The toddler
(Published on 28. May 2022, 22:12 by filuta)
The toddler is also a story which you can follow right on this page, or in a separate PDF file.
Part I. - Unexpected Companion
"Wanna play a game? My grandma made it for me." Said the toddler. "Here are the rules". He handed me a tiny piece of paper.
"Digits on an arrow spell out the coordinates for the digit that is their sum. The row number is written on the start of the arrow, the column number is written on the arrow tip."
He smiled.
"All the arrows must correspond to different coordinates. Digits may repeat on an arrow if allowed by other rules."
The toddler smiled again and asked if I had any questions. I had none.
"And of course normal sudoku rules apply. Will you remember all that?"
"Fill in the grid with digits one to four, no repeats are allowed in any row, column or a box." He smiled once more. "Just to be absolutely sure".
I looked at the piece of paper and realised I’m in trouble.
"So, what are you waiting for?"
I gave him the piece of paper with the finished grid. "That was like taking candy from a baby", I said in an attempt of a joke. The toddler started to smile and surely enough took out a piece of candy from his pocket. "You can try to do that if you want."
We looked at each other for a moment. "Just kidding". He started to unwrap the candy. "Also, it’s another puzzle."
"Digits must increase along the thermometer starting from the bulb end".
I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but then I noticed the little thermometer-like shape in the puzzle.
I looked at him and noticed he had a couple more puzzles in his tiny hand.
"This time every row, column, and irregular region must contain the digits 1-4 with no repeats."
"And now you must find the regions by yourself."
"Both cells on an arrow must be in the same region as their corresponding sum, that should help you."
The toddler seemed to enjoy it a lot and I have to admit, I kind of enjoyed it too. "But that’s getting absurd, the arrows point outside the grid."
"Well, the clues outside the grid are sandwich clues, they show the sum of the digits sandwiched between 1 and 4 in the corresponding row or column."
"So just in columns in fact."
"Ok, and what exactly is that?"
"Well, sudoku rules apply to both 4x4 grids sharing one box. And for each arrow the sum must be placed on the coordinate in both grids."
It seems the toddler finally ran out of his funny little ideas.
"No arrows this time?"
"You know, at some point in life you will see no way forward, no direction where to go. You will move no further until you realise you’re given all the signs, only that there are none."
"Well, I really don’t know what you are talking about, but this one looks like a little pirate. You know, with a tiny eyepatch."
"All arrows are given in this one. Which means no arrow can be added to the grid in such a way that it would be valid for the finished solution of the puzzle."
Part II. - On My Own
"Treat each digit in the grid as a building of that height."
"Having a philosophical one again?"
"The clues outside the grid give the number of buildings seen along that row or column in their direction, taller buildings hide shorter ones."
"Now, you should be able to go by yourself. Good luck. I will join you again when you need me."
"Whatever, I solved this one already anyway."
"How nice of you to choose a sandwich for your last meal."
"Eh, what?"
"So just don’t forget, the outside clues show the sum of the digits sandwiched between 1 and 4 in the corresponding row or column."
"I got that by myself. But thanks."
"And I remember this one too."
"Memories fade with time, so just to be sure. For each arrow the sum must be placed on the coordinate in the same grid as that of the arrow."
"Wait, I’m pretty sure it was for both grids last time."
"I bet you are."
"And now comes the last one."
"I little bit tiny for the final boss, don’t you think?"
"And you forgot the penpa link too."
"Are you happy now? You know, perhaps you were playing too many video games, my friend, in life there’s no fireworks in your final battle. And nothing that you've learned on your way there will help you to fight it."
"Oh and by the way, instead of usual digits 1 to 4 any set of four digits from 1 to 9 can be used in this last and final puzzle. Which four digits is for you to find out. Good luck!"
Solution code: The digit from the upper-left corner of the grid (the leftmost cell in the highest row) from first fourteen puzzles in the order as they appear in the pack, followed by the bottom row of puzzles 15 and 16 (22 digits total, no spaces or commas).
