The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
(Published on 4. February 2025, 15:44 by SamuPiano)
I have returned to setting after a month of stress and setter's block! And I ended up with a puzzle that I was so thrilled about that I framed it. (You can use the interior of the frame for note-taking.) Thank you to the testers, in particular MattYDdraig and ThePedallingPianist!
This puzzle was inspired by the brilliant Hidden Full Rank, by RockyRoer. Go check that one out if you enjoy this one!
Without further ado, here are the rules:
RULES:
SUDOKU: Normal sudoku rules apply. Place the digits 1 to 9 once each in every row, column, and 3x3 box.
FULL RANK: Considering all rows and columns as 9-digit numbers read from each edge of the grid and ranked from lowest (1) to highest (36), a clue represents where in the ranking that row/column lies.
KILLER: The sum of the digits in each cage is equal to the rank of the row or column completely containing the cage in some direction, which must be deduced by the solver. No two cages reference the same 9-digit number.
You can play the puzzle by clicking on the image!
Happy solving! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed this puzzle, and check out some of my other puzzles!
Solution code: The 8th-ranked 9-digit string.
Comments
on 14. February 2025, 20:36 by Josh_Tuba
This took me much longer to solve than most puzzles (just under 2.5 hours) but I'm so glad I stuck with it till the end, This was beautiful!
Bravo!
on 6. February 2025, 18:50 by Franjo
Really challenging puzzle, I adore this construction! Thank you very much for creating and sharing this wonderful masterpiece.
on 6. February 2025, 16:59 by gfoot
Very satisfying deductions after I got the hang of the "full rank" system, which was used very effectively throughout - thanks for setting it!
on 5. February 2025, 12:23 by SirWoezel
One more for on my list of favourites
on 5. February 2025, 11:03 by Snookerfan
Fantastic puzzle! Very long solve for me, but I never got really stuck. Puzzle of the year potentially. Thank you
on 5. February 2025, 08:40 by krytolandros
Hard but rewarding puzzle. Wonderful setting.
on 5. February 2025, 00:50 by ThePedallingPianist
Wow! I completely echo the other comments - mind-blowingly clever construction! It was a pleasure to be part of the testing process for this masterpiece!
on 4. February 2025, 21:33 by sanabas
Very impressive construction.
on 4. February 2025, 19:49 by Elliott810
Absolutely brilliant construction! Take a bow and thanks:)
on 4. February 2025, 17:00 by MattYDdraig
This was an exquisite puzzle. Really clever break-in and a series of beautiful deductions at every stage.
