From the Foxger’s Den #19: Slitherlink
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools in edgex mode where left click+drag draws lines and right click marks X’s)
Theme: Threes Frame (and recommended soundtrack for the puzzle)
Rules: Standard Slitherlink rules.
Answer String: Enter the length in cells of each of the internal loop segments from left to right for the marked rows, starting at the top. Separate each row’s entry with a comma.
Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 1:00, Master = 1:45, Expert = 3:30
Solution: PDF
y no more sudoku?? I hate solving puzzle other than sudoku!! not fun anymore today..
I hate to disappoint you, but Sudoku is definitely not one of my greatest strengths as a constructor; if I were the only person running this site, you wouldn’t get a Sudoku as often as you do (once a week).
I can’t always speak on Dr. Sudoku’s behalf, but I think he’s been deliberately aiming for variety by featuring six different puzzle types every week (including one Sudoku variation). If you’re hurting for Sudoku, buy his Sudoku books. I don’t own them, but I assume they are amazing.
Welcome. We try to have a range of different types of puzzles and it may not be everyday that you get one of your favorites but we have over 60 other posts that contain Sudoku. Click the sudoku category tag on the left to see them. I have over the history of the internets written and posted probably 300 Sudoku which you can find on my old blog such as here and searching “Sudoku”. I have written five books of Sudoku and variations if you want a lot more — and certainly my very best.
Found this one a little tricky to get started but then it progressed nicely with grant’s trademark loop-puzzle style. I haven’t looked at the time standards, but I managed it well before the recommended soundtrack finished 🙂
11:55!
Lower half progressed faster and helped me complete.Good fun puzzle and btw i had a look at the instruction booklet of US round of Grand prix yesterday.
Nice to know you are authoring the set along with Hwang.
I was a bit flustered though seeing that Tile sudoku coming up in the set again.It is clearly the least of my favourite sudoku variations.I still cant solve the Tile sudokus you gave 2 weeks back.
Motris,will you be devoting a week to providing practice/preview puzzles before the competetion .Ofcourse you have posted sudoku genres before which are in the Booklet but it would be nice to see some seek and spell,Binary ,Diagonal and so on just a week or 2 before the test.Maybe the mighty fox can provide a seek and spell which has been provided before.
Nothing bolsters the ego like being called “the mighty fox”, even though the epithet does ignore my mighty badger heritage.
Binary Sudoku? Isn’t that a bit too trivial to appear on a serious puzzle test?
Not all binary sudoku are xkcd cartoons. Some actually involve more than 1 bit.
And last but not least the Dynasty sudoku.Looks like a marriage between Puzzles and sudokus. Very interesting.I will certainly give it a try.Can you kindly provide links to Dynasty sudokus which you may created before motris?
My past Dynasty Sudoku was written before the 2011 USPC and — following the rules of Adam Wood’s puzzle on that contest — used a 12×12 grid and was far too hard. So I do not think I will link to it. If you really want to find it, just search “Dynasty Sudoku” on google as I should be the top hit.
Thanx for the soundtrack ! Brought me right back to the 80s !
Weird, I entered 345 in the answer thing, just to see what happens, and it took it as a good answer …
On originally posting this puzzle, there was no solution string input before we tested the solution. Unfortunately, the first time Dave Millar’s applet is pinged it grabs the post’s input answer, so this Slitherlink grabbed nothing and actually takes any string. This is a known bug, and once I have direct control of the database will not be an issue on the rare times a puzzle is posted without a solution string.
There’s a bug in the puzzle. It shouldn’t be a Slitherlink, but a math problem: what is the smallest Pythagorean triple?