Trailblazing
(Published on 7. September 2026, 00:18 by Kafkapharnaum)
Big thanks to fellow setters Aeon, sanabas and NicoD for testing, as well as to all the other testers on Discord!
RULES
CHAOS CONSTRUCTION
— Divide the grid into nine regions, each made of nine orthogonally connected cells, such that each row, column and nine cell region contains the digits 1 to 9 exactly once each.
X-SUMS
— Clues outside the grid show the sum of the first X digits from that direction, where X is the first of those digits.
— Additionally, the digit X for a given X-Sum clue indicates the number of cells from the first region that this clue sees in that direction, starting from the edge of the grid. The first region border encountered inside the grid blocks the view from reaching any further.
Solution code: From top to bottom, the digit in column 4, with a - (dash/hyphen) to indicate region borders (grid edges can be ignored).
Comments
on 8. September 2026, 03:38 by KeenanN
This puzzle was a blast to solve! Thank you for sharing. I find these CC puzzles that go right down to the end to be mindbogglingly brilliant :)
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Ah, I appreciate that comment all the more that over on the Discord server, I'd been working on a series a smaller CC's where the sudoku could constantly be completed before the region building despite my best efforts, which of course is... not as mindbogglingly brilliant XD So I'm pretty happy with how this one here turned out, and of course also to hear you enjoyed it so, many thanks for sharing!
on 7. September 2026, 15:33 by coppybmx
Im not sure I understand the additionally ruleset? is there an example that could help me understand
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Let's take for example the 5 clue in the bottom left corner, since hopefully nothing there will be much of a spoiler in terms of logic: being that a 5 X-Sum can only be 2-3, your X digit here (2) will count 2 cells from its region between the 5 clue outside the grid and the first border that it "sees" inside the grid. Eg.:
- r8c2 is part of the same region as r8c1; r8c3 is part of a *different* region
- If your X digit in r8c1 had been a 4, then all of r8c1, r8c2, r8c3 and r8c4 would have been part of the same region, and only at r8c5 would you have found another region
Thanks I thought it was something rather simple but couldnt get me head around the wording thanks again
on 7. September 2026, 14:25 by Arheus
Exceptionally fluid from beginning to end, and not too difficult! A rare feat from a puzzle with such a simple ruleset. Congratulations!
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A great many thanks for such kind words! It certainly was a challenge to find just the right balance between being fun and being 'interesting' (read, harder and quite possibly... not as fun), and while I guess it wasn't flawless for everybody, comments like yours are very rewarding, so I really appreciate it!
on 7. September 2026, 11:50 by Chaossudokusplease
Amazing CC, both approachable and challenging without getting frustrating or boring, fantastic job!
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Haha, many thanks for that comment, I really appreciate it! I think it might have had a couple deductions here and there that threw a cold shower on some solvers though, but it's always very pleasant and appreciated to get comment like yours, so thank you again for that :D
on 7. September 2026, 10:46 by Snookerfan
Very nice! I love this ruleset, really approachable puzzle. Thanks
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It certainly was a lot of fun to use, hence why I made two puzzles with it, and though at first I thought it had little potential for variety, now I think it actually does -- plus I see Aeon is taking it a step further, so, things to look for. Thanks for the comment and kind words!
on 7. September 2026, 10:02 by Piatato
Fun, thanks! Great take on this classic CC ruleset!
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It is a classic, isn't it? I was sure I had seen that precise take already -- certainly it felt like a very natural combo. Anyhow, happy to hear you had fun with it, thank you for sharing!
on 7. September 2026, 08:18 by BigHead
Wonderful puzzle, thank you!
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And thank you for sharing, happy to hear you enjoyed! :D
on 7. September 2026, 06:11 by Aeon
That one deduction in the middle of the solve put a huge smile on my face when i found it.
Marvelous
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Haha, yeah from the testing feedback I think I have a good idea of which one it is -- many thanks again for the test solve (solves, even) and the kind words, much appreciated!
on 7. September 2026, 02:14 by mihel111
Wonderful CC with a very fluent and interesting path. A lot of cool tricks but nothing is too hard.
Very well done.
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Many thanks for the kind words, happy to hear you enjoyed the puzzle!
