Accumulator
(Published on 3. August 2026, 00:12 by marty_sears)
Rules:
Normal sudoku rules apply.
Draw a path through every cell in the grid, which only moves orthogonally and doesn't visit any cell more than once. The start and end of the path are to be determined.
The value of a cell equals its own digit plus the sum of all the digits visited before it.
A pink clue in a cell indicates its value.
If a black dot sits between two cells, the VALUE of one is double the VALUE of the other.
If a white dot sits between two cells, the VALUES of the two cells are consecutive.
Solution code: Column 5 reading downwards
Comments
on 13. August 2026, 14:26 by Sudokujoker
Fun puzzle! A 9x9 version would be interesting...
on 7. August 2026, 13:17 by Exigus
Interesting concept and a fantastic puzzle. Thanks!
on 7. August 2026, 13:14 by Klausku
Very interesting ruleset. I think it will interact nicely with other constraints as well. Thanks Marty.
on 6. August 2026, 19:02 by KelleyCook
A brand new concept. I like it!
on 5. August 2026, 23:31 by jubengo
Absolute beauty !
on 5. August 2026, 21:48 by HopperSmith92
Nice drop
on 4. August 2026, 20:39 by nunc
Bad, unbehaving kropki dots! I enjoyed it a lot!
on 4. August 2026, 16:45 by bboom
Very fun! For once I did start asking the right questions from the start, making it a 10 minute puzzle. But no less fun for that!
on 4. August 2026, 13:02 by woody
Thank you again for this very nice puzzle !
on 4. August 2026, 05:43 by Crusader175
Very cool idea and very nice construction!
on 4. August 2026, 03:19 by SennyK
Superb! :-)
on 4. August 2026, 00:49 by mscha
Beautiful!
The break-in eluded me this afternoon, but when I had another look tonight, I found it. After that, it almost solved itself.
on 3. August 2026, 23:34 by sullyross
Loved it! Just noting that the rules don't explicitly state that the path cannot cross itself or enter a cell more than once. Not sure if that is well enough implied and/or forced by other logic; it was just a fleeting question I entertained but set aside lest it fully derail my solve.
on 3. August 2026, 19:36 by Tortugo
Love love loved it. I am surprised to see it rated 2 stars as I think it’s definitely a 1. I kept making it more complicated than it needed to be just because I was expecting 2 star.
on 3. August 2026, 13:48 by Franjo
Much less arithmetic exercise than expected at first sight! Thank you very much for creating and sharing another lovely (and quite approachable) puzzle.
on 3. August 2026, 13:13 by rojspencer
Fun puzzle. Really enjoyed it.
on 3. August 2026, 05:24 by FireTruckFuel
I am always thankful for an interesting, approachable puzzle. This was delightful to solve.
I understand the rules as intended as well as the confusion. It's easy to misconstrue the phrase "digits visited" in rule 3 because we are told in rule 2 that the path visits not digits but cells.
Reordering the rules would be just as effective as any possible rewording at dispelling false pretense since both lines are correct.
on 3. August 2026, 04:55 by Voidslime
I understood the rules and enjoyed the puzzle! It was tough but fair
on 3. August 2026, 03:28 by ViKingPrime
The rules are quite clear, as is the logic. Packs a surprising punch.
on 3. August 2026, 03:20 by Atticus837
That 90 clue at the top is lovely.
on 3. August 2026, 01:57 by Dogfood
The rule as written ”The value of a cell equals its own digit plus the values of all digits visited before it” cannot be correct. Then the cell after the 90 clue would have a value of at least 1 + 90 + X. The cell after that would have a value of at least 2 + (1 + 90 + X) + 90 + X. This is far too much to connect to the 125 clue. In fact that rule implies roughly exponential growth of the values like a Fibonacci series. I could solve the puzzle assuming the rule is ”The value of a cell is the sum of its digits and all the preceding digits.”
Marty: I have tweaked the rules wording ... hopefully it is clearer now. Thankyou
