The Queen of Hearts' Labyrinth
(Published on 20. January 2026, 10:20 by Kjupatrick)
The Queen of Hearts' Labyrinth by Patrick Junke
Rules:
Sudoku
Normal Sudoku rules apply: place the digits from 1 to 9 exactly once in each row, column, and 3×3 region.
Labyrinth
The grid hides a labyrinth: a continuous area of orthogonally connected cells.
No 2×2 block of cells is entirely made of labyrinth cells (also called path cells).
All other cells are walls.
The four symbols ♠, ♥, ♣, and ♦ indicate all the dead ends of the labyrinth. Each symbol replaces a corresponding (to be determined) arrow symbol (up, down, left, or right) indicating the exit of the dead end (i.e. the direction of the single adjacent path cell).
Remember: all dead ends are given.
Walls
Walls form independent groups of exactly four orthogonally connected cells.
Almost all wall groups consist of two pairs of digits, each pair summing to ten.
There is only one exception: one group of wall cells is made of four digits whose sum is not 20.
The two dotted cells are wall cells and belong to this exceptional group.
Xs
A X between two digits indicate they sum to 10. All Xs are given.
Walks
Alice starts in the labyrinth cell at the center of the grid (marked with the letter “A”).
Numbers outside the grid indicate the sum of the digits encountered when Alice walks from her starting position to the symbol next to the number, moving orthogonally through the labyrinth.
The starting cell is included in the sum.
App link :
Here is a link to a SudokuPad version of the grid.
Solution code: The digits of the first row from left to right.
Comments
on 26. January 2026, 23:16 by firespire
I'm not a strong solver so must have picked this before it got a 4 star difficulty rating.
The Labyrinth appealed to me, lucky for me the path sums weren't needed until the end. The ability to rewind mistakes together with the letter tool and conflict checker got me through. Nice sense of achievement to solve it, thanks for making.
Patrick> Thank you! Yes this puzzle is a complete different experience to solve than the two similar puzzles that I've made (hidden killer cages in labyrinths : "The buried clue walls" or "ça fait la rue Michel"). Just because the digits determination is push to the last minute.
on 22. January 2026, 20:32 by goldpuffle
I loved the logic of the path sums!!
Patrick> Thank You! (For information, I already used it once for disambiguation purposes in the puzzle "Frexit!")
on 21. January 2026, 08:52 by Kjupatrick
Thanks to all the solvers that have allowed this puzzle to have a rating.
(It’s not always the case, my last one didn’t achieve this step, so thank you.)
By the way it’s the first time I have underestimated the difficulty. Usually on this site, experimented solvers find my puzzles easier than I thought. Just a comment.
on 20. January 2026, 19:01 by Chanome
i really enjoyed constructing the labyrinth and the sum of numbers seemed useless until it didnt. what a fun suprise!
Patrick> Thank you!
on 20. January 2026, 13:37 by Fizz
That was so cool, thanks a lot!
Patrick> Great! Thank you.
