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 Post subject: XMAS 2014 Killer
PostPosted: Thu Dec 25, 2014 1:43 pm 
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Grand Master
Grand Master

Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:45 pm
Posts: 694
Location: Saudi Arabia
XMAS 2014 Killer

A Christmas Killer for you all. I've tried to make it assassin level but not sure.

Merry Christmas

Maurice

Image

JS Code:
3x3::k:8:16:3341:3341:18:6407:19:20:21:22:23:24:25:26:6407:27:1038:28:29:30:1547:31:32:6407:4876:1038:33:4873:4873:1547:2833:34:6407:4876:2570:2570:4873:3846:35:2833:36:37:38:4876:2570:1540:3846:39:40:41:42:43:4876:3845:1540:44:45:3855:3855:3855:46:47:3845:48:49:50:51:52:53:54:55:56:3074:3074:3841:57:3841:58:3841:1539:1539:

Extra Groups:
3x3::k:5:6:7:8:11521:9:10:11:12:13:14:15:16:11521:17:18:19:20:21:22:23:11521:11521:11521:24:25:26:27:28:29:11521:11521:11521:30:31:32:33:34:11522:11522:11521:11522:11522:35:36:37:38:11522:11522:11522:11522:11522:39:40:41:11523:11523:11523:11523:11523:11523:11523:42:11524:11524:11523:11524:11524:11524:11523:11524:11524:43:44:45:11524:46:11524:47:48:49:

Solution:
684913275
359287614
721546839
875329461
462871953
193654728
516492387
247138596
938765142


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 Post subject: Re: XMAS 2014 Killer
PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2014 11:11 pm 
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Grand Master
Grand Master

Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:04 pm
Posts: 1894
Location: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
HATMAN wrote:
A Christmas Killer for you all. I've tried to make it assassin level but not sure.
Thanks Maurice for an interesting and challenging puzzle! While it's not an Assassin, because of the coloured jigsaw groups, it's definitely Assassin level.

Here is my walkthrough for XMAS 2014 Killer:
As well as the cages there are pale green, green, pink and grey groups

Prelims

a) R1C34 = {49/58/67}, no 1,2,3
b) R23C8 = {13}
c) R34C3 = {15/24}
d) R45C4 = {29/38/47/56}, no 1
e) R56C2 = {69/78}
f) R67C1 = {15/24}
g) R67C9 = {69/78}
h) R9C12 = {39/48/57}, no 1,2,6
i) R9C89 = {15/24}
j) 19(3) cage at R4C1 = {289/379/469/478/568}, no1
k) 10(3) cage at R4C8 = {127/136/145/235}, no 8,9

1. Naked pair {13} in R23C8, locked for C8 and N3, clean-up: no 5 in R9C9

2. 45 rule on N4 4 innies R456C3 + R6C1 = 11 = {1235}, locked for N4, clean-up: no 2 in R3C3, no 2 in R7C1
2a. 3 in N4 only in R56C3, locked for C3 and green group, clean-up: no 8 in R4C4
2b. R6C3 = 3 (hidden single in R6)
2c. 3 in N5 only in R4C456 + R5C5, locked for pale green group, no 3 in R12C5 + R3C456

3. 45 rule on R9 2 innies R9C46 = 12 = {39/48/57}, no 1,2,6

4. 6 in R9 only in 15(3) disjoint cage at R9C3 = {168/267} (cannot be {456} which clashes with R9C89), no 3,4,5,9

5. 3 in R7 only in R7C24567, locked for pink group, no 3 in R8C7
5a. 3 in R8 only in R8C124569, locked for grey group, no 3 in R9C46
5b. 3 in R9 only in R9C12 = {39}, locked for R9 and N7
5c. 9 in grey group only in R8C45689, locked for R8
5d. 9 in pink group only in R7C45678, locked for R7, clean-up: no 6 in R6C9
5e. 9 in C3 only in R12C3, locked for N1

6. R34C3 = {15}/[42], R5C3 = {125} -> combined half cage R345C3 = {15}2/[42]1}/[42]5, 2 locked for C3 and N4, clean-up: no 4 in R7C1
6a. Naked pair {15} in R67C1, locked for C1