Comments
on 10. September 2026, 18:38 by dumediat
I'm not sure why this pack took me so long to get to, but I'm glad I finally set aside the time to tackle it. Thanks to all the setters for the great puzzles, and to you for the whimsical storytelling!
on 29. July 2024, 15:29 by CHalb
Great! I had so much fun with this well set miniatures and the unsual way of presentation. I started to solve them together with my 21 year old (so no-longer-toddler-at-all) son and got from him after the first three puzzles the permission to proceed on my own.
on 16. May 2024, 00:08 by The Book Wyrm
Wow, nice puzzles!
A lot of fun logic in here.
Very impressive how few clues you need to make something unique and solvable on a small grid like this - many of these I would never have expected to be unique before trying them.
on 22. April 2024, 20:07 by filuta
fixed the PFD link, thanks CHalb for letting me know.
on 22. April 2024, 19:49 by CHalb
I cannot access the PDF file. Maybe because of discord, where I haven't been for ages. Can you please restore it or give me a hint, how to get it?
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the link should be fixed now
on 15. March 2024, 09:34 by wullemuus
So much logic in such cute diversified puzzles! Really enjoyable!
on 2. July 2023, 01:09 by Mitsunari
For the puzzles 1, 4 and 13, the solution checker does not work. Else, this pack of puzzles was very funy to solve :)
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Thanks a lot for the comment. Weirdly, all checks worked for me moments ago.
on 17. August 2022, 11:03 by filuta
clarifying note: an arrow with two tips always means two overlapping arrows (so in particular cannot contain two identical digits, since that would make two arrows with a same coordinate).
on 16. August 2022, 14:34 by Piatato
What a week it has been for the CA constraint, with both Aaronymous's geometrical masterpiece Sudokutown Is That Way, and now this pack getting rated! Big thanks to all the solvers, and a huge thanks to Aaronymous and especially filuta for taking the initiative to make this pack and to transform it into such a lovely story. I had so much fun setting and testing the puzzles for this pack. :-D
on 16. August 2022, 11:44 by kjholt
I absolutely loved this journey! What a precocious little child! I had to solve it all in one sitting or I'd be fixated on it. For a while I thought I had found multiple solutions to a couple of the puzzles but I just went back and realized I was overlooking something (as is usually the case in that situation).
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oh, thank you so much, it really makes me (us) happy to read such kind comments! I also made a clarifying comment concerning the issue you raised in the other comment.
on 16. August 2022, 03:17 by Samish
It's pure fun to go through this pack of delicious little snacks ! Very clever all along and very inventive too.
Thanks to the 3 setters ! (Although... I'm suspicious that the small-sized being in the photo might be the actual author of these puzzles) :-D
on 30. June 2022, 20:01 by Vebby
Fantastic collection of tiny treats! Thanks to all setters :)
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Thank you, happy to see you enjoyed it.
on 4. June 2022, 18:25 by FryTheGuy
Thanks for creating these wonderful puzzles :)
It is pretty amazing so much logic could be hidden within these tiny grids!
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Thanks a lot, yeah, setting of the pack was certainly full of surprises.
on 31. May 2022, 21:33 by Yoshi Baroshi
A pack with 15 cute and clever puzzles + a little monster at the end (still very clever)! A very nice pack with some quite challenging puzzles that can catch everybody into that new variant!
Really liked it! :)
Edit. Also that story behind it is very nice to follow as you proceed with the puzzles!
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thanks a lot, we are honored that you entered your first solve on the portal on our pack :o)
on 29. May 2022, 22:25 by Prutsbeest
16 puzzles for the price of one, thanks to all the setters!
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haha, thanks!
on 29. May 2022, 19:26 by Kafkapharnaum
Oh, there it is! And the full pack too! :D A pretty bold move, to post all 16 puzzles at once, but a decision I can definitely get behind, as every single puzzle absolutely deserves to be in there
I hope people who'd be interested in trying them but who could be intimidated by the size of the pack will realize that they can just take one bite at a time and do it in multiple sessions if they want. Any way is just as recommended, as every single puzzle are quite fun by themselves, the easy ones like the more trickier ones!
on 29. May 2022, 09:40 by Playmaker6174
It was quite a great journey going through the entire (mini) pack here, more and more remarkable things showed up as the pack went on :}
