EXTREMEPUZZLE BOOKS

Extreme Killer Sudoku 3, puzzle 113: 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 113 of 150 in Extreme Killer Sudoku 3
Difficulty
Expert 2 (expert and beyond), from the final, hardest third of the book
Key technique
Remote Pairs
Hard steps
4 of 63 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: Remote Pairs

A chain of cells that all hold the same pair alternates between the two digits. Cells that see both ends of an odd-length link cannot hold either digit.

Other advanced and expert techniques in this solve: Advanced Innies (3+ sectors), Forcing Chains, Multi-Sector Locking.

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 (4)
  1. Step 10 · Multi-Sector Locking advanced
    Rules out 9 from R1C4, R2C4, R3C4, R4C3 and 5 more; 8 from R4C4, R5C4; 1 from R8C2, R9C2.
  2. Step 13 · Advanced Innies (3+ sectors) advanced
    Places 9 in R1C6 and rules out 9 from R1C1, R1C2, R1C3, R1C5 and 9 more; 1 from R5C4, R5C6; 2 from R5C4, R5C6.
  3. Step 50 · Remote Pairs expert
    Rules out 6 from R8C5; 8 from R8C5.
  4. Step 53 · Forcing Chains expert
    Rules out 3 from R1C7.

The book

Volume three: 150 new killers, none repeated from books 1 or 2. No starting digits, just cages and their totals, ramping from hard to brutal.

150 new 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