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PostPosted: Sat Apr 23, 2011 3:33 am 
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Grand Master
Grand Master

Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2008 6:04 pm
Posts: 1893
Location: Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
Assassin Home Page and Index       Image

We've now reached Assassin 300! Another milestone!

Another major milestone with Assassin 400! And it's 15 years since Ruud posted the first Assassin! :applause:
Ed and I have agreed that there's no need for me to compile and post full archives after the existing ones which were done some years ago. Links are given to the more recent puzzle threads. There is the risk that a few of them might contain spoilers, which had been removed from the earlier archives.
For those interested, there's also the TJK Archive in the Other Variants forum. A few more new TJKs have been posted in recent years.


There was a problem that some puzzle diagrams, mostly by creators no longer active on this forum, wouldn't open. These have now been fixed, using original diagrams whenever possible. Many thanks to Ed for providing some replacement diagrams. All the puzzles in the archive entries of Archive Parts D to H up to Assassin 217 also have Diagrams with "udosuk style Killer Cages" by Børge. Alternatively the code string can be copied and pasted into a solver.

If you find problems opening puzzle diagrams, please contact Ed for Archive parts A to C or Andrew for part D onwards.


Here is Ed's introduction to the Archives, originally posted in Archive Part A. The Archive Index is further down this page; it provides direct links to each part of the archive.

Archive & Ratings Updates

Today, 2nd June 2008, is the 2nd anniversary of Ruud's Assassin Killers :applause: . Ruud's involvement has unfortunately come to an abrupt end which also makes it a sad day. But, as a tribute to the Assassin forum's mighty work over the last 2 years ( :ugeek: ), here's an archive of most of the important forum posts from sudocue.net.

For the record, I asked Ruud's permission to use his puzzles here, but he has never replied. [edit: the sudocue forums have since collapsed; they have since reappeared but we don't know for how long they will be available. All Ruud's puzzle pics now included on this thread]. If anyone from sudocue.net does not want their puzzles/posts put here, or if you don't like the way they have been presented, just let me know what you'd like and I'll do my best.

Totally confused by the ratings we often comment on? This is the original ratings post by Mike (mhparker).
About an Assassin rating scale mhparker wrote:
0.5: Typical newspaper "Deadly". Intended to be done using only limited pencilmarks.

0.75: Easy Assassin, like some of the very early ones, such as A1. Rarely seen now: all recent Assassins would have at least a 1.0 rating on this scale.

1.0: "Average" V1 Assassin (looking back over a longer period of time). Something like A57, perhaps.

1.25: Harder Assassin. Actually, most recent Assassins seem to have become more difficult than they traditionally used to be. So a rating of "1.25" would be considered the norm now. Typical example: A59.

1.5: Hard Assassin, having a significantly longer and/or narrower solution path, and/or requiring more advanced techniques. The A60 was definitely one of these.

1.75: Very hard Assassin, but still not hard enough to require a team effort to solve. Does not require any hypotheticals. The A60RP-Lite could maybe deserve such a rating.

2.0: Traditional "V2" standard, typically requiring a team effort and maybe (but not necessarily) involving limited use of hypotheticals. Example: A55V2.

2.5: Requires a team effort and several short to medium length hypotheticals. The TJK18 and A48-Hevvie would probably fall into this category.

3.0: "Ruudiculous", requiring a team effort and massive hypotheticals to solve, if it can be solved at all. The A50V2 and (possibly) A60RP could be considered examples of this.

4.0: Puzzles with unique solutions, but which can only realistically be solved by computer programs using backtracking (brute force).
NOTE: An important discussion about ratings is here.

The other thing we often mention is the SudokuSolver score (SSscore). This is the score given by rcbroughton's (Richard) solver (downloaded from the software forum). This is a software generated prediction of the human difficulty (ratings). It is often fairly accurate. The lower the score, the easier they should (apparently!) be. But remember - these are Assassins we're rating.... :twisted: [edit: I plan to update this table with improved versions of SudokuSolver]

enxio27 wrote:
I've uploaded all of the original Assassins and all of the Texas Jigsaw Killers from Ruud's website here. (Thanks, Børge!) You will need to use WinZip to extract all of the necessary files from this .ZIP file after you download it.

