Why Are We Doing A Puzzle With a 2% Approval Rating?!

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Cracking The Cryptic

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Published on April 4, 2024 7:30:00 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEbVKbSyZK0

Duration: 52:36

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1,340

*** TODAY'S PUZZLE ***
Well the answer to the question in the title is because a boatload of people have recommended it to us! James Sinclair's suspiciously-titled Polar Foil not only has the lowest rating but also the longest ruleset we've ever seen!! To discover why it's so brilliant, you'll need to have a go at it (or watch the video!)

Play the puzzle at the link below:
https://sudokupad.app/james-sinclair/polar-foil

Rules:
11x11 deconstruction rules apply: fill the grid with nine non-overlapping 3x3 square regions, such that each region contains the digits 1-9 once each and no digit repeats in any row or column. Cells outside regions do not contain digits.

All cells that contain digits form a single orthogonally-connected region. All cells that do not contain digits form a loop that is one cell wide and does not branch or touch itself, even diagonally.

The following standard clues appear in the puzzle:
Thermometers: digits on thermometers increase from the bulb.
Region sum lines: box borders divide each blue line into segments with the same sum.
Renban lines: purple lines contain a non-repeating set of consecutive digits in any order.
Nabner lines: gold lines contain a non-repeating set of digits, and no two digits on the same line can be consecutive (regardless of their position on the line).
Digits in cells with a shaded square must be even.
Digits in cells with a shaded circle must be odd.
However, all clues are wrogn! For the purposes of this puzzle:
A thermometer is not “wrogn” if any cell on the thermometer contains a digit that is equal to or less than a digit in a cell that is further from the bulb.
A region sum line is not “wrogn” if any two segments (as divided by box borders) on the same line contain a set of digits that sum to the same number.
A renban line is not “wrogn” if, for any digit N that appears on the line, another digit on the line is equal to N, N–1, or N+1.
A nabner line is not “wrogn” unless all of the following conditions are true:
- the smallest digit on the line is consecutive with exactly one other digit on the same line,
- the largest digit on the line is consecutive with exactly one other digit on the same line, and
- all other digits on the line are consecutive with exactly two other digits on the same line.
A cell with a shaded square is not “wrogn” if it contains an even digit.
A cell with a shaded circle is not “wrogn” if it contains an odd digit.
For each of the clues above, cells that do not contain digits are ignored.

In addition, exactly one of the following chess-based constraints applies:
Anti-bishop: cells separated by a bishop’s move cannot contain the same digit.
Anti-king: cells separated by a king’s move cannot contain the same digit.
Anti-knight: cells separated by a knight’s move cannot contain the same digit.
Anti-rook: cells separated by a rook’s move cannot contain the same digit.

*** NEW JAMES BOND SUDOKU HUNT OUT ON 1 APRIL ***
Do you know your Drax from your Goldfinger? Make sure you've got your licence to kill renewed to enter our latest competition: a brand new James Bond-themed sudoku hunt!

Apart from the new James Bond sudoku hunt, there's:

- Simon's latest forays into the world of Islands Of Insight
- his solve of Region Geometry by Emre Kolotoğlu (3hr 36min long...!)
- Mark's solve of The Times Club Monthly cryptic crossword

https://www.patreon.com/crackingthecryptic

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Check out this link for the kickstarter books and Fog Novella we've created over the years:

https://coffeebean.games/product-category/cracking-the-cryptic/

▶ SUDOKU PAD - Use Our Software For Your Puzzles ◀

You can input classic sudoku puzzles into our software and help support Sven, the programmer responsible for the wonderful user interface we all use to play these puzzles everyday. The app also comes with 12 handmade puzzles from us:

iOS:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/svens-sudokupad/id1570622073

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1706870/Svens_SudokuPad/
Android:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.svencodes.sudokupad

ALSO on Amazon: Search for “SudokuPad”

▶ Contents Of This Video ◀

0:00 Theme music & puzzle intro
1:30 Last Night's Stream
2:06 James Bond sudoku hunt & Islands Of Insight
3:14 Happy Birthdays
5:59 Rules
18:03 Start of Solve: Let's Get Cracking

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