Thanks for solving my puzzle! Definitely an easy one by Simon's standards, but I hope that means beginners who normally can't do the puzzles featured on the channel will be able to have a go today (with help from the video if they get stuck). Looking forward to the harder version :)
@efa66621 күн бұрын
Another cracker, always a pleasure to solve your work.
@angec990821 күн бұрын
Thanks for the lovely puzzle! I am somewhat of a beginner so I like puzzles I can do without watching the video. (I still watch tho. Love them.) And thanks for giving Simon his 3 in the corner!💜
@Alex_Meadows21 күн бұрын
Lovely puzzle, as always - thank you Michael! I don't know how you think up this stuff but I'm incredibly glad that you do.
@davidrattner921 күн бұрын
Lovely and fun puzzle from you!! Cherish how you set costantly!!
@Ennar21 күн бұрын
This is a lovely puzzle. Not hard, but creative nonetheless. I'm looking forward to harder version as well :)
@annikaQED21 күн бұрын
I loved Simon's comment at the end of the video, that "with a puzzle of that quality, it's an absolute joy to have spent time in its company."
@longwaytotipperary21 күн бұрын
Yes!
@LiquorStoreJon21 күн бұрын
You GOTTA try this one before you watch the video!
@alanclarke464621 күн бұрын
Agreed! This was FUN!
@Ardalambdion21 күн бұрын
Yes, please do the 'sequel'. And i appreciate fairly short videos if the puzzles are interesting enough.
@longwaytotipperary21 күн бұрын
Agree!
@Blaketownselecta21 күн бұрын
Been watching for ages and this is the first one I've solved all on my own. Feel like a real big Sudoku boi.
@ChrisRemo21 күн бұрын
Restarted this one several times because I misunderstood the rules to indicate that the grid was fully composed of cages, so when I ended up with non-cage cells I thought I’d broken it. Finally resorted to the video to realise my error!
@sweetnasty596721 күн бұрын
I thought the same thing. Wasted 10 minutes trying to figure out the math.
@gimmicky50a21 күн бұрын
Yes, I did exactly the same.
@nataliadominikarydzewska837820 күн бұрын
I absolutely adore that Simon calls us his favourite people!
@TheClawNinja21 күн бұрын
I'm always amazed too at our constructors today...I think they've done it all, then I see partially hidden cages. Good time to be into Sudoku puzzles for sure!
@Katface5720 күн бұрын
I managed to solve this in just over half an hour without watching the video (then watched it 😊) - I’m loving slowly learning variant sudoku through you, Simon. Thank you!
@HunterJE21 күн бұрын
Wow that 9x9 puzzle is so pretty, like when there's a low morning fog and you can see just the tips of hills or trees or buildings peeking out
@awilliams170121 күн бұрын
I 100% appreciate a short video. In many cases if it's more than an hour I don't even bother. The logic usually goes over my head anyway. This was kind of neat.
@warren_r21 күн бұрын
My time was 8:14. It felt like it has the same sort of mental thought process as fog of war puzzles.
@AngryKettle21 күн бұрын
It does, which makes it really jarring that the cage walls stay invisible!
@stuartharris216521 күн бұрын
What a lovely video, and one of the rare times that I can shout numbers at the screen before Simon see's them, can't wait for the harder video!
@PeterMarckhgott21 күн бұрын
I just solved my first ever variant Sudoku, feels great!
@mummabear753721 күн бұрын
11:05 for me. Love to see some short videos, the long ones get watched over several sittings and I often forget what has come before. More short ones would be great!
@ajaxmajor21 күн бұрын
i think you have to add to the rules that not all cells are necessarily in cages, i interpretted the rules as you had to put every cell into a cage
@RichSmith7721 күн бұрын
What in the rules made you think that, though? They seemed clear enough to me.
@Ennar21 күн бұрын
You don't have to, it says "the grid contains a set of cages", which is true for any killer sudoku. However, for the sake of clarity, it wouldn't hurt.
@SSGranor21 күн бұрын
Regarding the difficultly rating, it's a known quirk of LMD that they use equal width bins for the star ratings. And, this means that any puzzle with an average difficulty rating of up to 1.8 stars will be displayed as a "1 star" puzzle. This means that it is possible for up to 80% of solvers to say that a puzzle is harder than 1 star and still have it display as 1 star. That said, for me, at least, this one was right at the top of what I would consider 1 star difficulty.
@TimWalton021 күн бұрын
More like this please! Interesting, not too hard, fun to do. (It took me a long time because I forgot about the rule that you can't repeat digits in a cage).
@davidrattner921 күн бұрын
Very fun from you Michael! Looking forward to seeing Simon tackle your 9 x 9!
