Count me out ! [Deconstruction]
(Published on 14. April 2023, 01:18 by Christounet)
Following my previous 11x11 deconstruction puzzle counting cells in regions, I thought I would try and make one counting cells outside regions !
This serie also includes puzzles involving dots, german whispers, position sums and thermos.
Rules :
- Normal sudoku deconstruction apply : Fill the grid with nine non-overlapping 3x3 square regions, such that each region contains the digits 1-9 once each and no digit repeats in any row or column. Cells outside regions do not contain digits.
- Arrow clues : if a cell with one or more arrows is in a region, its digit is equal to the total number of empty cells (without digits) that appear in the grid in the indicated directions combined.
The puzzle :
Difficulty should be a bit higher than the previous one, around 3-4/5, depending if you are familiar with deconstruction and irregular sudoku or not. If you have trouble visualizing line of sights of certain clues at some point, I suggest using the line tool to draw them and facilitate the count. Note : the rule of leftovers can be used but is not necessary here. Do as you please !
Enjoy ! And consider leaving a comment if you appreciate the puzzle !
You can check out my other puzzles here if you liked this one.
Solution code: Row 10 of the grid, all digits, X for empty cells.
Comments
on 18. July 2024, 19:41 by isajo4002
That was brutal
on 15. July 2024, 14:11 by Snookerfan
Superb puzzle! Thankfully I found it after I missed it before. Thank you
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@Snookerfan : Glad you found it too :)
on 10. July 2024, 13:17 by Piatato
Awesome concept, absolutely brutal (clear 5/5) yet fair puzzle :)
on 3. May 2023, 17:55 by Silverstep
As stated by others, this puzzle is easier than it looks. I'd put it at low 3/5 for difficulty. There are no advanced techniques, and each step requires very short lookahead.
I did it in subfifty ;)
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@Silverstep : As you can read in the description, I also estimated it around 3-4/5, but it got rated higher by some solvers. Don't know what subfifty means. I hope you had a good time solving it nonetheless.
on 30. April 2023, 20:00 by Agent
Very nice and original deconstruction logic!
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@Agent : Thanks ! Glad you liked the puzzle :)
on 22. April 2023, 10:25 by BloodbuzzCorio
Christounet great puzzle! I did rate it 5 stars for difficulty - certainly all of the logic was fair and very rewarding, but I had to work hard for quite a few of the steps to reveal themselves!
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@BloodbuzzCorio : Thanks, I'm glad you got through despite the difficulties you encountered. Diagonal scanning did make it quite challenging at some steps, which is why I advised to use the line tool to help with lines of sight. The other one I set counthing cells inside regions was definitely easier regarding exploration.
on 17. April 2023, 15:47 by peacherwu2
What a beauty! Very original!
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@peacherwu2 : Thanks ! Glad you found this original :)
on 15. April 2023, 14:00 by heliosfant
Thank you so much for this great puzzle. Your deconstruction ones are the best of the best.
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@heliosfant : Thanks, I feel really rewarded by that kind comment.
You should try these 2 if you havent't already : 000DG3 and 000D3V
Also, check out the last one from tallcat !
on 14. April 2023, 16:11 by karlmortenlunna
Very nice and tricky puzzle.
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@karlmortenlunna : Thanks ! Glad you liked it.
on 14. April 2023, 14:41 by Paquet Voleur
Might be me or the puzzle, but I found this one to be a lot trickier than its Count Me In counterpart. I kept overlooking possibilities, reducing options in known cells based on values in posible cells, forgetting scenarios & ruling out cells that could have been included, and other such entertaining errors that made this puzzle quite a journey. I put five stars for difficulty, but I realize I might be the problem. Very satisfying once the proper path has been found (without using the rule of leftovers, once again: I should probably pay more attention). Thanks for setting and sharing!
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@ Paquet Voleur : It is true that this one is a lot trickier than the previous one ! I purposefully decided to rely a lot less on the usual "fixed" cells of the 11x11 grid for the key deductions, which makes it less obvious where you have to look, but there's definitely a logical path, and I'm glad you made it through with satisfaction !
