Pancho and Lefty
(Published on 5. November 2025, 22:55 by jwsinclair)
Pancho and Lefty, by James Sinclair
Normal sudoku rules apply, and all clues are standard.
Arrows: the sum of the digits along an arrow is equal to the digit in the connected circle, and these digits can repeat if allowed by other rules.
Entropic lines: along orange lines, every set of three adjacent cells contains one low digit (1-3), one middle digit (4-6), and one high digit (7-9).
Digits in cells with a shaded square are even.
Play online
This is part of the free bonus pack I put out to celebrate Volume 200 of Artisanal Sudoku. The pack consists of five puzzles that I think are tougher than what I usually publish (I'd put them all in the 2.5-3.5* difficulty range), and a hidden sixth puzzle that can be unlocked by solving the first five. It also includes my answers to questions from subscribers. Enjoy! And thanks to everyone who has solved, subscribed, and helped spread the word over the years!
Solution code: row 8
Comments
on 8. November 2025, 20:57 by rhodri
Completely delicious
on 8. November 2025, 16:53 by ICHTUES
Very nice!
on 8. November 2025, 16:53 by Florian Wortmann
Very nice!
on 7. November 2025, 16:57 by dkfan9
Tough and very enjoyable. Not skilled enough to do it without some contradictory bifurcation.
on 6. November 2025, 21:42 by damo_89
Tricky break in, lots of little threads to pick at until everything unfurled
on 6. November 2025, 17:37 by wuc
What a break in. Awesome thx.
on 6. November 2025, 17:09 by wuc
What a break in. Awesome thx.
on 6. November 2025, 16:11 by JasperHermans
I can't solve it, I would love some help if anyone is interested in helping, my discord is hjasper.
on 6. November 2025, 11:24 by mihel111
Lovely break in. Great interactions between EL and arrows. Very well done.
on 6. November 2025, 09:20 by Snookerfan
Very nice smooth puzzle full of clever ideas, thanks!
on 6. November 2025, 06:31 by Playmaker6174
Lovely idea for the opening sequence and a pretty smooth flow later on, thanks for the fun puzzle as usual!
(I didn't actually need the entropic line in row 9 at the end, but maybe it's just me seeing so)
on 6. November 2025, 04:55 by VitP
pretty hard, but knowing it's jwsinclair reduces the difficulty
on 6. November 2025, 02:36 by antiknight
Great break-in and nice interactions!
on 5. November 2025, 23:48 by sujoyku
Incredibly subtle and yet very smooth. Thank you for this treat, jwsinclair!
