crackingthecryptic

How To Hack A Hard Classic

Hi everyone, 

I watched yesterday's video on how Mark solved Thomas Snyder's Gridlocked classic sudoku and was astonished at how different the paths we took to complete it were.  So I thought you might like to see an alternative way of approaching that puzzle...  Here is a bonus video showing what I did - this is not my live solve obviously but I think it shows a different ...

7 Wonders of the World Sudoku Hunt - Solved

How did you get on with the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, Christ the Redeemer, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itza and Petra? Did you manage the final challenge?

Whether you did or not, watch how Mark suggests the hunt could be solved - together with some insights on how it was created.

Congratulations to the 330 solvers who managed it!

Here is the video: 2021-03-21 13:09:59 +0000 UTC View Post

Cryptic Speedrun: 6 puzzles - 6 minutes each?

See if Mark can achieve his goal of 6 Times Crossword cryptic puzzles in an average of 6 minutes each - don't cheat by looking at the video time!

This is a full week of Times cryptics with which he is challenging himself.

See the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKqufqQdjOM

Tracking the Triptych - the Solution

Did you track the triptych successfully? Or did you trip on the track? Scott Strosahl, the creator of the astonishing Sudoku Hunt, explains how to crack it.  And he plays guitar too! Who does that remind us of?

Do let us know what you thought of the puzzle(s) in the comments. Simon and Mark

See the video here: 2021-03-14 17:04:15 +0000 UTC View Post

Groundhog Day - the Solution

Here is how to solve the February reward puzzle Groundhog Day ... and a little bit of background about the puzzles, which were created by the wonderful Sed Holaysan.

Well done to everyone who successfully solved the puzzles and came up with the final word!

Simon & Mark

Video here: https://www.y...

March Reward Sudoku: The 7 Wonders of the World

Hello Patreons,

Thanks for your continued support for us. We are delighted to present our March reward puzzle, called The 7 Wonders of the World.  Many thanks to Elias, our latest competition winner for help in testing, and to Melvyn Mainini for help with design!

Remember that working out how to apply the hints and solve the puzzles, especially the final one in this case, is pa...

Simon Vs Phistomefel

OK so let's get one thing straight, this Yin-Yang Fillomino by Phistomefel is mind-bendingly brilliant.  How on Earth did he come up this?!  And can Simon figure out how to solve it?  You can watch at the link below.  You can play the puzzle here:

https://app.crackingthecryptic.com...

Cracking the Crypto - Solution

Many of you tried Reverend's amazing code-based puzzle hunt - and many of you succeeded! Stupendous work - well done!

If you want to know how you should have cracked the codes to get to the puzzles, this document explains all the links.

Thanks you so much to Reverend for making this brilliant puzzle hunt and letting us share it!

Simon & Mark

Struggles with a Crossword Meta

Mark has a go at a "Week 2" meta from Matt Gaffney's puzzle series, but he hasn't left himself much time!

Will panic get in the way of finding the answer?  Can you spot it quicker than he does? See on the link below ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vdlB_Vwn54 

Tracking the Triptych

Hello everyone, and Happy Valentine’s Day!

We love our Patreons so much that we really enjoy being able to bring you extra content, so we were thrilled when Scott Strosahl sent us this Sudoku Hunt.  We don’t think it’s easy, but we do think it’s fun!

Please don’t post spoilers here, though there is likely to be discussion of the hunt in the puzzle-hunt-discussion chan...

Tantan Dai Tutorial

As you may know, Mark and I had the thrill of interviewing Tantan Dai, the incredible solver from China, on Tuesday.  We've included some of her (ridiculous) speed-solving in a video on the channel today but here's a bonus where she talks through one of the puzzles from the recent test on Logic Masters Germany:  Average Arrows by Glum Hippo!

Enjoy!

Simon

That Savage Cryptic!

Mark goes into the ring for 12 rounds with the heavyweight of the cryptic world...

February Reward Sudoku: Groundhog Day

Hello Patreons,

Thanks for your continued support for us. We are delighted to present our February reward puzzle, called Groundhog Day by Sed Holaysan. 

There is no prize for the solution, but you can send it (a 7-letter word) to crackingthecryptic@gmail.com if you want.

Spy Games Puzzle Hunt - the solution

A couple of months ago we posted Joke van Veenendaal's Spy Games Puzzle Hunt, a multi-level induction course for aspiring spies!  Here's the solution to all the puzzles and the final name required.

