1. Injunction
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, and digits cannot repeat within a cage.
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.
One more plug for my recent interview with Memeristor, which was a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone who watched live and/or sent in questions. And even if you missed it live, I’ll encourage you to check it out, if for no reason other than to find out why I mentioned Patrick Warburton.*
*Please don’t watch solely for this reason. You will almost certainly find the answer unsatisfying.
Thanks also to Jobo, for contributing the fantastic puzzle below, which gives me a good opportunity to say that I’ve finally gotten around to writing a dedicated post with submission guidelines. If you’re interested in having one of your puzzles published in a future volume, click here for more information.
2. Meteor Shower, by Jobo
Normal sudoku rules apply (fill each row, column, and 3x3 box with the digits 1-9 once each), and all clues are standard.
Thermometers: digits on thermometers increase from the bulb.
Renban lines: purple lines contain a non-repeating set of consecutive digits in any order.
Very rough difficulty estimate: 5/10
Play online: SudokuPad | F-Puzzles
3. Screener
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, and digits cannot repeat within a cage.
German whispers: along green lines, digits must differ from their neighbors by at least 5.
Quadruple circles: a digit inside a white circle must appear in one of the four cells surrounding that circle.
Digits in cells with a shaded square must be even.
Digits in cells with a shaded circle must be odd.
Digits in cells separated by a (smaller) white dot are consecutive.
Very rough difficulty estimates: 9/10, 6/10
Play online: SudokuPad | unshaded | F-Puzzles
Extra clues: SudokuPad | unshaded | F-Puzzles
Some other puzzles I enjoyed this week:
L7 Weenie, by Kennet's Dad
Colorado 11, by Florian Wortmann
Ready or not, by sujoyku
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This week’s meta-description:
Featuring one of my favorite bonus puzzles in a long time.
For premium subscribers, hints and two more bonus puzzles are below. If you like non-standard rules and negative constraints, there’s something for you this week.
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