Doppelzïpper
(Published on 2. December 2025, 15:03 by marty_sears)
Rules:
DOPPELGÄNGER SUDOKU:
• Fill each cell of the main 9x9 grid such that every row, column and 3x3 box contains a 0 and eight different digits from 1-9.
• No two rows, no two columns and no two boxes may be missing the same digit.
• For each 0 in the grid, the digits missing in its row, column and region must be three different digits.
• Use the cells outside the main grid to keep track of which digit is missing for each row, column and box.
COUNTING CIRCLES:
• A digit in a circle indicates exactly how many circles contain that digit.
ZIPPERS:
• Any two digits on a lavender zipper line that are an equal distance from the central spot sum to the digit on that central spot.
Solution code: The missing digits in columns 1-9, reading from left to right
Comments
on 20. December 2025, 21:47 by Klausku
This is a brilliant puzzle, and not too difficult. If at the start you didn‘t know the constructor, at the finish you would know. And you have to read the rules very carefully not to get stuck before the finish. Thanks!
on 11. December 2025, 14:53 by puzzlepandit
Wow, what a roller coster!
on 4. December 2025, 23:17 by Astraeus
How? Just how?! That's the thought that was going through my mind all throughout this beautiful solve. Don't know how you did it, but this was genius.
on 4. December 2025, 00:54 by Atticus837
I don't know how you got the conflict checker to work across the note-taking boxes (especially the 3x3) but you're a mad genius for making it work like that. Also you've managed to provide the perfect note-taking space for the puzzle.
This puzzle is so genuinely good that I can spend my entire comment just complimenting the layout and visual aids, and not even the puzzle itself, and I don't even feel bad about it. Beautiful.
Marty: Thankyou! though I can't take credit for the layout or conflict checking wizardry. I used a template built I believe by aqjhs. It's for one of Scojo's weekly prompts, so a lot of other people are making puzzles this week using this same format. I did however brighten it up with some colour :)
on 3. December 2025, 23:16 by KelleyCook
It's a Marty puzzle, so it shouldn't have surprised me that turned out a seemingly superfluous rule comes into play at the end after I was stuck for 15 minutes or so.
on 3. December 2025, 11:47 by mscha
Nice! I hadn't seen the Doppelgänger rule before...
I got started surprisingly quickly, but got stuck with 7 cells in 2 boxes to go. (Not sure that ever happened before...) Of course, reading the rules carefully three more times helped. :-)
on 2. December 2025, 22:33 by Thuna
It's a nice puzzle to chip away at slowly. I liked the way all the rules worked together. I had a bit of a hard time making something out of the initial steps though.
on 2. December 2025, 22:04 by Exigus
All 3 rules complemented each other perfectly. Not easy but a smooth solve, thanks!