Simon Battles "Pure Evil"

Tonight's video on the channel showcases a really beautiful classic sudoku by Sam Cappleman-Lynes.  Sam also sent us this puzzle - which was described by David McNeill (the UK's best ever sudoku solver) as "pure evil".

As a bonus for our patrons, you can watch Simon do battle with Pure Evil at the link below.

http...

January Reward Puzzle - Solved

Here's how to solve the Tic-tac-toe Sudoku, and tell Chad's brother where to look next!

Check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlUJAy0N4Vo 

Mark and the Monstrosity

Watch Mark struggle with the Times's Monthly Club Special cryptic crossword.

'Cracking the Crypto' Puzzle Hunt

Try this astonishing puzzle hunt by Reverend, which will test your code-breaking AND puzzle-solving skills. We said we would post it if we reached 3,333 patrons, and that's where we are now!  Thanks to all of you!   Simon & Mark

(Please note that the original presentation of the hunt is a single multi-coloured rectangle! You have to figure out how to proceed)

Mitchell Lee's Yajilin

As mentioned in tonight's video, we've recorded a bonus video on how to solve Mitchell's curious Yajilin puzzle... (which many of you have requested).

Here is a link to the puzzle if you'd like to play it:

https://puzz.link/p?yajilin/b/...

January Reward: Tic-tac-toe Sudoku

Hello everyone, and Happy New Year!

This month's reward is a single sudoku, but with a puzzling finale.

Either try the puzzle in this pdf, which includes the rules, and explains the story behind the puzzle, or click on the link in the pdf to play the puzzle in our software.

Tracking the Cryptid - Sudoku Hunt Explained

We track the Cryptid! 

Stephane Bura and Akash Jain created this amazing sudoku hunt for us, and we loved being able to share it with you.  Here Mark talks you through how to solve the hunt, including how to understand the rules of each puzzle, and the final reveal!  Warning: this is a long video - if you did some of the puzzles, you may want to jump around in the video ......

XV Arrow Sudoku

Hello everyone,

Following my video yesterday on Jonny Kaufman’s XV Arrow sudoku, there was some chat on Discord this morning about this hybrid and longest possible arrows. I put this together accordingly – it’s not hard but exemplifies this combined variant (arrows have been replaced by colouring), and we thought our Patreons might enjoy a relatively straightforward solve. The grid ...

Cryptic Special - Mark's monthly battle

This is Mark's monthly war with the Times Monthly Club Special crossword. See if you know any of the words in it!

Modern Art Sudoku Pack!

Hi all, 

We have a really super bonus to share with you courtesy of the Cracking-The-Cryptic-Fan-Discord server.  Each month setters compile puzzles based around a particular theme and, for November, this was Modern Art.  The quality of the sudokus created - both in terms of pure sudoku but also artistic impression - was pretty stunning and many of them have been collated i...

December Reward: Sudoku Hunt

Hello, everyone. Thank you for supporting us here! It's time for our monthly reward.

Every so often we think you deserve the pinnacle of sudoku solving, a sudoku hunt. This year, with Christmas coming up, we asked Akash Jain (Udukos) to see if he could construct a hunt, and he teamed up with Stéphane Bura to create "Tracking the Cryptid", an epic sudoku hunt.  We thank them, and the...

Spy Games Puzzle Hunt

Teenagers! Kids! Adults! Ever wondered about becoming a spy? You can go on a journey to discover how it would work here!

Work your way through Joke van Veenendaal's brilliant puzzles, and feel free to email us the answer to the finale - but there is no prize.  Remember that (1) in a puzzle hunt, you may not get clear instructions - you often have to deduce what to do; (2) if you disc...

Last-Day Crossword Practice

Mark throws himself at 6 Times Crosswords - with what results?

November's Monthly Reward Puzzle

Mark explains how to solve the Fibonacci/Lucas Puzzle(s) that were November's monthly reward puzzle.

Sam's Competition Puzzle - The Solution

Hi everybody, 

We hope you all managed to give Sam's puzzle a try - what a beast!  Many people commented to say that they needed a little bit of trial and error to complete it, which is understandable but there is a logical path!

We're very grateful to Sam for both creating the puzzle but also for this solution video in which he explains how to solve his creation :)

...

Mark practises 3 more crosswords

Mark tries to remount the crossword horse after a poor training session last time. These three Times crosswords are from the following Thur/Fri/Saturday.