@longwaytotipperary21 күн бұрын
Agree! ❤
@xerodeus233721 күн бұрын
Super fun puzzle! especially since my instinct said there was going to be some trickery pokery with the boxes and there was! Fun to discover that :D
@ClairvoyantTruth21 күн бұрын
I'm still new so I didn't know how to balance the invisible cages. The deduction on the red cage is amazing. It might be basic for pros, but awesome! I didn't even think about the 10/11 sum split in a cage! Getting a feeling of wonder from deductions is why it's fun to watch these videos!
@nellycopland21 күн бұрын
I really enjoyed this puzzle! I love playing the ctc sudoku apps but usually only watch the longer videos as they help me unwind before bed. Today I saw a comment saying to give this a go and I'm so glad I did. It was tricky at first not to just assume cage shapes but then I flew through it to my surprise! A very enjoyable puzzle and ruleset I hope to see more of in future :)
@gordonglenn208921 күн бұрын
A fast and fun puzzle. I am looking forward to seeing the full-size version!
@nosy-cat21 күн бұрын
Looking forward to the other one. This puzzle might have been easy, but far from trivial, and very, very enjoyable
@skid6820 күн бұрын
Fun suduko, I did start it cage total as 11 but realized that doesn't work so I tested with 10 and it worked. So happy and manage to finish it in 12.30 :) Good that you will make the next one Simon, eagerly waiting for that :)
@nidoking04220 күн бұрын
A few alternate ways to handle the bottom part of the puzzle - if the blue cage were four cells, the green and blue cages together would comprise a complete set of the digits 1-6 and sum to 21, an odd number and thus not the sum of two equal cage totals. Once the blue cage is established as three cells, the blue and yellow cages together cover less than a full row and thus must sum to less than 11 each, or their combined total would be 22 with one more cell in the row not included.
@Sephalia20 күн бұрын
Simon I think you are just a joy. Love watching your videos. Keep being you.
@rungus2419 күн бұрын
You did a much better job than I did of recognising that the bottom left didn't have to be just one cage and that the top middle DID have to be just one cage. That had me scuppered really, until I saw the beginning of your solve.
@donaldsnyder154321 күн бұрын
Interesting concept and a cool puzzle. I loved Simons face when he hit tick before putting in the last digit.
@Orenotter21 күн бұрын
Sudoku is quite a fun sport. Puzzles we solve of each sort. But your vids, I attest Are the absolute best When they're simple and fun, and they're short! Yeah, on Wednesdays especially, the short ones are best, because all work in the office stops while Cracking the Cryptic is on.
@kwilson583221 күн бұрын
I'm not really a fan of Michael Lefkowitz's (no offence meant - I appreciate the effort made in setting them, but I usually struggle with the ruleset). However, I do try most of the puzzles that are posted on the channel, so I opened this one and groaned 'Oh, it's a Michael Lefkowitz one'. I studied it for a few minutes, shaded cells in the 'known' cages, then reached the conclusion that Simon reaches between 6:50 and 7:00 and my mindset changed. I realised i had understood the rules and now had something to work with using the conclusion I had drawn. I really enjoyed it as I worked through it! Thank you Michael (and I promise that I won't groan next time i open one of your puzzles!)
@colej.banning241921 күн бұрын
This was sort of right at my level. Completed it in 24:47. I found it challenging but never so much that I didn't have at least some idea what to do next.
@rosemarietomlinson741421 күн бұрын
Thanks Simon and Michael. I had fun solving it and then watching Simon do the same. I'm going on holiday next week and I will definitely be trying out the new puzzle packs while I'm away 😊
@wilesfiles121 күн бұрын
I enjoy seeing these easy puzzles every now and then. This one was a treat.
@praematura21 күн бұрын
I tried this on LMD a few weeks ago and just got lost, but decided to give it a shot again, and this time things clicked: 7:35 (conflict checker off) for my time. Very lovely puzzle from Juggler, many thanks to him!
@penningmeestercgkdelft915921 күн бұрын
Thank you really for the shorter videos as well, Simon! They are actually a relief for me sometimes in the midst of longer videos, which I cannot afford to watch daily anymore lately... But anyway, I solved this one in 14:17 🙂
@MattYDdraig21 күн бұрын
2:40 I had the distinct advantage of doing Michael's larger Ghost Cells version in testing, which is an exquisitely brilliant puzzle (and took decidedly longer to solve!)
@thejuggler4219 күн бұрын
Thanks for being an early solver of some of my puzzles, I've really appreciated your feedback!
@emilywilliams323721 күн бұрын
This puzzle has a bit of a fog-of-war feel to it, without the revealing nature of that constraint. Very interesting, and I enjoyed (and benefited from) your talking through the logic, Simon - as always!
@AditaBattleForge21 күн бұрын
this was the quickest sudoku i have solved on this channel ;) made me chuckle a couple times. Thanks Simon and Michael, this was fun!