7. R7C1 “sees” all cells of the pink group except for R8C7 -> R7C1 = R8C7 = {15}
7a. R9C89 = {24} (cannot be [51] which clashes with R8C7), locked for R9 and N9, clean-up: no 8 in R9C46 (step 3)
7b. Naked pair {57} in R9C46, locked for R9, N8 and grey group
7c. R8C37 = [75] (hidden pair in R8), 7 placed for pink group -> R7C1 = 5, R6C1 = 1
7d. Naked pair {25} in R45C3, locked for C3
7e. 1 in green group only in R5C67, locked for R5
7f. Clean-up: no 6,8 in R1C4

8. R7C9 = 7 (hidden single in R7) -> R6C9 = 8, clean-up: no 7 in R5C2
8a. 8 in green group only in R5C46, locked for R5 and N5, clean-up: no 7 in R6C2
8b. 8 in pale green group only in R12C5 + R3C456, locked for N2
8c. Naked pair {69} in R56C2, locked for C2 and N4 -> R9C12 = [93]

9. 45 rule on N6 2 remaining innies R56C7 = 1 outie R3C7 + 8
9a. Max R56C7 = {79} = 16 -> max R3C7 = 8
9a. R56C7 cannot total 12,14 -> no 4,6 in R3C7
9b. R3C7 = {278} -> R56C7 = 10,15,16 = [19]/{46/69/79}, no 2 in R56C7

10. 15(3) cage at R7C4 = {249/348} (cannot be {168} which clashes with R9C5), no 1,6, 4 locked for R7 and N8
10a. 4 in C3 only in R123C3, locked for N1

11. Caged X-Wing for 6,9 in R56C8 and green group, no other 6,9 in R56

12. 10(3) cage at R4C8 = {127/136/145/235}
12a. 1 of {136} must be in R4C9 -> no 6 in R4C9

13. 19(4) cage at R3C7 = {2458/2467/3457} (cannot be {1279/1369/1378/1459/1468/1567/2359/2368} because 1,3,6,9 only in R4C7), no 1,9, 4 locked for N6
13a. 3,6 of {2467/3457} must be in R4C7 -> no 7 in R4C7
13b. 9 in N6 only in R56C7, locked for C7 and green group, clean-up: no 2 in R4C4
13c. 9 in N5 only in R4C456, locked for pale green group, no 9 in R12C5 + R3C456
13d. 4 in green group only in R5C46 + R6C456, locked for N5, clean-up: no 7 in R5C4
13e. 4 in pale green group only in R12C5 + R3C456, locked for N2, clean-up: no 9 in R1C3
13f. R2C3 = 9 (hidden single in C3)
13g. R3C9 = 9 (hidden single in R3)
[It looks like R56C7 = {69} can be eliminated because R56C27 would be {69}{69}, which would eliminate 19(4) cage = {3457}, but I refuse to use Unique Rectangle because it doesn’t solve the whole puzzle; I prefer to show uniqueness by eliminating all other possibilities.]

14. 25(4) cage at R1C6 = {1789/2689/3589/3679} (cannot be {4579} which clashes with R9C6, cannot be {4678} because 4,8 only in R3C6), no 4, 9 locked for C6
14a. 8 of {1789/2689/3589} must be in R3C6, 6,7 of {3679} must be in R3C6 -> R3C6 = {678}

[It took me some time to see a way forward, then I found …]
15. 10(3) cage at R4C8 = {127/136/235}
15a. Consider combinations for R45C4 = [38/56/65/74/92]
R45C4 = [38] => R5C9 = 3 (hidden single in N6) => R4C89 = 7 = [61] (cannot be {25} which clashes with R4C3)
or R45C4 = [56/65], grouped X-wing for 5 in R45C3 and R45C4, no other 5 in R45 => 10(3) cage at R4C8 = {127/136}
or R45C4 = [74] => R5C1 = 7 => R5C8 = {25} => 10(3) cage = {127/136} (cannot be {235} which clashes with R5C8)
or R45C4 = [92] => R5C3 = 5 => R5C9 = 3 => R4C89 = 7 = [61] (cannot be {25} which clashes with R4C3)
-> 10(3) cage = {127/136} -> R4C9 = 1
15b. 6,7 of {127/136} only in R4C8 -> R4C8 = {67}
15c. Naked triple {679} in R4C8 and R56C7, locked for N6
15d. Naked triple {245} in R56C8 and R9C8, locked for C8
[Cracked. The rest is fairly straightforward.]

