Clone Count
(Published on 17. June 2026, 00:18 by marty_sears)
Rules:
Normal sudoku rules apply.
SYMBOLS: Each digit 1-9 is depicted in this puzzle by a strange symbol. Deduce which symbol stands for which digit, and keep track using the key on the right.
TWO-CELL BLOBS: This grid contains numerous blob-like alien creatures, each consisting of two horizontally adjacent cells. Some blobs are shown; the others are invisible and must be located. Blobs do not overlap each other.
CLONES: Some blobs are clones of each other, ie: they contain the exact same two digits in the same order. A blob's left-hand digit always indicates exactly how many clone copies of that blob (including itself) exist in the grid.
CIRCULAR LABELS: If there is a circular label in the centre of a blob, its symbol indicates the sum of the blob's two cells.
Solution code: The digits in the 9 squares outside the grid on the right, reading downwards
Comments
on 30. June 2026, 22:22 by psams
Very nice puzzle again, Marty, and not too hard once I shook off my sleepy first attempt. I can only assume this is the date to which Elliot, than man of many stripes, teleported.
on 29. June 2026, 01:53 by davidz32z
Stared at it for hours before dinner very obvious logic jumped out at me! What better way to spend a train ride
on 28. June 2026, 20:24 by Klausku
Well, that was hard. I found the first steps rather quickly. But then I stared at the grid for almost an hour finding nothing that really narrowed the possibilities down. Marty kindly hinted me, where to investigate. (Thanks again) I found the next step and after that it got easier.
Brilliant puzzle with lots of fresh logic, that in hindsight wasn‘t so difficult as it looked in the fist place (or during my solve). Loved it.
on 25. June 2026, 13:49 by mscha
Oof! Very original ruleset, but very, very tricky! Got there in the end, though.
on 18. June 2026, 20:36 by eladv
That was kind of insane! Incredibly unique logic. Took me forever to figure out the logic (with a lot of false directions), but once I got it, it was obvious in retrospect. Really a unique new puzzle, and I hope the ruleset is used again in the future!!
Marty: thanks for this comment - this sums up how I feel about the puzzle too. Crazy, very different logic, and things that are hard to spot but seem very obvious afterwards :)
on 18. June 2026, 13:51 by Miatc
Very cool, took a lot of thinking to get going, very smooth once I did though
on 18. June 2026, 01:14 by Shawn4168
Very clever design. Took a whole lot of staring and note taking until I made any progress, but once I got going, it was pretty smooth sailing from there. Fun puzzle!
on 17. June 2026, 19:02 by Angara
Omg, this was very hard for me, but so satisfying in the end! Incredible puzzle. Thank you
on 17. June 2026, 19:01 by Dcs
Incredibly satisfying to find each step of the logic!
on 17. June 2026, 09:33 by alexsmart
> blobs do not overlap each other
does that imply a negative constraint?
Marty: how do you mean?
AS: For example, the second digit in the blob r9c56 cant be the orange symbol because that would mean the same pair of digits also appear in r7 and that blob would intersect with the given blobs.
Marty: Oh, no. That interpretation doesn't really make logical sense to me. Blobs don't overlap, so r7c23 are definitely not a blob, and so it is irrelevant considering that as a blob. So no, there's no negative constraint
on 17. June 2026, 00:27 by vitaminz
A puzzle idea I wish I’d had, and better executed than I could have :)
