Split Decision
(Published on 3. June 2024, 23:10 by jwsinclair)
Split Decision, by James Sinclair
Normal sudoku rules apply, and all clues are standard.
Killer cages: the sum of the digits inside each cage is equal to the small number in the top left corner.
Arrows: the sum of the digits along an arrow is equal to the digit in the connected circle, and these digits can repeat if allowed by other rules.
Edit: changed the difficulty to 3/5 after seeing Playmaker's comment. I agree that it's probably between 2 and 3, and when that's the case I prefer to round up (the folks here can vote it back down to 2 if they want :)
Play online
Originally published in Artisanal Sudoku, Volume 126. I publish five new puzzles there every Monday morning, and I only cross-post a handful of them here.
Solution code: row 5
Comments
on 29. August 2024, 21:31 by Nemefish
Elegant design. Sometime a puzzle seems easy when you ask the right questions, but the challenge is figuring out the right questions.
on 23. June 2024, 08:20 by Onkel_Dagobert
The break-in, which needed several non-trivial deductions, took me nearly 20 minutes, the rest of the way less than 10. I usually prefer puzzles which stay challenging for as long as possible, but I bow to the mind that came up with this idea for a break-in. Great job!
on 5. June 2024, 20:37 by Perladel
Very nice!
on 4. June 2024, 14:18 by ryanprobably
Very nice geometry but also quite easy. Interesting to see the comments here
on 4. June 2024, 14:01 by Bionic Cheese
Great puzzle , simple rules but not easy to solve , perfect combination
on 4. June 2024, 08:33 by wuc
2.5 star. After 10 mins i thought 3. But after the real break in it is fairly easy. Great idea to enter. Fun solve thx.
on 4. June 2024, 06:50 by damo_89
That geometry was something special but required a lot more thought than a standard puzzle so 3* for me.
on 4. June 2024, 06:40 by SudokuHero
What a beautiful string of deductions. Amazing how you always knew where to look next for the next one, and it happily divulged it's secrets to you.
on 4. June 2024, 04:43 by SamuPiano
Great puzzle and nice geometry! I do think it's a 3* :)
on 4. June 2024, 03:06 by dumediat
Wonderful, thank you!
on 4. June 2024, 01:16 by antiknight
Amazing break-in idea! I think it's 2* tho ^^
on 3. June 2024, 23:50 by jwsinclair
changed difficulty from 2/5 to 3/5
on 3. June 2024, 23:36 by Playmaker6174
Super fun and satisfying throughout, especially that opening sequence, I enjoyed the solve there!
Some may find it quite harder than 2/5 diff and for me, 2.25/5 sounds good I guess x)
