Logic Masters Deutschland e.V.

am 1. April 2025, 09:18 Uhr von TheNineElements
Solve Time: 52:22

I rated this 4/5 difficulty.

Wonderful killer sudoku!

This one was pretty tough/difficult, and I struggled to assign it a difficulty.

The consensus rating appears to be a hard 3*, but in all honesty I feel like this puzzle was quite a bit harder than most 3* puzzles I've seen. Additionally, my solve time does fall in my average range for 3* killer puzzles, but I really felt like the logic was quite complex and required a lot of effort to progress though.

Like @Ricard mentioned, I also felt like my progress was incremental during my solve. I was able to place a handful of digits with relative ease (which felt like 2-3* difficulty), but I eventually reached a point where I was slowly eliminating a few candidates at a time. It required a lot of small eliminations before I was able to place another few digits. Once I managed to get there, the remainder of the puzzle went smoothly and eventually collapsed down to a simpler puzzle.

It is possible that I missed a key step or idea during my solve, but despite my solve time indicating this should be a 3* puzzle, I ended up deciding on 4* difficulty because of the large number of [reasonably tough] deductions required for my solve path.

As for my review of the puzzle itself, I really enjoyed how the killer cages had (imperfect) rotational symmetry, and how the different sides of the puzzle had similar behavior and interacted with each other. I don't think I fully understood how to utilize it (and still don't), but I definitely noticed how the different sides of the grid influenced the rest of the puzzle, and I was able to mirror a lot of logic across the puzzle for several steps.

Overall, I really enjoyed the solve, but it was a lot harder than I anticipated. Regardless, it was very enjoyable and a nice way to spend an evening working through. Thanks for sharing!

P.S., I would be interested to see how other people approached this puzzle or what the intended solve path/steps are - and to see how good (or bad) by solution was. It feels like there should be a few "bigger" logical "steps" that would have unraveled my same deductions more efficiently, but I did not manage to find them in my attempt!

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Thank you for your comment, TheNineElements! I am glad that you liked the puzzle and are interested in the intended solve path. Since I don't want to give spoilers, I will describe some of my main steps in a hidden comment.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 24. Dezember 2024, 07:04 Uhr von Richard
Holy moly!
This puzzle showcases that the rating system is even more off than a few years ago. I enjoyed this one a lot, but it went veeery slow with small steps and eliminations all along the way, until the final breakthrough.
So I gave it four stars for difficulty, but could have been five as well.
Thanks for this one!

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You are much welcome, Richard, thank you for your comment! Concerning the rating system: I often rate the difficulty 1 star higher than it has been before. Good to know, I am not the only one experiencing this. :D
It is great to hear that you enjoyed the puzzle.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 30. November 2024, 10:25 Uhr von Lenivaya_Joppa
Thank you for this nice puzzle, dear sujoyku! :)

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Thank you for your comment, Lenivaya_Joppa! I am glad you liked the puzzle.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 1. September 2024, 01:18 Uhr von Nemefish
It is one of those puzzles where until you ask the right question it seems intractable, but once you do it seems completely fair and elegant. Thank you for including the solution. I got a bit off track at the beginning

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Thank you for your comment, Nemefish! I am glad that you liked the puzzle. I think your comment reflects quite well why it is tricky to properly estimate its difficulty. The deductions are not terribly complicated, but not easy to spot. And I think there are a few key arguments that break the puzzle wide open.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 13. August 2024, 15:12 Uhr von rhodri
I solved this on my third attempt. On that third attempt I saw the path really quickly and finished it in 9 minutes (I shan’t tell you how long I spent on attempts 1 and 2)

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Congratulations on the solve, rhodri, and thank you for your comment! I am glad that it worked out well for you in the end.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 11. August 2024, 17:49 Uhr von kamkam
Very nice killer sudoku ! There was a particular step (or a spot where to look) really harsh. But it was smooth the rest of the time.

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Thank you for your comment, kamkam! I am glad that you liked the puzzle. I think it is as you say: The required logic is not too advanced, but some steps can be tough to spot.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 10. August 2024, 17:13 Uhr von cam
Really well done. The puzzle feels like it's on the very edge of cracking for a great long while and then unravels joyously.

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Thank you for your comment, cam! I think I understand what you are pointing at. Once you make progress, it actually gives you a lot. I am glad that you liked how the puzzle unfolded.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 10. August 2024, 01:18 Uhr von Nordy
Very nice! Tricky for a killer novice such as myself

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Thank you for your comment, Nordy! I am glad that you liked the puzzle.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 9. August 2024, 20:52 Uhr von briansometimes
Definitely a 3 star puzzle for me as well

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Thank you for your comment sharing your take on the difficulty level, briansometimes!
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 9. August 2024, 20:38 Uhr von elikap
Very nice sudoku, with a beautiful solving path!
Thank you!

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You are much welcome, elikap, thank you for commenting! I am glad that you liked the solve path.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 9. August 2024, 19:16 Uhr von sujoyku
Thank you for your comments, @Snaques, @Franjo, @OGRussHood, @PinkNickels, @Piatato, @sorryimLate and @GeorgeTheToad2! I am glad that you liked the puzzle. Concerning the difficulty: I uploaded it as 3 stars and also was astonished it had been voted to 2 stars difficulty. Then again, I always have a hard time estimating the difficulty of my own puzzles. :)
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 9. August 2024, 17:21 Uhr von GeorgeTheToad2
The break in is well hidden and unexpected. Very nice and smooth with a second hard spot in the middle. Loved it. Thank you.

am 9. August 2024, 17:14 Uhr von sorryimLate
This had some very nice logic, but I agree with Piatato. Either I missed something or it hit my weak spots, because it felt like 4 stars to me. Thanks for excellent setting!

am 9. August 2024, 15:24 Uhr von Piatato
Nice and tough killer! Hats off to those that found it to be easy!

am 9. August 2024, 15:03 Uhr von PinkNickels
Very, very clever setting! Thanks for sharing with us.

am 9. August 2024, 14:01 Uhr von OGRussHood
I couldn't escape from this puzzle at all yesterday. Then I woke up and returned to this puzzle with fresh eyes this morning. I immediately spotted the tricks and got myself out.

am 9. August 2024, 12:39 Uhr von Franjo
Elegant setting for a lovely killer - I enjoyed the walk on the solving path. Thank you for sharing.

am 9. August 2024, 09:37 Uhr von Snaques
What a beauty. This took some effort for me so I'd call it 3/5, but might be just me.

In any case I really enjoyed this and the funky deductions it required to find your way through it.

am 9. August 2024, 01:21 Uhr von antiknight
Cool puzzle!

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Thank you for your comment, antiknight! I am glad that you liked it.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 9. August 2024, 00:39 Uhr von Calvinball
So smooth it's slippery!

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Thank you for your comment, Calvinball! I am glad you enjoyed a smooth solve.
Kind regards, sujoyku

am 8. August 2024, 22:14 Uhr von Wuschel
Wow, what a beauty!

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Thank you for your kind words, Wuschel! I was very pleased with how it turned out. So it is great to hear you like it as well.
Kind regards, sujoyku