Wandering in Uncertainty, by Patrick JUNKE
Normal Sudoku rules do not apply. Indeed :
One row contains each of the digits from [1-9].
Each other row contains eight of the digits [1-9], one digit being repeated, thus one missing (from [1-9]).
When the repeated digit is a prime number, the missing digit is not prime, and vice-versa.
If a digit is repeated in a row, it can't be the repeated digit again in an other row.
If a digit is missing in a row, it can't be the missing digit again in an other row.
Columns obey to the same rules (one column contains the digits [1-9], the others contains a repeated digit and a missing one, etc.).
Marked regions also obey to the same rules.
The labyrinth :
Not prime number [1,4,6,8,9] constitue an area of orthogonnaly connected cells that I call a labyrinth, making prime numbers [2,3,5,7] walls.
A black square in the middle of a 2x2 cell square indiquates that these four cells are all walls.
A white square in the middle of a 2x2 cell square indiquates that these four cells are all labyrinth cells.
An arrow indicates a dead end in the labyrinth, and points toward the exit of the dead end, i.e. the only cell to which it is connected.
Other clues :
An X between two cells indicates that their digits sum to ten.All black squares, blank squares, Xs, black dots, white dots, and arrows are given.
Example whith a 5x5 grid and the digits [1,2,7,8,9] :
What all the notations look like :
What the solution looks like :
Here is a link to the puzzle on Sudoku Pad.
Don't pay attention to the coloring made by this application to indicate inacurracies, because it don't know the real rules.
Notes about the puzzle :
- This puzzle is hard. I advise you to solve these simplier puzzles : Negative gifts and Frexit ! to get accustomed to my labyrinths before attempting this one.
- This puzzle is a improvement of Negative gifts. When Mark solved it, he used too much in my opinion of the counting of the walls to fill the grid and less of the pure breakings of putting walls in wrong places. In short, it was too easy ;-). With the repetead and missing digits rules, you can't rely so much on the counting (even if you still have to).
- I don't know what you will think about it, but the repetead and missing digits brings a lot of frustration at first in the solving because we are accustomed to the Sudoku elimination process, and here nothing is really sure at the beginning ; but I found it gave in the long run a better taste to each deduction.
- Sometimes solvers ask themselves if the grid has been generated by computer. If I definitivly used it to create Frexit !, the repetead and missing digits contrains here made it difficult to program. Thus this puzzle is entirely hand-made, from the design of the labyrinth, to the placement of digits and the drawing of the regions, and thus required an ancient field tested method : lots of trials and errors.
Lösungscode: The solution code is a three digit number :
- the first digit is the digit that is never repeated (or missing) in the rows.
- the second digit is the digit that is never repeated (or missing) in the columns.
- the third digit is the digit that is never repeated (or missing) in the marked regions.
am 5. September 2024, 08:55 Uhr von Kjupatrick
Replacing f-puzzle link to SudokuPad link.
am 1. August 2024, 15:40 Uhr von Kjupatrick
Changing estimate difficulty from ***** to ****.
am 23. Juni 2024, 21:49 Uhr von Kjupatrick
Resizing the img of the grid.
am 23. Juni 2024, 21:41 Uhr von Kjupatrick
Fixed:
- Last missing X in r7c23
(Thanks to sanabas to point it)
am 23. Juni 2024, 15:38 Uhr von Kjupatrick
Fixed :
- There was an X missing between r8c6 and r8c7 in the main puzzle.
(Thanks to sanabas to have noticed.)
am 22. Juni 2024, 19:47 Uhr von Kjupatrick
Fixed:
- the last missing X in the example 5x5 grid I hope
am 22. Juni 2024, 19:42 Uhr von Kjupatrick
Fixed :
- Missing an X and two blank dots in the example 5x5 grid.
am 22. Juni 2024, 13:13 Uhr von marcmees
Nice puzzle which deserves more solves .. now it's fixed :-) . Thanks
am 22. Juni 2024, 13:11 Uhr von Kjupatrick
Fixed :
- there was a blank dot missing between c8r2 et c8r3.
- the fact that all Xs were also given wasn't mentionned.
- there were blank dots missing between 7 et 8 in the 5x5 notation grid example
(Thanks to marcmees to having pointed all that)
- "thus on missing" --> "thus one missing"
am 20. Juni 2024, 21:50 Uhr von Kjupatrick
Wow, two solves already...
Congratulations to nuzzopa and kublai !
Thanks to be the first to validate the puzzle, appart from me.
am 20. Juni 2024, 20:31 Uhr von kublai
The negative constraints are very powerful. Once the walls started to crumble, they fell pretty quickly. Great puzzle!
Kjupatrick> Thanks a lot !