Not all dots are given.
- X-sums: Clues outside the grid (gray cells) give the sum of the first N digits in their respective row or column, where N is the digit nearest the clue.
Penpa+: https://tinyurl.com/2ajkysk6
SudokuPad: https://sudokupad.app/fyvbtp2esd
Solution code: Column 6
Comments
on 12. August 2024, 15:42 by Bankey
Very hard and very enjoyable. Thanks, @ dumediat :).
on 1. May 2024, 15:26 by Solved647
Took me forever to find the break in, and I did have to "brute force" the first cell after narrowing it down to 4 possibilities, but the rest of the puzzle was just a lot of staring at things until the made sense :)
Really enjoyed the challenge and the different approach.
on 29. April 2024, 08:21 by Malrog
I'm honoured and flattered that such a puzzle could be created for me. This is really amazing, and there were at least three separate deductions in the puzzle that had me gasping in delight. It is hard, but it's also fair, and there's basically never a need to bash at it. A tour de force dumediat, thank you :)
on 29. April 2024, 02:52 by shteev
Maybe this puzzle was just too clever for me, but nothing about solving it didn't feel like brute forcing it
>>dumediat: I'm sorry you felt that way, but I can assure you that no step in this puzzle requires brute force. I'll be happy to talk through any steps if you'd like.
on 28. April 2024, 04:27 by Calvinball
That just happened?! Even after solving this I'm not sure something this amazing should exist, yet it does.
on 27. April 2024, 18:51 by Myxo
Very beautiful puzzle!
on 27. April 2024, 17:03 by goodcity
Insane setting !
on 27. April 2024, 15:38 by lmdemasi
Super cool!
on 27. April 2024, 12:06 by Snookerfan
Superb! Thank you
on 27. April 2024, 10:54 by Piatato
Very tough, impressively set.
on 27. April 2024, 07:32 by by81996672
Great puzzle.
on 27. April 2024, 05:35 by bansalsaab
Amazing puzzle.
on 27. April 2024, 02:48 by Bellsita
The logic in this puzzle is insanely good! WOW!
