Artisanal Sudoku, Volume 162

1. Unstable Connection

• Normal sudoku rules apply (fill each row, column, and 3x3 box with the digits 1-9 once each), and all clues are standard.

• Cages: the sum of the digits inside each cage is equal to the small number in the top left corner.

• Quadruple circles: a digit inside a white circle must appear in one of the four cells surrounding that circle.

• Very rough difficulty estimate: 3/10

Play online: SudokuPad | unshaded

New to variant sudoku? Check out these beginner-friendly guides to killer cages and other popular rulesets.

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2. Tunnel Vision

• Normal sudoku rules apply (fill each row, column, and 3x3 box with the digits 1-9 once each).

• Correctly placed digits clear the fog around them.

• 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.

• Parity lines: along red lines, adjacent digits alternate between odd and even.

• Digits in cells separated by a black dot have a 1:2 ratio.

• Very rough difficulty estimate: 5/10

Play online: SudokuPad | version without fog

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3. Rise Up, by Playmaker6174

• Normal sudoku rules apply (fill each row, column, and 3x3 box with the digits 1-9 once each), and all clues are standard.

• 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.

• Arrows: the sum of the digits along an arrow is equal to the digit in the connected circle, and these digits can repeat if allowed by other rules.

• Very rough difficulty estimates: 8/10, 6/10

Play online: SudokuPad | unshaded

Extra clues: SudokuPad | unshaded

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Some other puzzles I enjoyed this week:

• Nine Cages, by Belamis

• Bubbles!, by Michael Lefkowitz

• Sandwich Additives, by DiMono

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This week’s meta-description:
No one’s expecting you to get any work done on Super Bowl Monday. Solve these puzzles instead.

For premium subscribers, hints and two more bonus puzzles are below.