Again our Patreon reward puzzle was bedevilled by errors - well one error as far as we know. Here actually IS a corrected document, with our apologies.
Both Hard Mode and Normal Mode were affected. The instructions are still the same: To enter the competition, tell us which of the three puzzles has the highest total in its four corner cells and what that total is, by email to 2022-05-01 16:07:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Again our Patreon reward puzzle was bedevilled by errors - well one error as far as we know. Here is a corrected document, with our apologies.
Both Hard Mode and Normal Mode were affected. The instructions are still the same: To enter the competition, tell us which of the three puzzles has the highest total in its four corner cells and what that total is, by email to 2022-05-01 16:01:21 +0000 UTC View Post
[The first puzzle in this post had a single-digit error in it! Sincere apologies - please use the most recent post for May's Patreon reward]
Hello Patrons!
Thank you so much for supporting us and our channel. This month’s challenge involves
three Equal Sum Line puzzles, but you need to draw the lines! Links to the puzzles in the
CTC software appear in the attached pdf docume...
Here is the video showing the solutions of the puzzles in Three Times a Sudoku, the April reward for Patreons.
The three puzzles used what was effectively the same grid, with a different ruleset for the lines in the puzzle each time.
Here is the video:
Here it is folks, a really amazing sudoku hunt from the brilliant setter Qinlux. You'll need to use the link below to find the first puzzle and the instructions on how to navigate through the hunt. We'd love to get your feedback on the hunt too so that we can share this with the constructor - we'd like to say a huge thank you to Qinlux for creating this hunt for us.
Simon & Mark...
2022-04-22 15:01:03 +0000 UTC View PostSimon attempted a new puzzle from Phistomefel called ♫ Slitherlink take me home ♫.
Simon did not realise that this puzzle was released on Logic Masters Germany on 1 April 2022. Although very few people will "get" what Phistomefel has done here - we get it and we admire him...
2022-04-16 09:00:03 +0000 UTC View PostHere's how to solve the three puzzles in Guess Again, March's Patreon Reward, and how to reach the correct 4-letter word to enter.
The puzzles were available in a post on 1st March, and the entry requirements were for a 4-letter word. Well done to the thousands of people who solved the puzzles correctly, and entered!
Here is the video:
We're delighted to share with you this lovely video by Philip Newman where he explains the genesis of Palpatine's Design - one of the hardest Classic sudokus of all time - as well as how to solve it!
Congratulations to Emmanuel Van Hese (Pulsar77) and Bill Murphy on winning the competition! And our thanks once again to Philip.
Simon & Mark
Here it is - the new Phistomefel puzzle and my goodness this is NOT easy!!
Play it at the link below:
https://test.crackingthecryptic.com/sudoku/tGL8FpfM72
Rules: Draw a single closed loop along the grid lines in the grid. It may not touch or cross itself. Som...
2022-04-01 19:31:00 +0000 UTC View PostSo this PDF should have the links (to April's reward puzzles Three Times a Sudoku) without the need to remove any spaces at the end of the URLs. No idea how that happened - apologies again.
Mark
2022-04-01 15:39:49 +0000 UTC View PostHere is the PDF of the document for the April reward - sorry I should have uploaded this rather than docx. Mark
2022-04-01 15:35:13 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patrons!
Thank you so much for supporting our channel, and so enabling us to bring you extra content as often as we can. The monthly reward for our $2 Patrons and above is Three Times a Sudoku, a puzzle that solves three different ways with different rulesets!
Solve the three puzzles, and identify the cell that is common to all three. If you want to enter the prize draw, ident...
2022-04-01 15:00:08 +0000 UTC View PostSimon has attempted this excellent (and challenging) puzzle. You can watch the video at the link below. Definitely worth studying the rules at some length first - because every one of them is important!!!
Play the puzzle here:
https://app.crackingthecryptic.com/sudoku/pnQb9mpJ6L&...
2022-03-22 23:37:19 +0000 UTC View PostAs mentioned in tonight's video, we're thrilled to share this puzzle with you. It's called Palpatine's Design and it's the work of Philip Newman. Philip has been working on finding the world's hardest classic sudokus using computer programming for some time and has recently discovered some INCREDIBLY difficult sudokus that completely stump ALL computer solvers (unless they're allowed to u...
2022-03-19 20:44:52 +0000 UTC View Post
As mentioned in yesterday's video, here is the fascinating murder mystery sudoku from Nordy and Loric!
Depending on feedback, we might do a video solve of this in due course. Thanks to Nordy and Loric for suggesting this to us. Enjoy!
https://app.crackingthecryptic.com/sudoku/d74Fbrg...
2022-03-17 11:20:32 +0000 UTC View PostShare Mark's Friday night puzzle regimen with him - first he tackles the New York Times Crossword as a starter, then the Listener Crossword as a main course, and finishes off with Matt Gaffney's Meta Crossword for dessert.
