(This post is part of: “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku”.)
Computers construct Sudoku by subtracting randomly from a known solution. Humans construct by adding givens, like in a house of cards, and hoping the last few don’t topple the foundation. What if you overbuilt a solid foundation and then let a computer subtract randomly from a good puzzle to get a Sudoku?

PDF or an even more improved 24-given Major Newspaper Edition!*

or solve online (using SudokuPad), or the special Major Newspaper Edition*

Author/Opus: These are the 13th and 14th puzzles from “Dr. Sudoku”, our AI-powered puzzle engine pushing the limits of sudoku intelligence.

Rules: Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each white cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region.

Difficulty 1 (Posted version; highlight to view): 4 stars

Time Standards 1 (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 9:30, Expert = 19:00

Difficulty 2 (Major Newspaper version; highlight to view): 4 stars

Time Standards 2 (highlight to view): Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 9:30, Expert = 19:00

Solution: PDF and PDF

Note: Follow this link for classic Sudoku. If you are new to this puzzle type, here are our easiest Sudoku to get started on. More classic Sudoku puzzles can be found in The Art of Sudoku, The Art of Sudoku 2 and in our beginner-friendly collection Intro to GMPuzzles by Serkan Yürekli.

Note 2: Comments on the blog are great! For a more interactive discussion, please also consider using our Twelve Months of Sudoku? post on the GMPuzzles Discord. Not a member of the Discord? Click this link for basic access.

Special author’s note: This puzzle was highly inspired by a design from Thomas Snyder even if so refactored, reworked, or otherwise changed he may not know which thing. But he probably does. You will always inspire our creations.

*Special editorial note: We had significant internal debate about whether to publish this creative Dr. Sudoku puzzle with the controversial or potentially political subtitle “Major Newspaper Edition”, as it is not clear there are (m)any major newspapers anymore, certainly compared to propaganda machines, AI / attention-grabbing platforms, and companies pivoting to all the games fit to print instead of journalism.