@David_K_Booth21 күн бұрын
A very witty little puzzle. Great fun!
@janerobson229720 күн бұрын
Loved it! For the first time ever I solved it faster than Simon 13 mins! But then although I did make an error about halfway through (a wine click 😉? ) which needed unwinding, I didn't need to explain to anyone what I was doing. I loved the cage in the bottom left hand corner!
@LednacekZ21 күн бұрын
I failed hard. My brain just did not work with this set of rules. I will try it again, but something about these rules does not work with me.
@leickrobinson518621 күн бұрын
9:13 for me. Fabulous idea for a puzzle!! 😄
@jacksontejada21 күн бұрын
13:53. Loved this puzzle!
@chocolateboy30019 күн бұрын
I finished in 14:43 minutes. That was a nice, fun, and short suduko with some interesting twists. Originally, I messed up on row 6 and combined the bottom two cages into one inside region 5. Luckily, I was able to see how it broke and found my way towards the solution. I'm looking forward to the harder one, because this ruleset kind of rules. Great Puzzle!
@TheClawNinja21 күн бұрын
It really helps to remember that digits can't repeat in cages lol...
@sunedenlyse21 күн бұрын
At least I wasn't the only one who made that mistake :D
21 күн бұрын
11:00 I think a much easier way to explain the blue cage is just odd vs even, you don't even need to do any complicated sums. Box sum is odd. If blue is 4 cells then blue and green would have different parity, but they must have same parity. Therefore, blue is only 3 cells.
@dVTHoR21 күн бұрын
Fascinating that if it weren’t for just one infraction of the repeating digits rule, I discovered an entire other solution taking be over an hour. Could not believe it.
@raysouth195221 күн бұрын
It’s very glad this is a short video today otherwise there would be no CtC for me today. I don’t watch videos of one hour or longer unless I have absolutely nothing else to do.
@letMeSayThatInIrish21 күн бұрын
New word for me at 6:10 "grid furniture".
@Gnarlf21 күн бұрын
I've never felt so dumb. For some reason, I tried to "fill" the grid with cages of the same sum and naturally ran into issues after the bottom left cage. Then I saw Simon not even batting an eye and continuing :) And here i thought "reading comprehension" would be one of my strong points. Oh how I was mistaken. Realy nice puzzle though.
@andyparkerson21 күн бұрын
I got stuck at the end, and felt like I needed one more hint. Then I realized that I had one cage still not completed. That was the hint I needed, and finished it quickly! So fun!
@GuardOfGaia21 күн бұрын
A quick trick to getting the cage sum is in box 6 the two cells 2&3 must equal the box total and 11+11>21 so cage =10 with an outie of 1
@aarsca683421 күн бұрын
If i were ever caught in an ancient temple and had to solve a problem to progress, i know the two logicians i would call 😅
@antoinelg85721 күн бұрын
This one was really nice ! Hard to go back on a 6x6 and not thinking about cages with 7/8 or 9 on it but really nice Expecting to see the 9x9 now 😊
@mikepictor20 күн бұрын
so cool. The logic isn't that hard, but it is subtle. You need a little outside the box thinking
@LorisLaboratory18 күн бұрын
Yay, this one was fun, thank you for featuring an 'easy' one! :)
@azrobbins0121 күн бұрын
My only problem is all the mistakes I make.
@robertaston725621 күн бұрын
That was a lot of fun!
@leefisher636620 күн бұрын
That was a great one, with a different secret...
@alyssam412921 күн бұрын
Really enjoyable puzzle!!!
@ozzy791521 күн бұрын
A warm fuzzy feeling as Simon looks directly into the camera before telling us the secret
@isidornimages21 күн бұрын
Yes please, do the other one too.
@nemoyatpeace20 күн бұрын
Fun puzzle. 7:47. I missed the box in the middle, thought it was referring to r2c3 instead of r2c4, r3c3, & r3c4. Once I realized the cage was at least 4 big, it became easier.
@piarittersporn17 күн бұрын
Beautiful little puzzle.
@Kairamek21 күн бұрын
I wound up using the Secret to figure out the total using the bottom. I got the same point Simon was at when he explained it, the three blues, two yellows, and R6C1 possibly yellow or not. Adding 1-6 is a max of 21. We had at least two cages of equal value in row 6. The orange cage makes the minimum 10. The math makes the maximum 11. If the cages are 11, that's 22 in row 6. Therefore 11 is not possible. If the cages are 10, than R6C1 not part of the yellow cage, and is also 1.
@justinfarmer837121 күн бұрын
It’s funny Simon used to say sorry for long videos now he’s saying sorry for short videos lol 😂
@ronjohnson691621 күн бұрын
Not hard but so clever. A joy.