The Assassins are in .PHP (browser) format and, when loaded into your browser, will display the puzzle (almost) the same way as it appears on the Web site. Make sure the menu.js, sudocue.js, and sudocue2.css files are in the same subdirectory (folder) as the .PHP files


Archive & Ratings Update 2011 by Andrew

The Killer Archive is split into sections, the first part containing the first 50 Assassins, plus variants and other puzzles, from Ruud's site; the next two each containing 25 Assassins, etc. from Ruud's site. After that there are sections for puzzles posted on this forum. Because it's harder to find where non-Assassin puzzles are in the archives, the lists of these puzzles provide direct links to each puzzle entry in the archives; if you want to find out the ratings for these puzzles there are rating tables at the top of each archive page.


Archive Part A. Assassins 1-50, variants and the following puzzles

A New One (aka nd#10)
Black-Hole X remote killer
Center Dot Killer! (aka CDK)
CDK V2
CDK V3
Chevron zero Killer
Last Killer of 2006
Name that Album X
(unfortunately the album image is no longer included in the puzzle diagram)
NonCon Killer
PANIV X
Para's Killer-X
Sampu Z4 and Sampu Z4 V2
Sampu Z5
Special Killer-X (SKX) 1
SKX2
SKX3
SKX4
Uluru-X
UTA and UTA2


Archive Part B. Assassins 51-75, variants and the following puzzles

Concentric Squares Killer
Maverick 1
Transformers X and Transformers X Lite
Vortex Killer and Vortex Lite

and the "Unsolvables Thread" posted by Para on Ruud's site


Archive Part C. Assassins 76-100, variants and the following puzzles

Bored89-Easy
Bored89-Hard
Diagonal Surprise
Maverick 2
Maverick 3
Maverick 4
nd's #9 (aka Night of the Living Sudoku)
Radial Killer
Yet Another Killer (YAK) 94

There are also post-Ruud unofficial Assassins 93-100 on pages 4 and 5 of Archive PART C

Archives B and C also include some discussions from Ruud's site.

In the past few years I've been working on puzzles which I failed to solve when they were originally posted and ones which I've never tried before. Some of these were puzzles originally posted on Ruud's site and now included in Ed's archive parts A,B and C. If anyone else solves these puzzles and would like them included in the archive, please submit them to Ed; you will be given credit in the list of added walkthroughs. If you solve older puzzles on this site and have a walkthrough, it should be posted in the appropriate puzzle thread and I'll then add it to the archive entry.

Walkthroughs added to Archive Parts A, B and C

Archive A
Assassin 21 V2
Assassin 24 (solved again)
Assassin 25 V2
Assassin 26
Assassin 30 V2
Assassin 31
Assassin 34
Assassin 39 V2
Assassin 39 V3
Assassin 40 V2
Assassin 41 V2
Assassin 42 V2
Assassin 43 V0
Assassin 44 V1.5
Assassin 44 V2 (solved again, after solving V1.5)
Assassin 45 V2
Assassin 45 V3
Assassin 46 (solved again at Ed’s suggestion that a new walkthrough was needed)
Assassin 48-Hevvie
Assassin 49 V2
Assassin 50 V2

A New One (aka nd #10) and the V2
Last Killer of 2006
Name That Album Zero X-Killer
PANIV
Para’s Killer-X
Remote Killer-X Black Hole
Sampu Z4 V2
SKX-2
ULURU
UTA
UTA2

Archive B
Assassin 52 v2
Assassin 53 V2.5
Assassin 53 V3
Assassin 53 V0.1 (really V4)
Assassin 55 V2
Assassin 56 V2
Assassin 57 V1.5
Assassin 57 V2
Assassin 58 V1.5
Assassin 59 V1.5
Assassin 60 RP
Assassin 60 RP-Lite
Assassin 62 V2
Assassin 63 V2
Assassin 64 V2
Assassin 65 V2
Assassin 65 V3
Assassin 68 V1.5
Assassin 68 V2
Assassin 68 V3
Assassin 69 V1.5
Assassin 70 V2
Assassin 70 V3
Assassin 71 V2
Assassin 72 V2
Assassin 74 “Brick Wall”

Transformers

Archive C
Assassin 78 V2
Assassin 82 V2X
Assassin 85 V2
Unofficial Assassin 96 V2

