EXTREMEPUZZLE BOOKS

Extreme Killer Sudoku 1, puzzle 2: step-by-step solution

Step through the whole solution, or skip to the hard parts. Blue digits are placed by the walkthrough; red strike-through marks a candidate being ruled out.

Puzzle
Killer sudoku, number 2 of 150 in Extreme Killer Sudoku 1
Difficulty
Expert 2 (expert and beyond), from the opening third of the book
Key technique
Coloring/Multi-coloring
Hard steps
3 of 65 steps need an advanced or expert technique

Blue digits are placed by the walkthrough. Red strike-through marks a candidate being ruled out. Cells are named by row and column: R3C5 is row 3, column 5. Arrow keys step too.

The key technique: Coloring/Multi-coloring

Following one digit’s strong links, cells get two colours: one colour is true and the other is false. A cell that sees both colours cannot hold the digit.

Other advanced and expert techniques in this solve: Remote Pairs.

Every move above the basics is listed on the killer sudoku techniques page, each with a one-sentence explanation and worked examples from the books.

The hard steps, in text (3)
  1. Step 21 · Coloring/Multi-coloring expert
    Rules out 9 from R5C4.
  2. Step 31 · Remote Pairs expert
    Rules out 7 from R6C2; 8 from R6C2.
  3. Step 55 · Coloring/Multi-coloring expert
    Rules out 3 from R3C1.

The book

No starting digits at all: just cages and their totals. Sudoku rules, plus arithmetic, plus a lot of nerve.

150 puzzles. Expert and beyond. Puzzles by M. J. Bailey. Paperback, 5 × 8 in, 196 pages, £9.99 / $11.99. Every solution in the book carries a QR code to its own walkthrough, so you can check one step without seeing the whole answer.

Try a free sample puzzle (PDF) · prints on A4 or US Letter