This Sudoku Is Borderline Genius

** TODAY'S PUZZLE **
Tonight we attempt the fourth puzzle, Borderline, in one of the most epic of sudoku series: Rat Runs by Marty Sears. The adventures of Finkz continue - this time with blackcurrants and a region sum line - as she attempts to get to the cupcake :)
One renowned setter wrote to us and described this puzzle as "casual perfection".
Play the puzzle at the link below:
sudokupad.app/wv8l8x67dy
Rules:
Normal sudoku rules apply. Finkz the rat must reach the cupcake by finding a path through the maze (the path will be a snaking line that passes through the centres of cells, without visiting any cell more than once, crossing itself or passing through any thick maze walls.) Diagonal moves are not possible in this maze. Cells connected by a blackcurrant have a 1:2 ratio (one is double the other.) Not all possible blackcurrants have been given. Finkz may only pass directly through a purple arrow if moving in the direction the arrow is pointing. An arrow always points to the smaller of the two digits it sits between. In this experiment, the correct path will be a valid Region Sum line - ie: box borders (dotted lines) will divide the path into segments which each have the same sum.
Thanks to all of you who have helped us achieve the milestone of 600,000 subscribers on KZbin. Below you can find a link to a free puzzle pack we have curated to celebrate :)
/ ctc-600k-pack-106717179
** NEW SUDOKU HUNT BY PAWS RELEASED 1 JULY **
We've just launched a brand new competition - a sudoku hunt by Paws featuring lots of smaller-sized sudokus. It's intended to be a bit easier than usual as July is a holiday month for many of us so do have a go, especially if you're new to variant sudoku!
We've also got a new series of linked sudokus from rockratzero just out!
/ crackingthecryptic
Other treats on Patreon include:
- The Lord Of The Rings Sudoku Hunt by Blobz (and Simon's solve videos)
- Simon's solve of Sky-Skyscraper by Phistomefel has just been uploaded for our patrons.
- Mark's latest solve of The Times Club Monthly cryptic crossword
- Mark's latest series of solves of Connections, the daily New York Times puzzle based on the Only Connect wall game.
** BRAID STREAM **
You can watch our recent stream at this link:
kzbin.infoWcqUhQkwUSY
▶ 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:
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Android:
play.google.com/store/apps/de...
ALSO on Amazon: Search for “SudokuPad”
▶ Contents Of This Video ◀
0:00 Theme music & puzzle intro
1:40 Simon's New Phistomefel Video
2:37 Happy Birthdays
4:50 Rules
8:37 Start of Solve: Let's Get Cracking
▶ Contact Us ◀
Twitter: @Cracking The Cryptic
email: [e-mail]
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Simon Anthony & Mark Goodliffe
Box 102
56 Gloucester Road
London
SW7 4UB
(Please note to use our real names rather than 'Cracking The Cryptic'.)
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[@martysears]

Ooh thanks for another Rat Run feature Simon, I am really enjoying seeing how you tackle each of these. You certainly sailed through this one without much problem! it was quite uncanny how you considered each possibility for the path in the same order that I did, but I think in the end your solve time was quicker than mine was when I was test solving it haha. (This puzzle was one of the first ones in the series that I made, a little while ago, and sometimes if it's been a while since I set it, I will get stuck on my own puzzle. It's really quite annoying🤣)

[@pouletbelette]

This series is very fun to watch. Thanks Marty!

[@Ardalambdion]

In 2030 Finkz gets so intelligent that she succeeds Simon and Mark in running this channel.

[@krtwood]

Don't be silly. She might be able to solve a Phistomefel puzzle but how is she going to sing the three in the corner song?

[@Gandalfa82]

She runs the channel, Simon and Mark work for her.

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@krtwoodRight!!!!

[@krtwood]

@@Gandalfa82 I don't see it. She's a paws on sort of rat that's not suited to management.

[@AO968]

​@@krtwood I can think of several possibilities: - She'll use AI voices of Mark and/or Simon - She'll have it incorporated into the software, so that each time she gets a 3 in the corner, the song starts playing - She'll develop the ability to talk [human language], and sing it herself.

