Full Rank Mirrors Sudoku
(Published on 22. September 2026, 09:00 by Agent)
Rules
- Place the digits 1 to 9 once each in every row, column, and 3x3 box.
- Mirrors: Locate 9 positive mirrors (/) and 9 negative mirrors (\) in the grid. Each row, column, and 3x3 box must contain exactly one mirror of each kind. Positive mirrors must contain the digits 1 to 9 once each, likewise with negative mirrors.
- Full Rank:
- Digits seen along the line of sight in each row and column, from both directions, make a total of 36 numbers.
- Mirrors reflect the line of sight at a 90 degrees angle. The line of sight extends until an edge of the grid is reached.
- Clues outside the grid show the rank of the number seen along the line of sight in the indicated row or column from the direction of the clue. The lowest rank is 1 and the highest rank is 36.
- One or more equal numbers are considered to be at rank N when there are N-1 numbers of strictly lower rank.
- Cipher: Each letter represents a different digit from 0 to 9. For two-digit numbers, the first digit may not be 0. The central cell (R5C5) must contain the digit assigned to Y.
Example Puzzle (4x4)
Main Puzzle (9x9)
Solution code: The digits on the positive mirrors (/) in each row, from top to bottom.
Comments
on 25. September 2026, 14:58 by ddx02
That was really great, I really liked it!
on 25. September 2026, 08:53 by MagnusJosefsson
Absolutely incredible puzzle! Very original and interesting ruleset, and a narrow but very clear solution path. Highly recommended!
on 24. September 2026, 06:23 by aqjhs
good stuff
on 23. September 2026, 15:57 by ibag
As usual: Absolutely great and fascinating! ;-)
on 23. September 2026, 15:38 by cyddrdrd
Astonishing and fantastic!
on 22. September 2026, 21:49 by MaizeGator
absolutely bonkers
on 22. September 2026, 21:17 by Jesper
Awesome, really good challenge!
on 22. September 2026, 13:09 by SennyK
Wonderful and very challenging construction, great job! :-)
on 22. September 2026, 11:27 by Agent
Updating puzzle links
on 22. September 2026, 11:06 by sandmoppe
The links to SudokuPad and Penpa+ only function in english not in german.
on 22. September 2026, 10:06 by lmdemasi
This is a brilliant construction, but also HARD. Lots of great interplay between the mirrors, ranks, and cipher clues.
