Xin Yang
(Published on 23. May 2026, 20:25 by Tank)
Xin Yang
Apologies for the previous version of this puzzle which did not express the rules clearly. I hope this version's rules are more clear to understand.
Rules:
Normal Sudoku: Place the digits 1-9 once each in every row, column, and 3x3 region.
Kropki: Digits separated by a white dot must be consecutive. Not all white dots are given.
Arrows: Digits along an arrow must sum to the two digit total given in the arrow's attached pill. The two digit value in the pill is read from left to right.
Yin Yang: Shade some cells such that all shaded cells are orthogonally connected and all unshaded cells are orthogonally connected. No 2x2 area can be either entirely shaded or unshaded.
Shading: Each arrow total is a two digit number to be read as (X,Y). The X value (tens digit) indicates how many SHADED cells can be seen from that cell in ONLY the HORIZONTAL direction including itself. The Y value (ones digit) indicates how many UNSHADED cells can be seen from the cell in ONLY the VERTICAL direction including itself. (The other shading blocks vision). Please see the mini example below for clarification.
Cells separated by a Kropki Dot MUST be of opposite shading.
Link to puzzle below (includes solution checking)
Link to sudokupad
Solution code: Column 2 (9 digits top to bottom)
Comments
on 27. May 2026, 23:46 by nearestneighbour
I enjoyed this a lot! The star rating discussion is kind of silly; if you are aware of some yin-yang tricks (that are very hard to deduce yourself, but are quite common knowledge) this puzzle is easy, otherwise it is hard. Basically the difficulty of this puzzle depends in the first place on whether you're "in the know" on yin-yang (or if not, your knowledge of topology), and in the second place your general logic puzzle solving ability.
on 26. May 2026, 20:30 by dzamie
This is very easy with a bit of YY experience, since you can basically fill in most of the shaded/unshaded almost right off the bat, thanks to how you've color-locked each half of an arrow pill.
-----
Yes thank you! I intended for this to be an approachable YY puzzle as not many of those exist and I believe that YY puzzles are too beautiful to be kept at only higher degrees of difficulty. 0-8 Sudoku would be very interesting to create with this. I will try to see what i could come up with. Thank you
-PuzzleTank
...this could be really cool on a 0-8 sudoku, now that I think of it.
Regardless, I had fun solving this!
on 25. May 2026, 04:26 by VitP
the SUDOKU is level 1, but add in the required yin/yang experience --> level 2
on 25. May 2026, 04:26 by Dantheman8urham
Hey first ying yang, Fun challange took me just over an hour so can't say it was a one star I put it as a 2 thought felt closer to 2.5 but maybe thats just me because its my first ying yang
on 24. May 2026, 23:44 by SanFranSam
Definitley not 1*. You have to remember/understand a very specific limiation on YY to get the final break-in.
Is it possible for the 10s digit to be unshaded? I suppose in theory. Eg R1C1 shaded. R2C2 a tens digit and unshaded.
on 24. May 2026, 15:50 by CitrusGremlin
fun ying yang
on 24. May 2026, 13:58 by Dr Logic
This was my first YY puzzle so took me a while to understand the 'seen' constraint. Once I figured it out it was super smooth and enjoyable!
Thanks!
on 24. May 2026, 13:34 by thegreatgazoo
Great puzzle. I loved the interplay between the arrows and the shading. Thanks! (But can Yin Yang ever really be 1* difficulty?)
-----
I agree, I had set it to 2* difficulty, but the community has voted. I appreciate all the kind comments. Thank you all.
-PuzzleTank
on 24. May 2026, 13:10 by Snaques
Very nice one, but I had to brake the puzzle a couple of times before I noticed the SEEN in the shading rules.
on 24. May 2026, 09:09 by Martina
Can you look and count in both directions of the Y value or only one at a time?
on 24. May 2026, 07:05 by ottersaurus
Fantastic. Very nice!
on 24. May 2026, 02:47 by Tank
More typos detected, I evidently do not spell check XD
on 24. May 2026, 00:38 by Tank
Fixed a typo in the description
on 24. May 2026, 00:37 by Plok
Great puzzle, Thanks for setting. it would be helpful if the example included a 10-digit, which is unshaded.
on 23. May 2026, 23:10 by wuc
Great smooth yy puzzle thx.
on 23. May 2026, 22:59 by firespire
Easy to understand and complete. Especially with the example image given.