[@Tepalus]

I'm waiting for the 11x11 where you have to catch Finkz within a Sudoku because he escaped the lab.🐁🐭

[@PassionPopsicle]

Someone @ marty sears STAT 😂

[@chipsounder4633]

Quality idea 🎉

[@smylesg]

The 11x11 grids should have passageways between boxes like the game Clue.

[@StefanieWai]

@martysears 🙏🙏🙏🐀

[@animeshsharma5666]

she* mate

[@noamasaf2668]

idk if this is gonna sound stupid, but sometimes i feel like this is just adult dora. he’ll miss something that’s completely obvious to me (while focusing on more challenging and less in your face stuff) but i’d be screaming in my head “THERE’S A 5 RIGHT THERE” feeling all excited that im seeing something he’s not. thats very dora searching for items right behind her, and its somewhat pleasant😭

[@darrenbent7601]

I know what you mean... He is a very enjoyable puzzle solver.

[@samueldeandrade8535]

​@@darrenbent7601 I don't think like that anymore. And I find it hard to defend such proposition. I mean, Simon does a lot of nonsense that must be on purpose. For example, the 5 to get 11 with the 24 pair. He just put the 5 here 29:34 . Why? It makes no sense. Also, what is the need for the colors? None. Once upon a time I thought Simon was great. Simply great. But now ... I get tired watching him. I understand who thinks he is great though.

[@darrenbent7601]

@@samueldeandrade8535 I like the way he uses the colours to break up the path at the required splits to show how he came to the conclusion for the values needed at each stage of the path. I also like the so-called nonsense too, he really has an entertaining was of going through the process. I find his system really easy to follow, because I get really lost if I was to try to do them blind.

[@AO968]

@@samueldeandrade8535 The purple region has to add up to 11, as per the region sum rule. He already has a 2 and a 4, so 5 is the only digit left he can use there (2 + 4 + 5 = 11). If this confuses you, then you're not paying attention. The colors are there to make it easier (for him and the viewers) to distinguish the individual line segments. You can solve it without the colors, but it may make it harder to see these regions and thus make the chance of errors bigger. And we're not basing Simon's skill on this puzzle alone, as this one seems quite doable, even for novices like myself. Rather, he has solved puzzles that even experienced solvers struggled with, including one in May last year, that *_only one person had solved before him_* , and it took him well over 2 hours. If that's not proof that Simon is a brilliant solver, what is?

[@screetchycello]

This is hilarious, accurate, and I will never be able to *not* think of the channel this way 😂

[@kevinsurget8571]

I really like how each new Rat Run is better than the last, yet still quite approachable

[@skiesofarcadia4885]

These puzzles sometimes make me feel like Pooh Bear patting his head, "Fink, fink, fink. . . . Oh bother" 😅

[@wypmangames]

I'd like the lab to use a fog machine to cloud finkz' view (fog reveals clues like one ways and maze borders for path, only when you get digits)

[@-ARatnakumar]

17:40 Finkz can go up and take right, it is a possibility but it can be ruled out because of 6 cells in the box , so got lucky there

[@neil2796]

I was starting to feel sorry for that poor neglected yellow 4 cell segment.

[@katiekawaii]

Each of these puzzles is like a masterclass in a different sudoku variation. It's brilliant. Props to you, Marty. 👏👏👏 Genius.

[@dty999]

34:07 without any clues from Simon! Very happy with that.

[@nidoking042]

I got to the 11 total in a slightly different way, after noticing that there are four cells on the path in box 9 and a black dot outside. Every black dot must have at least one low digit (1, 2, 3, 4), which means 10 is an impossible sum for that region. 11 is then both the minimum and the maximum (based on there being four segments in box 5).

[@WhoStoleMyAlias]

Or yet another way, after finding that the region sum must be either 10 or 11, the maximum for the coloured cells in column 8 becomes 27 and 30 respectively. Since you can only make 18 with two cells if they are both 9 this means that the region sum cannot be 10 and therefore it must be 11.

