How to Dot Your V's
(Published on 4. April 2025, 19:58 by PhoenixAki)
- Normal sudoku rules apply. Place the digits 1-9 in each row, column, and 3x3 box without repetition.
- Dynamic Fog: The grid is partially covered in grey fog. Placing correct digits will clear the fog, at minimum under that cell and sometimes in other parts of the grid. No guessing is required.
- Ratio Pairs: Digits separated by a black dot must have one digit be double the other (a 2:1 ratio).
- XV Pairs: Digits separated by an X sum to 10. Digits separated by a V sum to 5.
- Killer Cages: Digits in dotted-line cages must sum to the number in the top left corner of the cage. Digits may not repeat within a cage.
- German Whispers: Adjacent digits on a green line must have a difference of at least 5.
- Renban: Digits placed on purple lines must be a non-repeating set of consecutive digits in any order. In this puzzle, renban lines may not leave the box they are discovered in.
- Quadruples: Digits in a quadruple circle must be placed in the four cells touching that circle.
Visual impairment friendly version: here. This version has text abbreviations specifying which rule each type of line is. GW for German whisper, RB for renban.
To increase accessibility to my puzzles, I include hints in my puzzle posts (see below) and also post solution videos which guide you through the hints on my YouTube channel. If you'd like to solve this in your own video, go ahead! But ideally, let me know here or via Discord (same username) if you do ^.^
Hint 1: There is a specific interaction involving black dots and V's that is of importance here. To start you out, think about whether it's possible for a 1 to go on a black dot that sees a V. Hint 2 explains it.
Hint 2: Black dots that see a V can never have a 1 or a 2 on them, and in turn, must be either 36 or 48. Alongside a V, that means there's 2 ways for them to unfold (14 and 36, or 23 and 48). Box 5 will unfold in 2 ways overall based on these, and one of those breaks the box 4 clues.
Hint 3: If you're struggling after revealing the dot and V in column 1, pay attention to where digits can go in column 1. There's a sneaky hidden single that must be found to continue.
Solution code: Row 2's digits from left to right (9 digits)
Comments
on 12. January 2026, 02:17 by PhoenixAki
Added hints after learning recently how to do that in HTML. Wish I knew this last week when I went over all my posts...oh well.
on 4. January 2026, 22:11 by PhoenixAki
Updated post as part of an effort to improve consistency of rule phrasing and post layout across all my puzzles. I also included a link to a second version of the puzzle that's more accessible to solvers with visual impairments such as colorblindness.
on 10. June 2025, 19:12 by wuc
Approachable fun 2* thx.
on 13. May 2025, 10:24 by RoystonDA
Excellent solution! I felt like a brain box working out the break-in. You soothe my ego
on 12. May 2025, 22:00 by JoeyJoeJoe
Took me 00:57:22 I am slow at these
on 20. April 2025, 11:09 by Nemefish
Overall nice with two quibbles
1) the quadruple clues in most puzzles show the digits in ascending order, so it is a bit off to see them not sorted. 2) most of the time the dynamic fog at least reveals the digit placed so the few times it doesn’t it made me nervous.
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PhoenixAki: Where did the fog not reveal upon placing a digit? It is set to by default reveal fog from cells with correct digits placed if it's not already cleared which I just verified with a quick test re-solving of it.
on 15. April 2025, 01:54 by PhoenixAki
removed "uhhhh solution video isn't made yet" note because it is made now :)
on 9. April 2025, 23:24 by fragglerock1981
Ooooh, I REALLY liked this one. Very smooth solve, with a relatively long pause before I figured out the Renban, then it was a sprint finish. Thank you for sharing! A+
on 8. April 2025, 01:59 by Calvinball
Very nice puzzle! I really enjoyed how consistent and smooth it was the entire way through.
on 5. April 2025, 19:54 by hardline35
Nice puzzle, thank you!
on 5. April 2025, 02:12 by PhoenixAki
minor addition to rules to counter an accidental "one step was tougher than it was intended to be" issue. Grid solution and clues are maintained so that solution code is still valid, with the new rule addition (regarding lines not leaving their box) forcing the intended approach to one step in the solve.
on 5. April 2025, 02:10 by Llamaths
Very nice puzzle! And I learned something new about dots and V's!
on 5. April 2025, 01:23 by Sralser
I enjoyed thisone
on 4. April 2025, 21:48 by Azure
I really liked this puzzle. It was fun solving it. That renban tripped me up a little bit. After a bit of thinking, it resolved itself. Thank you for the puzzle!
