This is the second of two puzzles with the same ruleset. The first is here.
So the challenge set by ThePeddlingPianist for Scojo’s Setting Saturday prompt was to make a puzzle where the rules either contain at most one word beginning with every letter of the alphabet or alternatively at least one word beginning with every letter of the alphabet. With bonus points for exactly one word beginning with each letter.
Hopefully my rules are still understandable given these limitations, but in case English is not your first language, or you might be unfamiliar with some of the standard constraints, I’ve included a fuller version at the bottom of this page.
All Boxes Contain Digits (1-9)
Each File (1-9)
Going Horizontal (1-9)
Inside Jade Killer Lockups, Make No Ones Present
Quads Require Specified Things
Usual V With X
Yellow Zippers
Place the digits 1-9 once each in every row, column and 3x3 box. Digits in green cages sum to the small number in the top left corner. The digit 1 never appears in a cage. The digits in a circle must appear in at least one of the four cells it touches. Digits in cells separated by X or V sum to 10 or 5 respectively. Along yellow zipper lines, digits an equal distance from the central cell sum to the value in the central cell.
Solution code: digits in the topmost row of the grid from left to right
on 22. February 2026, 14:03 by VitP
very easy for experts.
zero defects ... deserves a higher rating
on 20. February 2026, 21:09 by Onkel_Dagobert
A very nice puzzle, yet only a 1* difficulty for me.