Saturn (Thermo/Diagonal)
(Published on 23. January 2025, 20:25 by damo_89)
Standard thermo and diagonal constraints. Consensus testing estimate was 2 stars difficulty, but I hope this is approachable for a newer solver so please see below for a hint. Good luck!
- Normal sudoku rules apply: Place the digits 1 to 9 once each in every row, column and 3x3 box
- Thermometers: Digits along a grey thermometer must strictly increase from the bulb end
- Diagonal: Digits may not repeat along the positive diagonal, marked with a blue line
A hint for the start..
The 6 cell thermos are very constrained. Think about how these interact with the central cell of boxes 1, 3, 7 and 9
Solution code: Row 1
Comments
on 25. January 2025, 10:12 by VitP
absolutely NOT "approachable for a newer solver".
it's pretty easy for an expert, but these do NOT mean the same thing.
I will be more specific. A "new" solver is someone who has just found out about sudoku. Clearly, such a person has no hope of doing any of these puzzles, and will likely struggle even with GAS. But it's reasonable to assume that THIS site is not intended for such people.
The next level is people who can easily do basic sudoku, and will have had an introduction to variant sudoku. They will know SOME of the techniques of SOME variants, OR some advanced techniques of basic sudoku. Any more, and they are already classed as "intermediate" level.
Note the use of the word "technique" here. You can SHOW someone how to find and apply X-wings, or how to approach X-sums, but "consider how this set of 10 cells affects this other cell" is an ABSTRACT concept, and requires considerable experience to even recognize, let alone apply, especially if you are working with candidates or even colours.
Damo: Thank you for taking the time to engage, VitP. I have been ruminating on this. I think my solving has improved so much over the past year that I am not able to judge what a newer setter is able to see. A couple of my early puzzles were voted down a difficulty category as the concepts within were new to me but very easy to spot for someone experienced, and i have not adjusted.
However, i maintain that the reason a more experienced solver can breeze through this is that intuition around where to look, or more experience at spotting sudoku techniques like pairs or pointing. I hope the hint allows someone who typically only solves 1 star puzzles to solve this.
on 24. January 2025, 15:05 by PinkNickels
Very cool logical steps in the solution path. Excellent 2* puzzle. Thanks for sharing.
on 24. January 2025, 01:45 by therealsillypenguin
Very enjoyable breakthrough on this one!
on 23. January 2025, 22:40 by mathpesto
Lovely logic in here!
on 23. January 2025, 21:12 by chaosaudit
Fun interactions!