16. R5C6 = 1 (hidden single in R5)
16a. 1 in pale green group only in R12C5 + R3C45, locked for N2
16b. R5C4 = 8 (hidden single in R5) -> R4C4 = 3
16c. R5C9 = 3 (hidden single in N6), R4C9 = 1 -> R4C8 = 6 (cage sum)
16d. R4C7 + R5C56 = {245} = 11 -> R3C7 = 8 (cage sum) -> R1C8 = 7, clean-up: no 6 in R1C3

17. R79C7 = [31] (hidden pair in N9)
17a. 15(3) cage at R7C4 (step 10) = {249} (only remaining combination), locked for R7 and N8 -> R7C8 = 8, R7C23 = [16], R9C35 = [86], R1C3 = 4 -> R1C4 = 9, R3C3 = 1 -> R4C3 = 5

18. R5C3 = 2, placed for green group, R56C7 = {79}, locked for green group
18a. Naked triple {456} in R6C456, locked for R6 and N5 -> R5C5 = 7, placed for pale green group

19. R3C6 = 6, 3 in N2 only in 25(4) cage at R1C6 (step 14) = {3679} (only remaining combination) -> R4C6 = 9, R12C6 = [37], R4C5 = 2, placed for pale green group

and the rest is naked singles, without using the coloured groups.

Rating Comment:
I'll rate my walkthrough at 1.5. My key steps, in the order I used them, were a combined half-cage, a simple "clone" and a moderate forcing chain for the final breakthrough.


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 Post subject: Re: XMAS 2014 Killer
PostPosted: Fri Jan 16, 2015 8:11 pm 
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Grand Master
Grand Master

Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:31 pm
Posts: 282
Location: California, out of London
Belated Happy New Year to all.

Thanks HATMAN. Here's how I did this one...

Hidden Text:
Colours I use I abbreviate as: LG (Lighter Green) and DG (Darker Green).

1. Innies r9 -> r9c46 = +12
Whatever those values are must go in r8 in r8c37 ...
... and in r7 in r7c19.
-> 6(2)c1 from [15] or [24]

2. Innies n4 -> r456c3 + r6c1 = +11 = {1235}
-> 3 in r56c3 and 5 in r456c3
-> 6(2)c3 from [42] or [15].
-> Both of those -> r6c1 = 1
-> r7c1 = 5
-> r67c9 = [87]
-> r8c37 = [75]
-> r9c46 = {57}
-> 6(2)r9 = {24}
-> 12(2)r9 = {39}
-> 15(3)r9 = {168}

3. 8 in r6c9 -> 8 in DG in r5c46 -> 8 in n4 in r4c12
-> 15(2)n4 = {69}
-> 19(3)n4 = {478}
Also 12(2)r9 = [93]

4. 4(3)n3 = {13}
-> HS 3 in r6 -> r6c3 = 3
-> r5c3 from (25)
-> whichever r5c3 is (2 or 5), it can only go in r6 in r6c8
-> 10(3)n6 cannot be {235} -> must contain a 1
-> HS 1 in DG -> r5c6 = 1
-> HS 8 in DG -> r5c4 = 8
-> r4c4 = 3
-> HS 3 in r5 -> r5c9 = 3
-> 10(3)n6 = [613]
Also HS 3 in c7 -> r7c7 = 3
Also HS 1 in c7 -> r9c7 = 1
Also HS 6 in n9 -> r8c9 = 6
-> r78c8 = {89}

5. 6 in DG only in r6c456
-> 15(2)n4 = [69]
-> HS 9 in DG -> r5c7 = 9
Note that 19(4)r3c7 cannot contain any of (139) and must contain 5 in r56c8
-> 19(4) = {2458} with 8 in r3c7 and 5 in r56c8.
-> NS r6c7 = 7

6. 15(3)r7 cannot be same as 15(3)r9 (i.e., not {168})
Only possibility left is 15(3)r7 = {249}
-> r78c8 = [89]
-> r7c23 = [16]
-> r8c12 = {24}
-> r8c456 = [1{38}]
-> 15(3)r9 = [861]

7. 3 in n2 only in r12c6.
-> r8c56 = [38]
-> 25(4)c6 = {3679}
-> r9c46 = [75]
Since 7 and 3 in n5 are in LG -> 25(4) = [{37}69]

8. 13(2)r1 can only be {49}
Whichever of (25) goes in r5c3 can only go in n5 in r4c5 and in n2 in r2c4
-> HS 9 in n2 -> r1c4 = 9
-> r1c3 = 4
-> 6(2)c3 = [15]
-> r5c3 = r4c5 = r2c4 = 2

etc.


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