EXTREMEPUZZLE BOOKS

Extreme Killer Sudoku 1, puzzle 92: 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 92 of 150 in Extreme Killer Sudoku 1
Difficulty
Expert 3 (expert and beyond), from the middle third of the book
Key technique
Forcing Chains
Hard steps
8 of 82 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: Forcing Chains

Try each candidate of one cell in turn. Every choice leads to the same result, so that result must be true.

Other advanced and expert techniques in this solve: Skyscraper (×2), Advanced Innies (3+ sectors), Coloring/Multi-coloring, Finned Fish, Multi-Sector Locking, XY-Wing.

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 (8)
  1. Step 17 · Advanced Innies (3+ sectors) advanced
    Rules out 2 from R4C9, R5C9, R7C7; 4 from R4C9, R5C9; 5 from R4C9, R5C9.
  2. Step 25 · Skyscraper advanced
    Rules out 1 from R2C7.
  3. Step 26 · Multi-Sector Locking advanced
    Rules out 1 from R1C6.
  4. Step 27 · Forcing Chains expert
    Rules out 3 from R1C3.
  5. Step 42 · Skyscraper advanced
    Rules out 3 from R4C4, R5C4, R9C5.
  6. Step 43 · Coloring/Multi-coloring expert
    Rules out 7 from R8C5.
  7. Step 44 · Finned Fish expert
    Rules out 7 from R9C3.
  8. Step 76 · XY-Wing advanced
    Rules out 4 from R7C2.

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