Spoiler alert: the Listener 'Crossword' isn't a crossword at all this time, but a numerical puzzle with maths and pencil puzzle similarities.
Watch the vide...
2022-03-15 10:00:00 +0000 UTC View PostMark takes on the Times' Monthly Club Special (for February), the horrifically hard crossword with criminally cruel clues and vicious vocabulary, published each month for club members.
This edition is by Roger Phillips.
See the video here:
Hello Patreons!
Here are the solution videos for the Quite Approachable Sudoku hunt that was February’s Patreon reward.
The first video looks at Thermo & Killer sudokus.
The second video goes into the Miracle, Arrow & Sandwich sudokus.
The final video solves the Chess & Classic sudokus, and extracts the word required.
QAS Hunt part 1: 2022-03-06 16:07:38 +0000 UTC View Post
Hello Patreons,
For our March monthly challenge (“Guess Again”) you are going to have to work out how to extract the answer, when you have solved the three puzzles linked in this post! We are not providing pictures for printing because this month it is important that you solve the puzzles on the links provided. The answer required must be converted into a normal 4-letter English...
2022-03-01 16:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostSimon has a go at this lovely Starbattle puzzle by Sam Cappleman-Lynes from gmpuzzles.
You can play the puzzle using the Penpa interface here:
https://gmpuzzles.com/s/220226TIEF
Suggest times: Grandmaster = 5:15, Master = 7:45, Expert = 15:30
Watch Simon's solve here...
2022-02-28 20:40:01 +0000 UTC View PostAs mentioned on the channel yesterday, Simon took on the challenge of this extraordinary sudoku today - while trying to distract himself from the hurricane going on outside his window!
This is a seriously interesting puzzle but it might take a couple of minutes to understand the rules :)
You can watch the video here:
Mark takes on his nemesis, Richard Rogan, as he attempts to solve the Times's Monthly Club Special puzzle for January.
Last time it was Richard Rogan setting this crossword, it was a fairly clear defeat for Mark by knockout.
Warning: If you are normal and mortal, do not attempt to solve this puzzle without a dictionary - your brain may become bent out of shape, as Mark's has clearly...
2022-02-17 10:00:49 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patreons!
We have been releasing the solution videos to Peter C Hayward’s January reward sudoku hunt in trilogies. And now we come to the conclusion of the hunt – or is it?
This third set of videos takes us through the final four pages of the hunt, across the six puzzles that were labelled Episode 7, Episode 8 and four puzzles called Episode 9.
Star Wars VII - The Fo...
2022-02-10 10:00:00 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patreons!
We are releasing the solution videos to Peter C Hayward’s January reward sudoku hunt in trilogies. And this release includes a correction!
This second set of videos takes us through the next three pages of the hunt, across the three pages of puzzles that were labelled Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3.
The final trilogy should be released in a few days.
<... 2022-02-07 21:49:46 +0000 UTC View PostHere is a short follow-up video to last night's channel video in which Simon took on the new Phistomefel puzzle, Roman Whispers.
The video contains two parts:
Part 1 deals with a flaw in Simon's logic at about 50minutes into his solve;
Part 2 shows how Phistomefel himself thought about the break-in. (Thanks to Phistomefel who emailed Simon about this overnight.)
Hello Patreons!
Appropriately enough, we are going to be releasing the solution videos to Peter C Hayward’s January reward sudoku hunt in … trilogies.
So this set of videos takes us through the first three pages of the hunt, across three puzzles that were labelled Episode 4, Episode 5 and Episode 6.
The other trilogies should be released later this week.
Simon takes a different approach to Mark in solving this new 6x6 by Phistomefel.
Play the puzzle at this link:
https://app.crackingthecryptic.com/sudoku/gRJfDdj3gp
Rules: 1- 6 appears in each row, column and 2x3 box. Digits on a line must increase in one...
2022-02-02 10:50:22 +0000 UTC View PostHello Patreons!
Thank you so much for supporting us. here is our monthly reward for all patreons: a QAS (Quite Approachable Sudoku) hunt. There is one puzzle from each of the types in the CTC apps: Thermo Sudoku, Killer Sudoku, Miracle Sudoku, Arrow Sudoku, Sandwich Sudoku, Chess Sudoku and Classic Sudoku.
Nothing too hard here, but remember that different letters shown in the puzzl...
2022-02-01 16:00:07 +0000 UTC View PostMark finds out there is a new Phistomefel, and launches in before Simon gets a chance ...
Yo ucan try the puzzle here if you want to: https://app.crackingthecryptic.com/sudoku/gRJfDdj3gp
And you can watch the video here:
2022-01-28 15:32:58 +0000 UTC View PostRiffclown sent us this message a couple of days ago:
"The Lockout Lines Unlocked Pack https://tinyurl.com/LockoutLines-Unlocked was launched on the CTC Discord today via Archive Entry [5258]
2022-01-25 09:32:11 +0000 UTC
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