From the Sublime to the Ridiculous by Thomas Snyder and the Grandmaster Puzzles Team?
(This post is part of: “A Story of Self-setting Sudoku”.)
This is not an official puzzle but is a fully solvable puzzle. It is something created as the GMP team was on retreat. We spent a full day on what we call “The Trouble with Cryptic Sudoku” and if we should have a stronger editorial voice with GAS and other things now that we are highlighting an unfamiliar community.
After being underwhelmed by a variation used by GAS that probably shouldn’t bother to ever get used (the rules are harder to describe than the variation can ever be in practice), and for sure the wrong time to apply the awesome title “From the Sublime to the Ridiculous” when the puzzle was quite far from either, we decided to have a team effort to turn meh (sorry Philip) to Sublime and Ridiculous.
This was a prompt shared between actual intelligences, not our AI Dr. Sudoku today, where the goal was to “merge the world of Sudoku with whatever people are doing on the YouTubes as Thomas says and Logic Masters (Deutschland).” Thomas got to make half the grid in his way and everyone else got to think about a favorite rule and bring it back to the table on their side since good ideas need at least 9 unique voices, none that repeat. Maybe there is something to merging the sublime and ridiculous after all.
Solve online in SudokuPad!
Because this puzzle is not a proper Sudoku as we would have on GMPuzzles, the puzzle is only meant to be experienced in what is considered “The App” for Cryptic Sudoku. Your experience on the best app, notation styles, ways to show instructions, and design goals may vary. But believe us, the confetti is worth it when you discover the incredible use of [REDACTED] instead of adding more givens.
Rules: Standard Sudoku rules: Insert a number from 1 to 9 into each cell so that no number repeats in any row, column, or bold region.
- Also, this is a Positive Diagonal Sudoku: Numbers cannot repeat along the marked diagonal.
- Also, this is a Kropki Pairs Sudoku: If a white circle is given between two adjacent cells, then the two numbers in those cells must differ by 1. If a black circle is given between two adjacent cells, then the two numbers must have a ratio of 2. (Note: Pairs of cells without circles can have any relationship.)
- Also, this is an XV Pairs Sudoku: Whenever an X or V, reflecting the Roman numerals for 10 or 5, is placed on the edge between cells, the numbers in the two adjacent cells must sum to exactly 10 or 5. (Note: Pairs of cells without an X or V mark can have any sum value.)
- Also, this is a Sum Nine Sudoku: If a diamond is given between two adjacent cells, then the numbers in those cells must add to 9. (Note: Pairs of cells without a diamond may or may not add to another value than 9.)
- Also, this is an Either/Or Sudoku: any numbers given on the edges between cells must belong to one of those two adjacent cells.
- Also, this is a German Whispers Sudoku: Adjacent numbers connected by a green line must differ by at least 5.
- Also, this is a Parity (Odd/Even) Lines Sudoku: Adjacent numbers connected by a red line must be of opposite parity (i.e., be even / odd and then odd / even).
- Also, this is a Little Killer Sudoku: Numbers along indicated diagonals must sum to the given total outside the grid.
- Also, this is an Even Sudoku: Cells with a gray square must contain an even number.
- Also, this is not an Odd Sudoku, even if it seems odd. You just don’t know the main editor well, who comes from the upper-left side of the positive diagonal mentioned previously and doesn’t like using all the ingredients when making a dish.
This is probably a wrong idea to do again but certainly not a Wrogn Sudoku. We just wanted to check if you were reading and catching typos because commenting on the 100% accuracy of these instructions including edge cases is part of your enjoyment of life. If that is you, then we should tell you this might be a Wrogn Sudoku. Specifically, there are four fewer “wrong rules” above that do not apply at all than their are typos in this puzzle. For clarity, we consider Wrogn a typo everywhere it appears including this sentence.
