Bonus: Little Killer Sudoku by Thomas Snyder
or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)
Theme: Digit Series and Clue Symmetry
Author/Opus: This is the 227th puzzle from Thomas Snyder, aka Dr. Sudoku.
Rules: Standard Sudoku rules. Additionally, some numbered arrows outside the grid indicate the sum of the digits along that diagonal path. (Digits can repeat along a diagonal sum.)
Note: No answer strings or timing here (honor system for when you solve it). I’m simply posting some “examples” I wrote as the Sudoku Grand Prix coordinator. Apparently some common variants aren’t common enough….
Solution: PDF
Have others successfully solved this puzzle?
I’ve run into a problem, (which, in the past has always meant that I’ve made a mistake). I’m hoping someone can help set me straight.
Here are the first three arrows I can succesfully determine:
1. Gur rvtug zhfg or (va beqre) gur qvtvgf gjb, svir, naq bar.
2. Gur svsgrra zhfg (va beqre) frira naq rvtug.
3. Tvira gur gjb fgrcf nobir, gur ryrira zhfg or (va beqre) frira naq sbhe.
And then I cannot find a valid way to solve the following arrow:
4. Sbe gur guvegrra, gur zvavzhz cbffvoyr qvtvgf ner bar, guerr naq fvk (va fbzr beqre), naq gjb, tvivat n fhz bs gjryir. Ab qvtvg pna or vapernfrq ol bayl bar, fb gur arkg cbffvoyr fhz vf sbhegrra.
Can someone please point out what I’m missing? Thanks in advance.
You may want to take another look at that first arrow.
You should look again at step number one. The puzzle is definitely solvable 🙂
Thanks, jrivet and egrieg.
Like I said, problems like this have always been mistakes on my part.
I don’t know how I made the jump from “the largest a digit can be in this arrow is 5” to “this arrow must contain a 5”. Even less do I know why I couldn’t shake the mistaken conclusion once it got in my head.
Anyway, thanks for setting me straight.
Nice sudoku.