SudoCue Users

This seemed straight forward - certainly easier than 66

1 Cage 17/2 C2 ={98}
2 => Cage 10/2 N1={64I73}
3 Rule 45 N1=> R3C13={94I85} (76 locked in Cage 10/2)
4 Rule 45 C6=> R189C6=24={987}
5 Cage 22/3 C67 = [{98I97}I{5I6}]
6 =>R1C6<>9 =>R12C7={94I86}
7 => Cage 19/3 N3={973I865}
8 Cage 3/2 N3 = {12}
9 => R3C79= 73 (54 not possible due to point 3 above)
10 => Cage 19/3 N3={865}
11 => R12C7={94} => R9C7=6 =>R89C6={97} =>R1C6=8
12 => Cage 10/2 N1={64} => R3C13={85}

Thereafter it is very easy with nothing special required

Solution

312748956
769513428
845692713
193284567
687935241
254176389
936451872
428367195
571829634

Let's hope no typos this week Rating 0.75 max

Gosh Howard, you were quick off the mark this morning!

I can't say I found it easier than A66 but would agree with the 0.75 rating. Haven't done a WT today - no advanced steps required. All done with a few 45 rules, killer pairs and cage combos.

Ruud wrote:It will definitely score higher than last week's Assassin

I have to agree with Howard that this one was easier than last weeks. Probably a low 0.75 on the rating scale.


Walk-through Assassin 67

1. R12C1, R23C2, R45C8 and R56C5 = {19/28/37/46}: no 5

2. 21(3) at R1C6 = {489/579/678}: no 1,2,3

3. 19(3) at R1C8 = {289/379/469/578}: no 1

4. 9(3) at R2C6 = {126/135/234}: no 7,8,9

5. 11(3) at R3C9 = {128/137/146/236/245}: no 9

6. R67C1 and R78C5 = {29/38/47/56}: no 1

7. R67C2 = {17/26/35}: no 4,8,9

8. R67C8 = {69/78}: no 1,2,3,4,5

9. R89C1 = {18/27/36/45}: no 9

10. 10(3) at R8C2 = {127/136/145/235}: no 8,9

11. 22(3) at R8C6 = {589/679}: no 1,2,3,4

12. R23C8 = {12} -->> locked for C8 and N3
12a. R45C8 = {37/46}: no 8,9
12b. Killer Pair {67} in R45C8 + R67C8 -->> locked for C8

13. R34C5 = {89} -->> locked for C5
13a. R56C5 = {37/46} = {4|7..}: no 1,2
13b. R78C5 = {56}: {47} blocked by R56C6 -->> locked for C5 and N8
13c. R56C5 = {37} -->> locked for C5 and N5

14. R45C2 = {89} -->> locked for C2 and N4
14a. Naked Pair {89} in R4C25 -->> locked for R4
14b. Clean up: R23C2: no 1,2

15. 22(3) at R8C6 = {79}[6]/{89}[5] -->> R9C7 = {56}; R89C6 = {79/89} -->> locked for C6 and N8

16. 45 on C6: 1 innie and 1 outie: R9C7 + 2 = R1C6 -->> R1C6 = {78}
16a. Naked Triple {789} in R189C6 -->> locked for C6

17. 45 on N2: 2 innies and 2 outies: R1C6 + R3C5 = R4C46 + 11: R1C6 + R3C5 = 15/16/17 -->> R4C46 = 5/6 (4 not possible) = {14/15/24}: no 6; R1C6 + R3C5 = [79/89] -->> R3C5 = 9
17a. R4C5 = 8; R45C2 = [98]

18. 45 on N1: 2 innies: R3C13 = 13 = {58}: {67} blocked by R23C2 -->> locked for R3 and N1
18a. Clean up: R12C1: no 2

19. 12(3) at R1C4 needs 2 of {124} in R12C5 -->> 12(3) = [7]{14}/[6]{24}: R1C4 = {67}; R12C5 = {14/24} -->> 4 locked for C5 and N2

20. 45 on C4: 3 innies: R189C4 = 18 = [6]{48}/[7]{38} -->> R89C4 = {38/48}: no 1,2,7; 8 locked for C4 and N8
20a. R1C6 = 8(hidden); R9C7 = 6(step 16); R2C9 = 8(hidden)

21. 21(3) at R1C6 = 8{49}(last combo) -->> R12C7 = {49} -->> locked for C7 and N3

