No Kings
(Published on 31. July 2026, 06:15 by MartyMissile)
This is my first puzzle, revised to make it more fun and less of a grind, and to make the layout symmetrical.
The hidden message is a simple code that relates to US news.
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Normal Sudoku rules apply.
3x3 boxes are kingdoms, each ruled by a king and queen, whose representative digit is to be deduced by the solver.
The green trade region (along the edge) is thriving, as it contains no king. The central red trade region is at war, as it contains more kings than any other inhabitant (digit).
Kings are all out of each other's reach (by chess rules). Each king at war has jailed a queen in the cell directly below them.
The queens who are free to move have all chosen cells that do not form a domino with any king, and that are not within range of ANY other queen (by chess rules).
A digit in a circle indicates exactly how many circles contain that digit
Neighbouring digits along a green line must differ by at least 5
Sum the totals for each trade region to decode the message.
https://sudokupad.app/2mwp9izn73.Solution code: Digits from column 4, from top to bottom.
Comments
on 31. July 2026, 15:09 by MartyMissile
Fixed link to sudokupad puzzle
on 31. July 2026, 08:36 by nicklase
There is a mismatch between the screenshot of the puzzle and the actual puzzle in the provided link. I solved the puzzle in the link but the solution code doesn't work.
