Pick-up Sticks (Orange)
(Published on 12. May 2025, 02:30 by marty_sears)
Rules:
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Adjacent digits along an orange stick must have a difference of at least 4.
A stick always has a lower total (the sum of its digits) than any stick which lies on top of it.
Solution code: Column 1 reading downwards
Comments
on 6. August 2025, 18:52 by PancakePie
Fun adjustment to a new mindset! Thanks for this gem.
on 5. June 2025, 22:40 by dzamie
This was harder than the others I've done. More complicated break-in, and trickier even towards the end... though I did misread one of the over/unders beneath my pencilmarks, whoops.
on 31. May 2025, 16:02 by Klausku
Very nice idea. The break in was not easy to spot, but then it flowed smoothly. I like the finish. Thanks, Marty
on 30. May 2025, 03:07 by The Book Wyrm
Nice puzzle! Opening was a little harder than I was expecting, and then it flowed smoothly from there.
on 21. May 2025, 16:57 by davidz32z
This one was a bit harder to break into than the first, but such a delight to find! I put it sort of between 2 and 3 stars
on 16. May 2025, 12:24 by bboom
What a fun and simple new way to create dependencies between lines! I really like the stacking idea, may steal that at some point for a puzzle...
on 14. May 2025, 10:59 by mscha
Mikado!
Somehow, the break-in eluded me for a long time, but when I had another look this morning, it was obvious. The rest of the puzzle was then relatively straightforward.
on 13. May 2025, 08:37 by Clementi
Excellent puzzle as always. Every Marty puzzle brings something new to think about.
on 13. May 2025, 01:14 by Ratfinkz
Very tricky break in, but then Lovely and smooth! Thoroughly enjoyed this!
on 12. May 2025, 23:50 by Exigus
I always find Dutch whispers a bit challenging but this went pretty smooth. Thanks!
on 12. May 2025, 14:43 by SirWoezel
Brilliant puzzle. But now I want to have salty sticks :|
on 12. May 2025, 13:37 by Franjo
What a lovely Dutch staircase featuring that old funny game (we call Mikado in Germany)! Thank you very much for creating and sharing another beautiful puzzle.
on 12. May 2025, 11:05 by FireTruckFuel
I wonder what Simon will have to say about the dutch whispers this time. Very nice!
on 12. May 2025, 09:21 by wuc
So much fun. Bringing the rules together takes a bit. To me 2.5*. Wonderful clever puzzle thx once again.
on 12. May 2025, 05:48 by hamosphere
I spent way too long trying to start from the wrong stick.... I expect by design, but got there in the end. 60min. Nice concept Marty. Looking forward to the green sticks ;)
on 12. May 2025, 04:10 by vfig
stick borders are very thin making over/under a little hard to see. would appreciate future puzzles of this type making that a little clearer. otherwise a neat way to bring inter-line constraints into a puzzle!
Marty: thanks for the feedback mate - I have thickened the white lines quite a bit... do you find them easier to see now?
yes, thats a lot better. thank you!
