Sus Yin Yang (fog, zipper)
(Published on 19. July 2024, 16:44 by gdc)
This puzzle is similar to Zip Zero, but uses the pseudo-cells modifier rule instead of negators. There is an example-puzzle below in case anything is unclear. Thanks to the testers and hope you enjoy!
- Sudoku: Normal Sudoku rules apply.
- Fog: The grid is covered in fog. Placing correct digits reveals clues in the surrounding 3x3 area.
- Yin Yang: Shade some cells so that all shaded cells are orthogonally connected and all unshaded cells are orthogonally connected. No 2x2 area can be completely shaded or unshaded.
- Pseudo: The value of a shaded cell is the sum of its row number and its column number. The value of an unshaded cell is its digit.
- Zipper: Values an equal distance to the circled center of a line sum to the central value.
- All lines are of odd length, only move orthogonally and don't share cells with other lines.
Example
This is a 6x6 example to showcase the ruleset. The digits on the outside show the value of pseudocells in the indicated diagonal. The zipper in box 1 contains 2 pseudo cells (r2c1 and r1c2) which both have a value of 3 (2+1, 1+2). This makes the center (r2c2) a 6 (3+3). The long line with the center in r3c3 has a pseudo cell in the middle. Therefore, all zipper-pairs add up to 6 (3+3, 2+4, 5+1). The shading is valid because every pair of cells with the same color can be connected via orthogonal movements (up, down, left, right) without leaving the color and there are no 2x2 areas with only one color.
Do You Want To Solve More?
If you liked this one you might also want to check out Fakes In The Fog by Marty Sears. It also combines fog, zippers and pseudo-cells.
Another similar puzzle is Subzero by Schwupel and Packattack25 which uses yin yang with negators.
Solution code: The shaded (pseudo) digits in row 3, left to right.
Comments
on 27. August 2024, 13:19 by AsgarArn
Fantastic puzzle.
Also love the rules and that there is an example to avoid missinterpertations
on 23. August 2024, 20:27 by wazdra
Wow. I haven't finished the puzzle yet, but R6C9 was magnificent
on 19. August 2024, 01:46 by fajoogaloo
Very cool break-in. Loved how the yin yang interacted with the zippers. Loved this puzzle :)
on 4. August 2024, 23:55 by psams
Fun to solve!
on 2. August 2024, 21:26 by DonQuichopp
Wonderful puzzle! Usually I need days to solve a 3 star sudoku. But this one I got through in just over 2 hours.
Thanks to the fog, I found the breakin within minutes, but then started to understand why it's a 3/star. But boy this was beautiful! So many dependencies and I am sure for more experienced solvers, a very nice flow.
Thank you, I enjoyed this very much!
on 1. August 2024, 20:07 by Kawkaz
I was so proud of myself for succeeding this one without peeking in the CTC video!
Great puzzle gdc, again
on 1. August 2024, 06:35 by scralt
My first ever solve on Logic Masters- very enjoyable, thanks!
on 29. July 2024, 01:05 by marty_sears
Loved this! really clever combination of the modifier with zippers and fog, as we would expect from a gdc puzzle
on 26. July 2024, 10:33 by Geb
I really like yin yang and fog puzzles, so having a good one where they work together so well is a treat!
on 25. July 2024, 17:30 by gdc
Thanks everyone for the nice feedback! It was exciting to see this puzzle doing as well as it did.
@puzzlepandid: I think there are certain steps that would not make sense without the fog. But I can see how one could create a puzzle the same rules minus fog that leans more into global geometric (connectivity) ideas.
@Tomf1sh: That's great to hear! If you like the genre, search for "negator yin yang" on LMD or check out the links to other puzzles above.
@ViKingPrime: To me you are still the expert in S-cells and liar-puzzles, no questions asked.
on 25. July 2024, 08:29 by 3good5you
Speechless.
on 24. July 2024, 11:05 by JayForty
Absolutely loved it! This is a must-solve for anyone who likes shading hybrids. Well done!
on 23. July 2024, 15:45 by davidemsa
I love this puzzle. The way the pseudo cells interact with the yin-yang led to some interesting and creative logic.
on 23. July 2024, 14:37 by puzzlepandit
Great Puzzle. Hurdle at each step.
Just wondering whether this will be same difficulty but more enjoyable without fog.
on 21. July 2024, 12:07 by ademjaz
lovely!
on 20. July 2024, 19:43 by GavinGuile
Awesome puzzle!
on 20. July 2024, 14:46 by WildEnte
What a pleasure. Hard (at least for me) but not unfair at all. I've had several moments when it struck me and I found a digit, and then had to lean back, take a deep breath and stare in admiration.
on 20. July 2024, 11:51 by Franjo
Fantastic! Lots of beautiful deductions on the way to clear the fog. Thank you so much for sharing this masterpiece.
on 20. July 2024, 07:39 by rameshsrivats
Beautiful puzzle. It flowed so well.
on 20. July 2024, 07:29 by RedBarchetta
Absolute stunner! After figuring out how it works, my next deduction was - wait a minute, this has to that, which means WAAAY over there this specific digit must be placed. And it WORKED! Nice One!
on 20. July 2024, 05:04 by ecwyne
The break in on this puzzle was especially enjoyable. One of the most joy-filled times I've had completing a sudoku
on 20. July 2024, 01:20 by Tomf1sh
Absolutely beautiful. I'm quite new to sudoku and this was my first shading/pseudo-cell puzzle and I loved it. 121:20 - you completely absorbed my evening! Hope this one gains more popularity.
on 19. July 2024, 23:13 by tubahat
this one's an all-timer for sure
on 19. July 2024, 22:58 by nunc
Thanks a lot for sharing this masterpiece. After the first few deductions and digits, I wondered how this could ever be (uniquely) solved. But then I found the crucial step, and from there it flowed smoothly.
on 19. July 2024, 21:45 by japanoise_breakfast
I really ought to have checked what the solution code requirements were before deleting all of my colouring to make the last sudoku-only bit easier to deal with :)
on 19. July 2024, 20:46 by wuc
Masterpiece. The yin yang deductions are awesome. Great fun thx.
on 19. July 2024, 20:02 by ViKingPrime
You've become the undisputed master of Schrodinger cells, Yin/Yang colouring and now Pseudo cells? You're absolutely unstoppable.
on 19. July 2024, 19:26 by SamuPiano
This puzzle contains one of my favorite steps I've seen in any puzzle recently! An absolute joy to solve :)
