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After V1 and V0.9, I moved on to the other cage pattern with V0.8. I hope Børge won't mind me saying that patterns with lots of diagonally connected cages aren't my favourites, because it's harder to keep track of the cages on my worksheet and because they provide fewer 45s; in this case the only useful 45s that I found were for corner nonets. I'm not saying that people shouldn't post such puzzles, just not too often. When I first looked at the cage pattern I was initially concerned that I would find it difficult to keep track of the diagonally parallel 19(3), 19(3) and 19(4) cages although they proved not to be a problem.

As you will see from my walkthrough, after having missed a simple step for V0.9, I did the same for V0.8. It must be the effect of my age! In this case the simple step made such a difference to the solving path that I re-worked my walkthrough from that stage, as I've commented below after step 5.


Here is my walkthrough for A201 V0.8.

Prelims

a) 11(3) cage at R1C1 = {128/137/146/236/245}, no 9
b) 11(3) cage at R1C3 = {128/137/146/236/245}, no 9
c) 21(3) cage at R1C7 = {489/579/678}, no 1,2,3
d) 7(3) cage at R1C8 = {124}
e) 21(3) cage at R2C5 = {489/579/678}, no 1,2,3
f) 23(3) cage at R2C6 = {689}
g) 8(3) cage at R3C6 = {125/134}
h) 19(3) cage at R5C2 = {289/379/469/478/568}, no 1
i) 19(3) cage at R6C2 = {289/379/469/478/568}, no 1
j) 7(3) cage at R6C8 = {124}
k) 6(3) cage at R7C1 = {123}
l) 20(3) cage at R7C9 = {389/479/569/578}, no 1,2
m) 23(3) cage at R8C1 = {689}

Steps resulting from Prelims
1a. Naked triple {124} in 7(3) cage at R1C8, locked for N3
1b. Naked triple {123} in 6(3) cage at R7C1, locked for N7
1c. Naked triple {689} in 23(3) cage at R8C1, locked for N7
1d. Naked triple {689} in 23(3) cage at R2C6, CPE no 6,8,9 in R2C8
1e. Naked triple {124} in 7(3) cage at R6C8, CPE no 4 in R8C8

2. 21(3) cage at R1C7 = {579/678}, 7 locked for N3

3. 45 rule on N1 3 innies R2C3 + R3C23 = 23 = {689}, locked for N1
3a. Naked triple {689} in R3C237, locked for R3

4. Naked pair {57} in R2C8 + R3C9, locked for N3, R1C7 = 9 (step 2), R3C8 = 3

5. Naked pair {68} in R23C7, locked for C7, CPE no 6,8 in R2C6 -> R2C6 = 9

[It was only after I found myself needing to use a step much harder than indicated by the SS score that I went through my earlier steps and found that I’d missed step 6. Because it was a step that I really ought to have spotted earlier, and made a big difference to the solving path, I’ve re-worked my walkthrough from here.]

6. Naked pair {68} in R2C37, locked for R2

7. 21(3) cage at R2C5 = {579} (only remaining combination, cannot be {489/678} because 6,8,9 only in R4C3) -> R4C3 = 9, R2C5 + R3C6 = {57}, locked for N2
7a. Naked pair {57} in R2C58, locked for R2
7b. R3C2 = 9 (hidden single in R3)
7c. Naked pair {68} in R23C3, locked for C3

8. 24(4) cage at R1C6 = {3678} (only remaining combination) -> R4C9 = 7, R1C6 = {68}, R3C9 = 5, R3C6 = 7, R2C58 = [57]

9. 11(3) cage at R1C3 = {137/245}
9a. 5,7 only in R1C3 -> R1C3 = {57}
9b. 3 of {137} must be in R2C2 -> no 1 in R2C2
9c. Naked triple {457} in R1C78C3, locked for C3, 4 also locked for N7

10. R3C2 = 9, R2C3 = {68} -> 22(4) cage at R1C4 cannot contain both of 6,8 (because cage total would be more than 22) -> no 6,8 in R1C4 + R4C1
10a. R1C56 = {68} (hidden pair in R1)
10b. 3 in N2 only in R12C4, locked for C4

11. 19(3) cage at R5C2 = {289/379} (cannot be {469/478/568} because R6C3 only contains 2,3) -> R7C4 = 9, R5C2 = {78}

12. 19(3) cage at R6C2 = {478/568}, no 2,3, CPE no 8 in R6C4
12a. 5 in {568} must be in R7C3 -> no 5 in R6C2 + R8C4
[Can eliminate 4 from R8C4, because cannot then place 4 in N7, but this isn’t consistent with the SS score so I’ll leave it for now.]