Maverick 2
nd#9 (aka Night of the Living Sudoku)


Archive Part D. Assassins 101-125, variants and the following puzzles

Cyclone V1
Cyclone V2
Human Solvable 1
Human Solvable 2X
Human Solvable 2X Lite
Human Solvable 3X
Messy One #1
Messy One #2
Messy One #3
Messy One #4
Messy One #5
Messy One #6
Special Occasion Killer (SOK) 1
SOK2


Archive Part E. Assassins 126-150, variants and the following puzzles

Boredom Killer #1
Boredom Killer #2
Boredom Killer #3
Boredom Killer #4
JFFKiller 1
JFFK2
JFFK3
JFFK4
JFFK5
Tarek's Killer Jonin (and Tarek's Unsolvable Killer Sudoku List)
Tetris Killer
Tetris Killer V2


Archive Part F. Assassins 151-175, variants and the following puzzles

Human Solvable 4X
Human Solvable 5X
JF"F"K6
JFFK7
JFFK8


Archive Part G. Assassins 176-200, variants and the following puzzles

Anti-King Killer
Embedded Grid Killer
HBSS'F
Human Solvable 6X
Human Solvable 6 AX
Human Solvable 7X Elevens (with variant)
A Killer with only Two-Cells Cages
Minimum Cages Zero Killer
Minimum Cages: 14 Cages
A non-consecutive killer sudoku (aka NonCon 2)
Paper Killer
Paper Solvable 2X
Paper Solvable 3 (3 versions)
Paper Solvable 4
The Messier, The Merrier 1
The Messier, The Merrier 2
The Messier, The Merrier 3
The Messier, The Merrier 4
The Messier, The Merrier 5
Twosome 1
Twosome 2
Twosome 3
Twosome 4
Twosome 5
Twosome 6
Twosome 7
Twosome 8


Archive Part H. Assassins 201-225, variants and the following puzzles

Discussion of Perfect Killer puzzles allowed here?
Double Diagonal 1
Double Diagonal 2
goooders' Special 1
Human Solvable 8 Boxes
Human Solvable 8 Boxes V2
Human Solvable 9
Paper Solvable 5 Zero X Killer
Paper Solvable 6 Decidoku X Killer
Paper Solvable XW7
Paper Solvable 8
Paper Solvable 9 Elevenses
Weekly No.256 @ KSO


The following Archives contain rating tables and direct links to each puzzle thread.


Archive Part I. Assassins 226-250, variants and the following puzzles

Broken Cage Killer
DJAPE Daily Killer 27-9-2005
Double Diagonal 4
Human Solvable 10
Human Solvable 11 Diamond Killer 2
Human Solvable 12 Sevens (Almost Human Solvable 12)
Kenyan Killer-X 1
Kenyan Killer-X 2
Kenyan Killer-X 3 (hidden Assassin 237)
Kenyan Killer 4 (hidden Assassin 238)
Kenyan Killer 5 (hidden Assassin 245)
Kenyan Killer 7
Killer Sudoku With Hidden Cages
Killer With Missing Lines
nd’s Killers (12 puzzles)
Overlapping Cages Killer
Paper Solvable 10
Paper Solvable 11 Old Lace Triple Repeat Diagonals
Pinata’s Killers and Killer Variants (20 puzzles)
Quad Diagonal 1 LS 10*10
Unusual Killer Variant (12x12 killer-X)
12-cage zero killer

(Archive Note) Kenyan Killer 6 hasn't yet been posted


Archive Part J. Assassins 251-275, variants and the following puzzles

CNC Killers 22W, 23W, 25W, 27, 39X, 46 Argyle Old Lace, 47X and 50 Double X
Human Solvable 13X NC
Human Solvable 13X not NC
Human Solvable 14 W X - 3 versions
Human Solvable 15 X
Human Solvable 16
Human Solvable 17 CNC WX 59
Inner Windoku 12 Groups 1
NC Killers 1-4
Old Lace Ls Triple Large Diagonals - 6 versions
Old Lace Test Windoku X 2
Paper Solvable 12 – 4 versions
Paper Solvable 13 Outer Snowflake Heaven
Pinata Killers #21-46
Sixes and Sevens W X 1
Triple Diagonal 9 Cager