[@Dj_AnDy]

​@@WhoStoleMyAlias At that point isn't the maximum sum of colored cells 30 or 33?

[@WhoStoleMyAlias]

@@Dj_AnDy No, I meant strictly the cells in column 8, so that is 10+10+3+4=27 or it is 11+11+3+5=30

[@Dj_AnDy]

@@WhoStoleMyAlias oh now I see what you meant 👍

[@slopjoust]

I would like to see Finkz make her way through a fog of war maze.

[@reubenmckay]

I'm really enjoying these Finkz sudokus. I hope Marty Sears keeps making them and Simon keeps solving them. I feel like there's a lot of potential to make some interesting combinations of paths and variant rulesets in this series yet still maintain the more appraochable nature of each puzzle.

[@travisdudley4520]

With the last few Finkz puzzles, I've been wondering if her maze will eventually be inundated with fog. 🙂

[@emilywilliams3237]

Very fun-looking puzzle, and series of puzzles! Of course Marty Sears is going to produce great puzzles all the time. Thanks for bringing us the series, Simon, with your usual aplomb and éclat!

[@dikinebaks]

34:48 man I'm really enjoying these ratmaze puzzles

[@NickFegley]

I don't usually comment, but I want to express how much I really enjoy these Fitz puzzles. Thank you so much to the setter for their excellent design, and to the channel for bringing them to my attention!

[@Afterthoughtbtw]

It's funny how much some cleverly placed flavour text can make a really fun puzzle even more fun.

[@chocolateboy300]

I finished in 42 minutes. These rat runs are my favorite. I think they rival fog of wars. The theming really adds a personality that I really enjoy. The one way doors are a cute idea to incorporate in this puzzle. I thought I had broken it when connecting two lines, before realizing that I forgot a door in box 1/4 could be used. Great Puzzle!

[@David_K_Booth]

Very entertaining sequence of puzzles. Thanks so much, Marty!

[@Hakucho64]

Surprised myself by being able to solve it without help! Lovely puzzle, thanks Marty.

[@skiesofarcadia4885]

Marty, I know you sometimes see these comments. I really love this whole series and may have already skipped ahead to #5 out of excitement :) Thanks for creating such fun, thematic puzzles!

[@martysears]

Love reading the comments :D Hope you enjoyed episode 5... episode 6 will be released in a few hours :)

[@skiesofarcadia4885]

@@martysears Definitely! Looking forward to its eventual feature on this channel and excited for the next installment this evening :)

[@piarittersporn]

Fortunately not difficult but very exciting and wonderful puzzle. With this type of puzzle it is always very helpful for me to immediately mark the "gray areas" where Finks cannot go through. Here it went pretty quickly.

[@Donrafa189]

That joke makes me laugh every time😂 “An arcane process we sometimes use in these sudoku puzzles”

[@WeaselOnaStick]

As much as I love these puzzles I wish Sven added the ability to toggle on/off custom puzzle overlays like the maze walls here. They become obsolete once you figure out the path, and with the path+segments drawn the walls clutter the board too much

[@Artoooooor]

If previously the dots were called "kropki dots", now they should be "porzeczki blackcurrants"!

[@darrenbent7601]

That is very clever, especially with that regency sum constraint. Marty Sears must be a wizard with the calculations.

[@Fishmanaym]

I love Finkz puzzles and this one was wonderful, not the hardest of them but the most fun to solve yet for sure.

[@madsli]

Along with a sudoku puzzle variation with a 3 in every corner, I am also looking forwards to the day when Simon tackles a puzzle where 5, 7 and 9 can be on black dots.

[@jonathancard4466]

When you're 30 minutes in and don't know Finks' path, and the video is only 40 minutes long, you know you should have called in sick to work.

[@timking4625]

An astounding puzzle! Thanks to both setter and to Simon

[@Gonzalo_Garcia_]

12:12 for me. Fantastic puzzle once again!!

[@ericpraline1302]

Was actually bamboozled for a time as I forgot about direction of travel when considering the arrows and trying to work backwads. Keep the cupcakes coming.

