Circular Reasoning
(Published on 1. September 2023, 02:43 by marty_sears)
This puzzle was the origin of 'counting circles' :)
Rules:
- Normal sudoku rules apply.
- A circled digit indicates exactly how many circles contain that digit.
- Digits along an arrow sum to the digit in the attached circle.
Click here to play on the CTC app
Click here to watch Simon's solve on CTC
Please leave a comment if you enjoy :)
Solution code: Row 3, from left to right
Comments
on 26. June 2025, 07:17 by MysticMan
Counting circles has been one of my favorite variants lately, so it was really nice for me to solve the first one. Thank you for creating this amazing constraint, and for the quick advanced sudoku techniques lecture!
on 8. February 2025, 16:45 by ako
Got stuck a little, when I tried to solve the 6th number-to-go-to before the 5th. Great learning tho; usually I hate scanning - this one served me a lot on that issue.
Brilliant and fun! Thank you!
on 22. October 2024, 03:17 by jakestilesowen
Brilliant and elegant and fun.
on 15. April 2024, 09:09 by ninjamunk
That was an experience!! Very impressive puzzle
on 9. April 2024, 07:39 by Nordy
Late to the party, but glad I finally showed up! I found some of the logic quite unexpected, which to me is always greatly enjoyable :)
on 22. January 2024, 04:13 by juggler
So cool that this is the puzzle that introduced Counting Circles! It definitely made my brain hurt, but in a good way. There's a clean solve path and so many clever surprises that I lost count (no pun intended). Very creative indeed.
on 6. October 2023, 11:38 by glum_hippo
I think it would be fabulous if you could come up with a name for this constraint :) It definitely has considerable potential!
Reply: Thanks for the comment :) These are called 'Counting Circles', and I'm glad to see quite a few people have started using that name in their puzzles already
on 19. September 2023, 11:14 by by81996672
Fun puzzle.Thanks.
on 19. September 2023, 07:37 by Carolin
Beautiful puzzle!
on 15. September 2023, 08:59 by St9
It took me forever to figure out the break-in. After that ah-ha moment, it was sheer joy.
on 14. September 2023, 05:11 by Knickolas
Really really cool stuff! :)
on 12. September 2023, 18:24 by Nightmare2805
Fantastic Puzzle.
on 12. September 2023, 00:02 by hungkenchanlee
For some reason I wasn't thinking that the circle with arrows counted as circles.... Pretty fun once I realized they counted.
on 10. September 2023, 18:39 by jwsinclair
Enjoyed this a lot. It's rare enough to find a puzzle with a ruleset that's both innovative and simple, and on top of that it's beautifully executed.
on 8. September 2023, 22:09 by Blashyrkh
Brilliant idea, brilliant execution, and a very satisfying solve!
on 8. September 2023, 15:55 by MartinR
Enjoyed this, the "a-ha" moment at the beginning when the break-in reveals itself is great
on 7. September 2023, 09:37 by rhodri
This is just a dream puzzle. So clever.
on 3. September 2023, 23:57 by jellef
That's a whole new dimension to solve a puzzle with :D
on 2. September 2023, 09:48 by Snookerfan
Very nice, original and fun! Thank you
on 2. September 2023, 04:01 by Kallor
Wow, I enjoyed this a lot! Very fun figuring out its inner logic.
on 1. September 2023, 19:56 by keenbowl
Thanks for setting and sharing this puzzle, it was fun to solve.
on 1. September 2023, 11:09 by chenws
Fun puzzle!Thank you!