13. 45 rule on N9 3 innies R7C78 + R8C7 = 9 = {126/135/234}, no 7,8
13a. 6 of {126} must be in R7C8, 1 of {135} must be in R7C7 -> no 1 in R7C8
13b. 3 of {135/234} must be in R8C7 -> no 4,5 in R8C7

14. R9C7 = 7 (hidden single in C7)
14a. R7C9 + R8C7 = 13 = [49/85]
14b. 9 in C8 only in R89C8, locked for N9

15. 45 rule on N9 2 outies R6C9 + R9C6 = 1 innie R7C7 + 12
15a. Min R6C9 + R9C6 = 13, no 1,2,3 in R6C9 + R9C6, no 4 in R6C9

16. R5C5 = 9 (hidden single in 45(9) cage at R3C5)
16a. R6C9 = 9 (hidden single in R6)

17. 5 in C7 only in R456C7, locked for N6
17a. Naked triple {124} in R156C8, locked for C8

18. 8(3) cage at R3C6 = {125/134}
18a. 3,5 only in R4C7 -> R4C7 = {35}
18b. 8(3) cage = {125/134}, CPE no 1 in R5C6

19. 13(3) cage at R2C4 = {148/238/256/346}
19a. R3C3 = {68} -> no 6,8 in R4C2

20. R6C9 + R9C6 = R7C7 + 12 (step 15)
20a. R6C9 = 9 -> R9C6 = R7C7 + 3, no 4 in R7C7, no 6,8 in R9C6

21. 4 in C7 only in R56C7, locked for N6
21a. Naked pair {12} in R56C8, locked for C8 and N6 -> R1C8 = 4
21b. Naked pair {12} in R12C9, locked for C9
21c. Naked triple {345} in R456C7, locked for C7 and N6

22. 7(3) cage at R6C8 = {124} -> R8C6 = 4, R9C6 = 5, R7C8 = 6, R8C7 = 1 (cage sum), R7C7 = 2, R6C8 = 1, R5C8 = 2, R3C6 = 1, R4C7 = 5 (step 18), R4C8 = 8, R3C7 = 6, R2C7 = 8, R1C6 = 6, R1C5 = 8, R23C3 = [68], R5C9 = 6, R9C8 = 9, R8C8 = 5, R7C9 = 8 (cage sum), R89C9 = [34], R8C3 = 7, R7C2 = 5, R1C3 = 5, R7C3 = 4, R8C2 = 2, R8C5 = 6, R8C4 = 8, R6C2 = 7 (step 12), R5C2 = 8, R6C3 = 2 (step 11)

23. 11(3) cage at R1C3 (step 9) = {245} (only remaining combination) -> R2C2 = 4

and the rest is naked singles.

Guess I should post my walkthrough for v2 to complete the series.



A surprisingly sudden spectacular collapse at the end.

I absolutely agree with Andrew that puzzles with diagonally connected cages are essentially tedious.

I do not mind at all.
I am in fact very grateful that people speak up and say what they prefer end not prefer.

As I have said before, my knowledge of Killer Sudokus is limited, but I like doodling cage patterns.
Here six cage patterns I have doodled.
If you would like to see an Assassin having one ore more puzzles with one or more of these cage patterns, please speak up.


Pattern 1     I have one puzzle with this pattern, which has the SS score 1.44.




Pattern 2     I have one puzzle with this pattern, which has the SS score 1.54, plus a bunch of puzzles with SS score < 1.00.




