Borromean Rings
(Published on 12. February 2023, 05:13 by Allagem)
I was watching a video on interesting mathematical objects and I was inspired to try to design a puzzle based on the Borromean Rings, which are a curious set of 3 rings intertwined in such a way that no 2 rings are actually linked together, and yet the presence of all 3 means the rings are mutually entangled. By defining some rules for the different colored rings and adding a few extra elements, I was able to create a nice-flowing puzzle. The only challenge left was to figure out how to present the puzzle in a way that kept the mathematical beauty of the Borromean Rings intact. I asked around the discord channel for assistance and MarkTekfan stepped up and offered to help create a playable puzzle in line with my original vision. It's thanks to him that I am able to present this puzzle in such a beautiful form, so a big thank you to MarkTekfan!
Update: This puzzle was featured on both BremSter Puzzles and Cracking the Cryptic!
Normal Sudoku rules apply.
Killer Cages: Digits in cages must sum to the number in the top left corner of the cage.
Parity Line: Adjacent digits on the red ring must alternate in parity (odd/even).
German Whisper: Adjacent digits on the green ring must differ by 5 or more.
Region Sum Line: Digits on the blue ring must sum to the same value in each box it passes through.
Solve on SudokuPad
(Special thanks to MarkTekfan for helping me create the absolutely beautiful graphics!)
Solution code: Column 1 followed by row 9 (18 digits). Remember to type in r9c1 twice!
Comments
on 30. August 2025, 10:08 by Allagem
Over the years, the Sudokupad code has shifted slightly, and I noticed one day that the graphics of this puzzle no longer quite line up with the grid. So, I learned a bit about JSON code myself and reverse engineered Mark's graphics to update values to once again align with the gridlines :)
If anyone ever notices that the graphics have become misaligned from the grid again, leave a comment and I can come update this puzzle!
on 16. May 2023, 19:03 by damasosos92
That's just a fantastic puzzle. Thank you so much, the flow is so nice and I loved the idea and the interactions. Thank you.
on 22. April 2023, 06:35 by old-wave
Great puzzle! Thanks
on 24. March 2023, 23:03 by Klausku
Absolutely fantastic break-in!
on 24. March 2023, 05:57 by Allagem
Thank you everyone for all of the positive feedback! I've added a link to both BremSter's and Mark's solve video in the puzzle description :)
on 23. March 2023, 13:05 by Samish
Incredible finding! Beautiful and approachable, thank you
on 2. March 2023, 16:14 by LUORISHENHAIA
This is my first comment. It's a very good puzzle. It's very beautiful, as beautiful as my dream lover.
on 2. March 2023, 11:43 by aruvi
Very cool puzzle. Takes a bit to break in but flows smoothly once you get there.
on 24. February 2023, 21:31 by Montinox
Love the unique breakin!
on 19. February 2023, 00:22 by Nylimb
Nice interactions between the different types of clues!
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Thanks for the solve and the compliment!
on 13. February 2023, 17:15 by Raumplaner
A very smooth and fun puzzle with a very clever break-in.
on 13. February 2023, 04:11 by Allagem
Based on some offline feedback, I have reworked the end of the solve path to be a bit smoother. All links, the puzzle image, and the solution code have been updated
on 12. February 2023, 13:01 by Franjo
Approachable puzzle with a wonderful look! Thank you so much for sharing this one.
