Puzzle Description Suppressed:Click below to view spoilers

#1: Valerie Mates (valerie) on May 3, 2023 [HINT]

Hm. I am stuck at 43%. It took some edge logic to get here.

Same - I got stuck at 44%. Through very deep lookahead (tried putting the 4 in R1 on the left and kept going until I hit a conflict, so knew it had to go on the right - not much different than guessing in my book) I got to 73%, and I'm stuck again.

from 44% (after normal EL), i did this:

- the 4 in R1 can only go in1 of 2 places, either way C5,6,10-13R2 are dots
- also no matter which side the 4 goes on, the 3 in R3 can't start left of C9, so C11R3 is red.
- LL

now one of the trickier 2-way logic steps i've seen:

- whether C12R3 or C12R5 is red, a red will be triggered in (C9 or C10) row 1, placing the red 4 (R1 clue)

after more LL gets you to 73%, that's where i'm currently stuck :/

Hmmm. I never intentionally make my puzzles difficult (though I'd like to know the process behind deliberately confounding a solve!)

Hmmm. I never intentionally make my puzzles difficult (though I'd like to know the process behind deliberately confounding a solve!)

picking back up:

- if the first two clues in R13 are pushed all the way left, it would generate dots in C1R10 and C4R10 which isn't possible. That is enough to push a red into C12R13.
- if the bottom two clues in C4 are pushed all the way to the bottom, it would generate dots in C5R12 and C5R15 which isn't possible. That is enough to push reds in C4R7,9,11.
- LL to finish.

Great challenge!! Thank you!

Nice job David, that technique worked perfectly.

Found to be solvable with moderate lookahead by wombatilim.

Initial line & color logic completes 40% with only red remaining.

R1: EL marks C1 and C12-13 white.
C1: EL marks R2-4 white. Minimal LL.

C12: EL marks R2 white. LL.

R1: Wherever the 4 is placed, it will place the 3 in R2. R2 C5-6 and C10-11 are white. Minimal LL.

R1: Wherever the 4 is placed, R3 C2-4 are white. LL.

C9: If R6 or R7 is red, R3C10 is part of the 2 in C10. If these squares are white, the 4 in R1 is placed and R3C10 is still part of the 2 in C10. Either way, R4C10 is red. LL.

C1: EL marks R14-15 white. LL.

This got me to 73% and I was stuck for a while; it got me to the same spot as David's 73% even though the details were slightly different. From there his hint in comment #6 took me the rest of the way.

Show: Spoilers

Goto next topic

You must register and log in to be able to participate in this discussion.