Pattern 3     The shown puzzle is only an illustration. According to SudokuSolver it is unsolvable.



Pattern 4     The shown puzzle is only an illustration. According to SudokuSolver it is unsolvable.




Pattern 5     The shown puzzle is only an illustration. According to SudokuSolver it is unsolvable.




Pattern 6     The shown puzzle is only an illustration. According to SudokuSolver it is unsolvable.

Børge

An interesting set of cage patterns. You obviously have fun doodling your patterns.

My feeling is that Patterns 1 and 2 would both make good Assassins and the SS scores look right.

Maybe you could post them as A203 and A205, assuming that other puzzles creator(s) sign up for A202 and A204?

I felt that Patterns 3, 4, 5 and 6 were very complicated. Also, as you said, SS didn't manage to solve them.

Well again I have to agree with Andrew that 1 and 2 are the best from the series.However by far the most interesting puzzles are those with large irregular cages because they are much more cerebral to solve(ie they are not just solvable by eliminate,eliminate).Good examples of such puzzles are weekly 228,238 and 240 from killersudokuonline.com(of the recent ones) and all 10 of the nate dorward puzzles on his website(found on the blog bit).Dont know if Borge could make one of those but I suspect he wouldnt like them because they are not "regular"

You mean the following three puzzle from http://www.killersudokuonline.com ?


Weekly No. 228     SS score 1.20     3x3::k:4352:3841:3841:1283:1283:2565:2565:4103:4103:4352:3841:1803:1803:11533:11533:11533:11533:4103:4352:2835:4116:7957:11533:7447:7447:11533:2330:3611:2835:4116:7957:7447:7447:7447:11533:2330:3611:3877:4116:7957:7957:7447:11533:11533:4140:3877:3877:7727:7727:7957:7957:7957:3636:4140:3877:7727:7727:7727:4410:4410:4410:3636:1854:5439:5439:7727:6210:6210:3908:3908:1854:1854:5439:5439:6210:6210:1612:1612:3918:3918:3918:

Weekly No. 238     SS score 1.46     3x3::k:2048:2048:4354:4354:4354:9989:9989:9989:9989:3849:3849:2827:3852:9989:9989:9989:9989:2065:3849:4627:2827:3852:3852:11543:11543:2841:2065:4627:4627:4381:2846:11543:11543:2841:2841:3107:2852:2852:4381:2846:11543:2345:2346:3107:3107:2852:2606:2606:11543:11543:2345:2346:5172:5172:1846:2606:11543:11543:5690:5690:2364:5172:5182:1846:10816:10816:10816:10816:5690:2364:5182:5182:10816:10816:10816:10816:2124:2124:2124:2895:2895:

Weekly No. 240     SS score 1.12     3x3::k:3840:1793:3074:3074:1284:1284:9222:9222:9222:3840:1793:2571:2571:2061:2061:9999:9222:9222:5906:5906:3348:11541:11541:9999:9999:9999:9222:5906:5906:3348:11541:9999:9999:9999:802:2339:5906:3109:3109:11541:11541:9999:11541:802:2339:3373:3373:4399:4399:11541:11541:11541:3892:1589:3373:9271:9271:4399:3898:3643:3643:3892:1589:9271:9271:9271:1858:3898:5956:5956:2630:2630:9271:9271:1858:1858:5956:5956:5956:3151:3151:

What about this puzzle? It has large cages, but I assume that they are not irregular enough?

Pattern 7     The shown puzzle is only an illustration. It is NOT a valid puzzle.

You are exactly right on the kso puzzles referred to.And yes your puzzle 7 is "linear" and therefore to me not particularly interesting.

Again, thanks for your opinion and advice.

Could a puzzle based on any of the following three cage layouts be an interesting puzzle?


Pattern 8     The shown puzzle is only an illustration. It is NOT a valid puzzle.




Pattern 9     The shown puzzle is only an illustration. It is NOT a valid puzzle.




Pattern 10     The shown puzzle is only an illustration. It is NOT a valid puzzle.

10 is great;8 and 9 are linear;thanks for spending so much time on this.