Archive Part K. Assassins 276-300, variants and the following puzzles

007 Killer-X
CNC FO 3X OL+2I 13
CNC FO X 15
CNC KiMo Order X 1
CNC KiMo X 3
CNC Order X 1
Consecutive Semi Fully Ordered W4
Consecutive Fully Ordered W6
Consecutive Fully Ordered Triple Diagonal 7
Easy One 7 (A283)
Easy One 13 (A287)
GE NC FO DGT 3
GE NC FO DGT WX 4B
Human Solvable 18
Human Solvable 19 Old Lace
Messy One 7 (A283)
Messy One 13 (A287)
Messy One 14
Paper Solvable 14 Snakes D CNC ONO
Pinata Killers #47-49


Archive Part L. Assassins 301-325, variants and the following puzzles

Disjoint Groups DO Pairs
Ed's Extra Groups OL 4
Human Solvable X20 and X20 Hard
Human Solvable 21 is in the Other Variants forum
Human Solvable 22 Sixes X 2
Human Solvable 23 Fives X
Ix Killer 1 (A First Attempt)
Ix Killer 2 (Square)
Ix Killers 3-5
Old Lace Groups Pairs Directed Digitized 5
Snakes and Old Lace Pairs Ordered Digitized
Snakey X Ordered Digitized Pairs 5
Vanilla Killa 1
XMAS 2014 Killer


Archive Part M. Assassins 326-350, variants and the following puzzles

Christmas Killer 2017
CPFC Killer
Human Solvable 24X
Human Solvable 26
Ix Killer 6
Ix Killer 7
Ix Killer 7 V2
Ix Killer 8
Ix Killer 8 V2
Ix Killer 9 Human Solvable
Variations on 111 V1
Variations on 111 V2

(Archive Note) Human Solvable 25 was posted later, see Archive O


Archive Part N. Assassins 351-375, variants and the following puzzles

Ix Killer 10
Ix Killer 11


Archive Part O. Assassins 376-400, variants and the following puzzles

Christmas S-S Killer
Human Solvable 25
J Beck's second killer (modified)
Killer Low Clue 1
Killer Low Clue 2
Low Clue Killer 3
Low Clue Killer 3H
More White Space 34
Semi-Symmetric Killer 1
Semi-Symmetric Killer 3
Semi-Symmetric Killer 4


Archive Part P. Assassins 401-425, variants and the following puzzle

Paper Solvable 1+


Archive Part Q. Assassins 426-450

Assassin 445 Almost PS
Messy One #8
Note that there are also Rainbow Killers in the Other Variants Forum, these use the numbers 0-9 instead of 1-9


Ed took a break from creating new Assassins for much of 2021. Instead he started posting revisits, selecting puzzles from Ruud's Assassin site, which mostly have SS scores of between 1.5 and 2.0 and human ratings at least Easy 1.5. Each revisit post contains a link to the archive thread for the original puzzle. Any further revisits will be included here


Archive Part R. Revisits to earlier Assassins and Other Puzzles

Includes new variant Assassin 64 V3


Archive Part S. Assassins 451-454


If we can manage to keep going at the current rate of two Assassins per month, we'll reach the end of Archive Part T with Assassin 500 in February 2026; that will be a major landmark! I'll do my best to continue solving and posting walkthroughs for all of them.

Also note that June 2026 will be the 20th Anniversary of Ruud's first Assassin!

Andrew


Credits

Ed
A very big thankyou to Andrew for many excellent suggestions to improve this thread
And to Afmob for making all the extra pics; and again to Andrew for the solutions
Another way to view all the original Assassins (and Texas Jigsaw Killers) from enxio27


Andrew
And I'll add a very big thankyou to Richard for his SudokuSolver software
and to Ed for the massive amount of work that he's done, together with Richard, on SS scores.
Thanks also to Børge for generating so many diagrams, which are also in the Images with "udosuk Style Killer Cages" thread, and for providing links from diagrams in that thread to the archive entries.
And many thanks again to Ed for useful suggestions to improve this page and Archive Part D after my first few posts in them.
2012 Thanks Ed for suggesting that the title of the main Archive page should be updated when further entries are added to the archive.
Thanks Ed for suggesting that this index should include a list of walkthroughs added since your parts of the archive were completed.


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