1. Mixer
Normal sudoku rules apply (fill each row, column, and 3x3 box with the digits 1-9 once each), and all clues are standard.
Killer cages: the sum of the digits inside each cage is equal to the small number in the top left corner.
Thermometers: digits on thermometers increase from the bulb.
Digits in cells separated by a white dot are consecutive.
Very rough difficulty estimate: 4/10
Play online: SudokuPad | unshaded | F-Puzzles
New to variant sudoku? Check out these beginner-friendly guides to killer cages and other popular rulesets.
Hey, here’s something exciting! This Thursday, April 25, at 3pm EDT, I will be appearing in Memeristor’s Setter Spotlight Series, streaming live on YouTube (and available later if you can’t watch live). This is the latest installment in a series that has featured dozens of prominent puzzle-makers, including clover, zetamath, and even Phistomefel, and I’m both honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to join that list.
Anyway, I hope you’ll check it out. These interviews are always a lot of fun, and I don’t make too many on-screen appearances like this, so if for some reason you want to know what I look and sound like, this is your rare chance to find out 😁
2. Linearity
Normal sudoku rules apply (fill each row, column, and 3x3 box with the digits 1-9 once each), and all clues are standard.
Correctly placed digits clear the fog around them.
Entropic lines: along orange lines, every set of three adjacent cells must contain one low digit (1-3), one middle digit (4-6), and one high digit (7-9).
Digits in cells separated by a V sum to 5.
Digits in cells separated by an X sum to 10.
Digits in cells separated by a black dot have a 1:2 ratio.
Very rough difficulty estimate: 4/10
Play online: SudokuPad
3. Joy Ride
Normal sudoku rules apply (fill each row, column, and 3x3 box with the digits 1-9 once each), and all clues are standard.
Killer cages: the sum of the digits inside each cage is equal to the small number in the top left corner.
Arrows: the sum of the digits along an arrow is equal to the digit in the connected circle.
Digits in cells with a shaded circle must be odd.
Very rough difficulty estimates: 8/10, 6/10
Play online: SudokuPad | unshaded | F-Puzzles
Extra clues: SudokuPad | unshaded | F-Puzzles
Some other puzzles I enjoyed this week:
Unknown Little Killers, by GBPack
Va-Et-Vient, by Joseph Nehme
Broken symmetry, by arbitrary
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This week’s meta-description:
Check me out in the Setter Spotlight Series, live on YouTube this Thursday at 3pm EDT!
For premium subscribers, hints and two more bonus puzzles are below. If you like between lines and/or indexing, this would be a good week to sign up.
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