[This is a repost from our archives with new notes at the top (original post here): This challenging sudoku combines both the deficit and surplus varieties and will force you to think about what numbers are absent or repeated in the seven-/nine-cell regions. The combination of styles breaks down a lot of the standard Sudoku rules and might make you ask “what is a Sudoku?” Are these puzzles in that definition somewhere?]

PDF

or solve online (using our beta test of Penpa-Edit tools)

Theme: L’s Big and Small

Rules: Combined Deficit and Surplus Sudoku rules, with some regions with fewer numbers (no repeats but one number missing) and others with more numbers (1-8 plus one repeat) than expected in a Sudoku. Use numbers from 1-8.

Estimated Difficulty*: 3.5 stars

Time Standards (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 4:30, Master = 7:00, Expert = 14:00

Solution: PDF