@The_Omegaman20 күн бұрын
Really nice mechanism with the semi transparent cage
@angec990821 күн бұрын
That was fun!
@Kinada21 күн бұрын
It certainly took me a bit to get my head to accept that the red and yellow boxes were not a single cage at the beginning of the puzzle. After that it was smooth sailing and a lot of fun.
@madsohm21 күн бұрын
That was a fun little morning brain exercise. My time was 8:29.
@Kirbyfan8782721 күн бұрын
Finished in 10:01. Great puzzle!
@ItsmeAndy12321 күн бұрын
9:16 lovely little puzzle
@futurefox12820 күн бұрын
7:42 for me, the title didn't lie!
@boomergames809421 күн бұрын
There are two additional 10 sum cages. The 631 in the first row, and 541 in box 4.
@lunardancer604721 күн бұрын
Very fun puzzle. Took me 15:22 and I have a feeling I'll have been very slow on this one (the semi visible cages threw me a bit).
@Banz_FPSB20 күн бұрын
I failed this one because I wasn't able to understand how the "partially invisible" were being shown. I sort of assumed that any border of a cage that was shown was a proof of existence, but that a lack of shown cage border always meant it was theoretically possible for it to exist, even when a nearby border was shown. For instance, I thought that it was perfectly possible for a border to exist between r2c1 and r3c1, despite some borders being shown on the left. With this wrong assumption I don't think I could even break in...
@carlyrichards183921 күн бұрын
17:40 for me! Can't believe I solved it!
@srwapo21 күн бұрын
15:26, took a bit to get my cages correct, guess I'm learning how to set sudokus!
@stephencole928920 күн бұрын
You could have another 10 cage in the top right with 3,5,2 or downwards with 5,4,1. Presumably adding in an edge for either would potentially make it easier (or no change). Ah, but cages are PARTIALLY invisible, not fully invisible ?
@thescrewfly21 күн бұрын
Short video, one star, perfectly fine!
@FrancisFjordCupola21 күн бұрын
Those only-partially-visible cages are a bit like visual clues of partially visible lines in fog. Mistook the central cage a bit, once that got figured out things started flying. I think a more difficult version of this could be made with a lower cage total. Totally not a devious hint.
@titusadduxas21 күн бұрын
15:39 - That 4 cage gave it all away really.
@chromaticcaos21 күн бұрын
I finished it in 01:10:32 because I didn't realize digits couldn't repeat in a cage until over an hour in 😅.
@mudscuffer20 күн бұрын
10:21 for me. Fun little puzzle.
@anchorass21 күн бұрын
Got it in 35 mins. I initially misunderstood "set" of cages to mean only 2 in the whole grid. Didn't get very far with that : )
@julianweibold402621 күн бұрын
great idea, very enjoyable puzzle and one I was able to do fairly quickly for a cange. does anyone have a link to the other puzzle with ghost cages, that Simon talked about? wanna give it a go too
@chris561921 күн бұрын
I found two more cages! Except, by strict reading of the rules probably not. Since they are not partially visible.
@bonelessfae404121 күн бұрын
17:09, and this was fun ^^
@Xiuhtec21 күн бұрын
Very cool little puzzle, solved in 12:16.
@supucr252621 күн бұрын
Did it in 9:03. I don't know why, but i got it pretty fast this time. Normally I need double the time
@ChicanoryIsMyName21 күн бұрын
Just over 12 minutes today. I beat Simon!
@brianarsuaga500821 күн бұрын
Man, easy nothing, this was kinda tough! I might just be bad at 6 sudoku though. Still really nice
@RhiannonAgutter21 күн бұрын
Gorgeous puzzle but a bit miffed that with a 5:09 solve time I can’t use the excuse of doing a sudoku to have a longer break!
@benjaminrealy566120 күн бұрын
10:53. Got slowed by the lower left cages 2 missing digits needed to be 25 or 34. But didn't realize the top box's missing digit was 2 or 5 meaning if the former was 25, the puzzle was broken. Not a major error, mind you, but could have been sub 10:00 has I caught it.
@benjaminrealy566120 күн бұрын
Reading other comments, that wasn't needed because I overlooked the digits cannot repeat in cages. Now my simple mistep became two for the price of one.
@codenamevoid242120 күн бұрын
Was my bday when this was released, should've said something
@JaycenGiga21 күн бұрын
After about 15 minutes, I only had a few digits in, so I was sure I missed something. Sure enough, I somehow assumed you could repeat digits in cages. After realising that, it was only a few minutes.
@Gonzalo_Garcia_21 күн бұрын
3:07 for me. Very fun puzzle!
@laszloliptak61121 күн бұрын
This was quite frustrating for me. Took me 27:26 to solve. Maybe because I found it confusing to see what could or could not be part of a cage, and I expected the puzzle to be much easier based on the 1-star rating.