22. 19(3) at R1C8 = [56]8(last combo) -->> R1C89 = [56]
22a. R1C4 = 7; R3C2 = 4(hidden); R2C2 = 6
22b. Clean up: R2C1: no 3; R12C5 = {14} -->> locked for C5 and N2; R67C2: no 2; R8C1: no 3
22c. R9C5 = 2
22d. Clean up: R8C1: no 7; R89C4 = {38} -->> locked for C4 and N8

23. 14(3) at R5C4 = {149} (last combo) -->> locked for C4

24. 12(3) at R5C6 = {56}[1]/{26}[4] -->> R56C6 = {26/56} -->> 6 locked for C6 and N5
24a. R3C4 = 6(hidden); R3C8 = 1(hidden); R2C8 = 2; R2C46 = [53]; R3C6 = 2; R4C46 = [24]
24b. R7C46 = [41]

25. 45 on C9: 1 innies: R9C9 = 4
25a. 16(3) at R8C8 = 4{39}: R89C8 = {39} -->> locked for C8 and N9
25b. R45C8 = [64](last combo); R6C9 = 9(hidden); R56C4 = [91]

26. 16(3) at R6C9 = 9{25} (last combo) -->> R78C9 = {25} -->> locked for C9 and N9
26a. R8C7 = 1(hidden)

27. 14(3) at R3C7 = {257}(last combo) -->> R345C7 = [752]
27a. R78C7 = [38]; R78C8 = [87]; R56C5 = [37]; R67C2 = [53]; R56C6 = [56]; R3C9 = 3

28. R67C1 = [29](last combo)

And the rest is naked and hidden singles.

greetings

Para

I agree with Howard and Para. Definitely easier than A66. I used less steps, slightly easier ones and had less notes about relationships below my working diagram for A67 than I did for A66. I'd put it between 0.75 and 1.0. Maybe when giving ratings we forget that Mike has defined typical recent Assassins as 1.25.

This was another one that I solved in one session, apart from a break for dinner, so that makes it easier than average Assassins over the last few months.

Here is my walkthrough.
Thanks Para for the comments and corrections.

1. R12C1 = {19/28/37/46}, no 5

2. R23C2 = {19/28/37/46} no 5

3. R23C8 = {12}, locked for C8 and N3

4. R34C5 = {89}, locked for C5

5. R45C2 = {89}, locked for C2 and N4, clean-up: no 1,2 in R23C2

6. R45C8 = {37/46}, no 5,8,9

7. R56C5 = {37/46}, no 1,2,5

8. R67C1 = [29/38]/{47/56}, no 1, no 2,3 in R7C1

9. R67C2 = {17/26/35}, no 4

10. R67C8 = {69/78}

11. R78C5 = {47/56}, no 1,2,3
[Para commented this should be R78C5 = {56} (only remaining combination, {47} clashes with R56C5), locked for C5. I ought to have spotted that. I saw it the other way round in step 20, only just after the preliminary steps, so this didn’t really affect the solution path.]

12. R89C1 = {18/27/36/45}, no 9

13. 21(3) cage at R1C6 = {489/579/678}, no 1,2,3

14. R234C6 = {126/135/234}, no 7,8,9

15. R345C9 = {128/137/146/236/245}, no 9

16. 10(3) cage at R8C2 = {127/136/145/235}, no 8,9

17. 22(3) cage at R8C6 = 9{58/67}
17a. CPE no 9 in R9C4

18. Naked pair {89} in R4C25, locked for R4

19. Killer pair 6,7 in R45C8 and R67C8, locked for C8

20. R56C5 (step 7) = {37} (cannot be {46} which clashes with R78C5), locked for C5 and N5, clean-up: no 4 in R78C5 = {56}, locked for C5 and N8
[Alternatively 45 rule on C5 3 innies R129C5 = 7 = {124}, locked for C5]

21. 22(3) cage at R8C6 (step 17) = 9{58/67}
21a. R89C6 = {79/89} -> R9C7 = {56}
21b. 9 locked in R89C6, locked for C6 and N8

22. 45 rule on C2 3 innies R189C2 = 10 = {127/145/235} (cannot be {136} which clashes with R67C2), no 6

23. 45 rule on C4 1 innie R1C4 – 5 = 1 outie R9C5 -> R1C4 = {679}
[Alternatively R1C4 comes from remaining combinations for 12(3) cage]

