Artisanal Sudoku, Volume 172

1. Azalea

• 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.

• Digits in cells separated by a V sum to 5.

• Digits in cells separated by an X sum to 10.

• Very rough difficulty estimate: 2/10

Play online: SudokuPad

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

---

2. Recycle

• 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.

• 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 estimate: 5/10

Play online: SudokuPad | unshaded

---

3. Aquarium, by Matt Tressel

• 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 (if given), and digits cannot repeat within a cage.

• German whispers: along green lines, digits differ from their neighbors by at least 5.

• The digit in the cell with a shaded square is even.

• The digit in the cell with a shaded circle is odd.

• Very rough difficulty estimates: 7/10, 5/10

Play online: SudokuPad | unshaded

Extra clues: SudokuPad | unshaded

---

Some other puzzles I enjoyed this week:

• Four Chambers, by Katie Splendor

• Cheesy Adventure, by PhoenixAki

• Modal Interchange, by gdc

---

Thanks for subscribing to Artisanal Sudoku! Feedback is always appreciated, just leave a comment, reach out on Bluesky, or reply to this email. If you liked these puzzles, you probably know someone else who’d like them too, so please spread the word. If you’re interested in submitting a puzzle, click here for more information. And if you want to try more of my puzzles—many of which are tougher than the ones you’ll find here—check out my page on Logic Masters Deutschland.

This week’s meta-description:
To everyone in my fantasy football league that weirdly drafts in April: this is what I was working on while ignoring your trade offers.

For premium subscribers, hints and two more bonus puzzles are below. If you can’t get enough of indexing puzzles, this would be a good week to sign up.