[@chipsounder4633]

Box 9 was better as the kropki dot needs a 123 or 4 so red cant be 10. Loved that again.

[@six_5000]

71:48 these rat puzzles are definitely the best of this year 🐀🐀🐀

[@ronjohnson6916]

Clever and approachable. My own favorite type of puzzle.

[@davidrattner9]

More Wonderfulness from you Marty! Fun puzzle to solve!! Love to see you Simon have as much enjoyment in Solving!!

[@BozoTheBear]

Outstanding!!

[@markp7262]

21:49 finish. A nice, straight-forward puzzle that is still a challenge. Very fun, excellent!

[@cora1327]

18:15 an F1 reference! My two worlds collide! I’d never have thought:) amazing win for Hamilton. I may be bad at variant sudoku, but this is something I can answer: the chicane in Silverstone is Maggotts & Becketts.

[@myacky5887]

I've shouted at my screen before, but I never thought I would be shouting corner names at Simon!

[@longwaytotipperary]

Very nice puzzle! Agree with others, would like to see Finkz find her way through some fog….😁

[@craigfjay]

I resolved the 10/11 segment total by looking at the segments in column 8, and counting the digits from 1-4: Box 3 would need 1, box 6 would need 2, and box 9 would need 2, totalling 5 digits from 1-4 in column 8.

[@SomethingWellesian]

These Finkz puzzles are great. So far I’ve needed a bit of a push to get started on all of them, but the solve is so smooth once you’ve got in. Hopefully I’ll find the break-in of the next one on my own🙃

[@KANPAI666OPPAI]

Great puzzle! Was able to suss out the sum and path pretty quickly, but had to backtrack twice on the numbers since I probably pencilmarked some segments incorrectly and went off those assumptions. Love how the off path clues worked to solve the rest of the grid!

[@_dr.mayhem]

Me: "Look at the black currant dot in box two, look at it, look at it." At 27:18 Simon: " okay lets look at this black currant" Me: "Not that one"😭😭😭

[@fade2dblack]

That's Finkz in the corner. That's Finkz in the spotlight, losing his religion. And cheese.

[@michealfehr9371]

I have been enjoying the Rat Run series very much and solving them alongside simon as i almost always need a bit of a helping hand once i get stuck

[@kenrickman6697]

Perhaps Sven could implement some sort of layer feature? You’ve done a few puzzles lately where it would be helpful to have more information as you solve, but it causes clutter. I’m thinking of these Rat Run puzzles, and also the recent misplaced killer clue puzzle. Putting the maze, color notes, or various lines on different layers would make it possible to select only the type of notes that you’re interested in at the moment.

[@MattYDdraig]

25:47 Another charming and brilliant experiment with Finkz. This started a little easier than the last with much more forced path it seemed, but then so much more to uncover to complete the digits. So much fun, thank you!

[@AditaBattleForge]

Rat Run 4? Fantastic! I wonder where Marty will stop :D

[@zhoppa]

...9?

[@johnarmstrong607]

@@zhoppa but then you can have doublers 😀

[@darrenbent7601]

Maybe the whole line through all boxes is a Palindrome? That will be a challenge.

[@MariaVlasiou]

The thing in this puzzle that confused me was if I consider the starting cell as path and thus in the equal sums. So if the noise went straight north, right and exit as intended, whether she moved 5 or 6 cells.

[@AFT3RDAY5]

What a particularly beautiful puzzle 🥰👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Solved it without cheating in 37 minutes 🎉 Now I must do the others too 😄👍🏻

[@dwdei8815]

Once you've got the two regions (here in khaki and mauve) in box 5 the region total is easy to work out. It can't be made in 6 cells so most of Box 8 is greyed out as not viable for the path, and suddenly Box 5 is forced to have either entirely 4 region sums (is 45 divisible by 4? Calculators out, everyone!) or 4 region sums plus a left-over digit. That constraint makes it a slam-dunk.

[@frankjiang1857]

Finished in 30:22. Didn't realize the one-way doors were actually also greater than and less than signs until I was kind of stuck with some possible deadly pairs. Then I reread the rules and finished it up. Also, Finkz has a lot of self-control not to grab a black currant which is next to his path but not go down that path! Fun puzzle!