24. 45 rule on C7 1 outie R1C6 – 2 = 1 innie R9C7 -> R1C6 = {78}
24a. Naked triple {789} in R189C6, locked for C6

25. 45 rule on C7 3 innies R129C7 = 19 = {49}6/{68}5 (cannot be {58}6 which clashes with 21(3) cage at R1C6)
25a. R12C7 = {49/68}, no 5,7

26. 45 rule on C8 1 innie R1C8 – 1 = 1 outie R9C9 -> R9C9 = {23478}

27. 45 rule on N1 2 innies R3C13 = 13 = {49/58} (cannot be {67} which clashes with R23C2)
27a. Killer pair 8,9 in R3C13 and R3C5, locked for R3

28. 12(3) cage in N1 = {129/156/237/246} (cannot be {138} which clashes with all combinations for R23C2 together with R3C13, cannot be {147} which clashes with R23C2, cannot be {345} which clashes with R3C13), no 8

29. 45 rule on N3 2 innies R3C79 – 2 = 1 outie R1C6 -> R3C79 = 9 or 10 = {36/37/46} (cannot be {45} which clashes with R3C13), no 5
[Para pointed out that R3C79 cannot be {46} either because this clashes with R12C7. Well spotted! It’s so easy to forget which combinations remain from previous steps, particularly ones like this that don’t have a fixed total for these two cells. He added "Get's eliminated in 29a though" so it didn’t matter this time.]
29a. 5 in N3 locked in 19(3) cage = {568} (only remaining combination), locked for N3, 6 locked in R12C9, locked for C9, clean-up: R9C9 = {47} (step 26)

30. Naked pair {49} in R12C7, locked for C7 and N3 -> R1C6 = 8 (cage sum), R34C5 = [98], R45C2 = [98], R1C89 = [56], R2C9 = 8, R9C7 = 6 (step 24), R9C9 = 4 (step 26), clean-up: no 2 in R1C1, no 2,4 in R2C1, no 4 in R3C13 (step 26), no 9 in R6C8, no 3,5 in R8C1

31. R9C9 = 4 -> R89C8 = 12 = {39}, locked for C8 and N9, clean-up: no 7 in R45C8, no 6 in R6C8

32. R6C9 = 9 (hidden single in C9), R78C9 = 7 = {25} (only remaining combination), locked for C9 and N9
32a. R5C4 = 9 (hidden single in R5)

33. 1 in N9 locked in R78C7, locked for C7
33a. R678C7 = {138} (only remaining combination) -> R6C7 = 3, R78C7 = {18}, locked for N9 -> R7C8 = 7, R6C8 = 8, R3C79 = [73], R56C5 = [37], clean-up: no 3,7 in R2C2, no 4 in R6C1, no 1 in R6C2, no 4,8 in R7C1, no 1,5 in R7C2
33b. Naked pair {46} in R23C2, locked for C2 and N1, clean-up: no 2 in R67C2 = [53], no 6 in R7C1, no 6 in R8C1

34. 10(3) cage in N7 = {127} (only remaining combination), locked for N7, clean-up: no 8 in R89C1 = [45], R3C1 = 8, R3C3 = 5, R7C1 = 9, R6C1 = 2, clean-up: no 1 in R12C1
34a. Naked pair {37} in R12C1, locked for C1 and N1

35. Naked triple {127} in R9C235, locked for R9 -> R89C6 = [79], R89C8 = [93], R9C4 = 8
35a. R8C4 = 3 (hidden single in R8), R9C5 = 2 (cage sum), R1C4 = 7 (step 23), R12C1 = [37]
35b. R8C2 = 2 (hidden single in N7), R1C2 = 1, R9C23 = [71], R78C9 = [25], R78C5 = [56], R78C3 = [68], R78C7 = [81], R6C3 = 4, R45C3 = [37], R45C9 = [71], R45C1 = [16], R45C8 = [64], R12C5 = [41], R12C7 = [94], R12C3 = [29], R23C2 = [64], R23C8 = [21], R2C46 = [53]

36. R2C6 = 3 -> R34C6 = 6 = [24]

and the rest is naked singles

There were several hidden singles near the end and probably others that I missed which may have made the solution slightly more direct. No need to point them out to me unless I missed any before step 30.