[@tBagley43]

47:25 really fun puzzle with lots of interesting logic I recommend highlighting all possible paths with the yellow pen tool, and slowly deleting paths when they cannot be taken or turning them green when they must be taken, it really helps with keeping track of things

[@Landis963]

65:56 for me - I think I have a bad habit of Goodliffe-ing everything even when it's not useful. (I looked up whether Finkz can have chocolate cake, and rats apparently can digest theobromine in small doses. So maybe a chocolate petit fours?)

[@Whalexander]

Solved in 54 minutes 38 seconds, what a fantastic puzzle this was.

[@RJRJ]

I read the Region Sum Line rule as meaning within each 3x3 sudoku box, not sure how everyone else came to the conclusion that the maze walls also divided into separate region sums D:

[@martysears]

The maze walls don’t divide the line… just the dotted box borders as with a normal region sum line

[@meamemg]

For me, the ambiguity was whether leaving and returning to a box you add the two segments together, or they count separately.

[@PleasantDoorknob]

Simon really does his best to avoid the easy bits 😂 That poor 5 in r3c3 was totally neglected

[@apiyo_puzzles]

Can't wait for you to do number 5. It has an aha moment to die for.

[@praematura]

Oy, not my best solve. 😅 Got the path pretty fast, made progress then stalled as I'd forgotten the arrow were doing double duty! Once I realized that, was able to finish in 33:04, but suspect I could have shaved at least 5 minutes off that, if not more, if I'd remembered all the rules! Regardless, many thanks to Marty for an amazing puzzle, it was very enjoyable!

[@Aliessil]

Finished in 32:54. Got stuck in a deadly pattern towards the end, until remembering the segment totals - d'oh!

[@rowan1230]

205 minutes for me, BUT this was the first variant sudoku I've solved in which I had to additionally draw something in the grid! Still too intimidated to try a Yin Yang puzzle but progress is progress...

[@titusadduxas]

37:46 - I really enjoyed that one. Not too difficult once you got your head round the rules.

[@nathanmays7926]

I wasted about 30 minutes trying to disambiguate the ending using all sorts of hidden X and Y wings before realizing the arrows were also "greater than" clues and not just one way doors for the purpose of the path. Note to self: fully read the rules twice before giving it a go.

[@theboykev762]

Hi, Simon. I love watching these videos. One question i have though, after the colouring but before you started putting numbers in, why couldn't the blank cell in box 5 been a 9? 4 dominos could add to 9 each. Am i missing something as to why not? Thanks. Kev.

[@martysears]

Hey Kev, this is definitely a possibility I wanted people to consider at first. The way to disprove 9 as a possibility for the region sum (and also that spare cell in box 5) is that some boxes have segments with 4 cells. The minimum these can be is 1234, so the region sum must be at least 10.

[@adrianp5465]

It really feels like Finx needs a fog of war puzzle. See the maze from its viewpoint.

[@TheRedReid]

32:53 for me. Absolutely loving this Finkz series!

[@grahamania]

00:28:53 for me. Love doing these puzzles along with Simon. Great fun! Kind comment.

[@jcsoundguy]

I kept yelling R3C4!!!

[@uberless1]

She *finks* she wants a cupcake…

[@DarrenNakamura]

Finished in 44:38. Cool idea for a puzzle.

[@y_prime]

solved in 15:26 - another nice addition to the series

[@glum_hippo]

Only ‘borderline’ genius? Seems harsh

[@okmarshall]

Look at the name of the puzzle.

[@srwapo]

28:00, thought I broke it before remembering the cell the rat starts on ALSO counts to the sum.

[@franzelmagetower]

Another fantastic entry in the Continued Adventures of Finkz. I hope he gets Flowers soon. Or perhaps not...

[@ashnose]

The next one is equally good

[@theashen]

literally read the instructions seven times and still couldn't understand them.

[@mudscuffer]

35:16 for me. Really interesting puzzle, though I found the busyness of the grid a bit more distracting in this one than in the earlier ones.

[@LednacekZ]

19:22 for me. the more i do them the easier they get.

[@davidroshan77]

The 4 segmented yellow cells were completely ignored, the coloring and Walls made it hard to see. Poor Simon..

[@paulellingham9358]

Nice puzzle. It's a real shame I tried to solve it in the direction of cupcake-rat instead of the correct way. I got a suspiciously short path and gave up and watched the video. Doh!

[@sheepdude860]

Solved in 37 minutes! Seemed impossible at first 🎉

[@nicocost33]

42.50 for me. That was fun!

[@stevesebzda570]

"Others"? This is the 1st I've seen. Others of them, though? Thanks

[@GregJonson]

Very creative, and quite approachable! 26.36 for me

[@inspiringsand123]

Rules: 04:50 Let's Get Cracking: 08:43 What about this video's Top Tier Simarkisms?! Phistomefel: 3x (01:45, 01:52, 01:55) The Secret: 2x (20:42, 20:44) And how about this video's Simarkisms?! Sorry: 6x (15:06, 15:06, 29:29, 29:29, 32:15, 33:54) Cake!: 6x (02:59, 03:03, 03:31, 04:39, 10:58, 38:30) Ah: 5x (15:40, 17:02, 17:34, 19:27, 19:27) Beautiful: 4x (22:48, 22:48, 26:39, 29:44) Brilliant: 4x (00:39, 04:47, 38:39, 38:41) In Fact: 4x (06:57, 21:00, 22:38, 36:04) Goodness: 3x (38:07, 38:30, 38:39) Triangular Number: 3x (08:22, 13:02, 14:08) Shouting: 2x (02:54, 04:35) Hang On: 2x (29:21, 29:21) Clever: 1x (38:49) Recalcitrant: 1x (37:47) Stuck: 1x (28:41) Fascinating: 1x (02:08) First Digit: 1x (24:25) By Sudoku: 1x (26:36) Approachable: 1x (02:28) Obviously: 1x (10:44) Whoopsie: 1x (38:01) What Does This Mean?: 1x (06:41) Most popular number(>9), digit and colour this video: Ten (15 mentions) One, Two (53 mentions) Black (19 mentions) Antithesis Battles: Low (2) - High (1) Even (3) - Odd (2) Higher (2) - Lower (0) Black (19) - White (0) Column (8) - Row (7) FAQ: Q1: You missed something! A1: That could very well be the case! Human speech can be hard to understand for computers like me! Point out the ones that I missed and maybe I'll learn! Q2: Can you do this for another channel? A2: I've been thinking about that and wrote some code to make that possible. Let me know which channel you think would be a good fit!

[@smylesg]

29:45 I don't think it's possible, but I'm curious how often Simon starts a sentence with "it's" and ends it with ", this." Like "it's a beautiful puzzle, this" instead of "this is a beautiful puzzle."

[@ThePolymathlete]

19:13 for me. These puzzles are fun

[@erik.isomer]

I’m having an issue where the app keeps deleting digits on me. Is anyone else having this problem?

[@jinkela7295]

Why did Simon use a red line instead of blue in an RSL-themed puzzle?

[@martysears]

probably to stand out against all the blue walls

[@anthonymelvin2391]

I made a comment on another Marty Sears puzzle and have to do the same here... *Spoilers* The path is a rat, albeit rotated on its side! Great work Marty!

[@Anne_Mahoney]

Is a steady diet of cupcakes and black currants good for a rat? 😺

[@bossiebos881]

7:31

[@user-kt9vr1wj6y]

42:09 for me nice puzzle

[@theredstoneengineer6934]

26:42 for me

[@titirenee]

40:10

[@GabrielDias-rm4rt]

00:54:15 i'm learning 😅

[@zackleonard8559]

29:28 for me, I did not enjoying the visual clutter in this puzzle

[@thescrewfly]

Clearly all the birthday people and/or their partners/friends/relatives need to include pronunciation guides for Simon, since some of the names are clearly causing him more than a little mental anguish...