Artisanal Sudoku, Volume 236

1. Bear Claw

• Normal sudoku rules apply (fill each row, column, and 3x3 box with the digits 1-9 once each), and all clues are standard.

• Cages: the sum of the digits inside each cage is equal to the small number in the top left corner.

• Thermometers: digits on thermometers increase from the bulb.

• Very rough difficulty estimate: 3/10

Play online: SudokuPad | unshaded

New to variant sudoku? Check out these beginner-friendly guides to cages and other popular rulesets.

Another quick plug for SudokuCon, July 30 to August 2 in Manchester, UK. Tickets are still available to be there in-person—with substantial discounts for students and unwaged attendees—and livestream passes are now available as well. For £20 (roughly $27 USD), you can watch every session remotely and be part of the event by commenting and participating in Q&As.

Two other things I wanted to mention, both related to SudokuCon:

• The SudokuCon Twitch channel continues to produce fun content regularly. This Sunday, July 19, will see the return of the Setter Spotlight Series (which I’ve appeared on), with Nell Gwyn taking over for Memeristor as host.
  Sunday’s episode will feature Marty Sears, who is a natural choice both because he’s one of the most talented and popular puzzle designers out there, and also because he’ll be at SudokuCon just two weeks later.

• I’m honored to have been invited to appear on the Smart Hobbies YouTube channel, solving Málaga, from Volume 234, as part of a series of guest videos promoting SudokuCon.

2. Triplicate

• Normal sudoku rules apply (fill each row, column, and 3x3 box with the digits 1-9 once each).

• Clones: the blue shaded regions contain the same digits in the same relative positions. Digits can repeat within a clone if allowed by other rules.

• Arrows: the sum of the digits along an arrow is equal to the digit in the connected circle. Digits can repeat along an arrow if allowed by other rules.

• Digits in cells separated by a black dot have a 1:2 ratio.

• Very rough difficulty estimate: 5/10

Play online: SudokuPad

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3. Asunder

• Normal sudoku rules apply (fill each row, column, and 3x3 box with the digits 1-9 once each), and all clues are standard.

• Cages: the sum of the digits inside each cage is equal to the small number in the top left corner (if given), and digits cannot repeat within a cage.

• Renban lines: purple lines contain a non-repeating set of consecutive digits in any order.

• Quadruple circles: a digit inside a white circle appears in one of the four cells surrounding that circle.

• Very rough difficulty estimates: 8/10, 6/10

Play online: SudokuPad | unshaded

Extra clues: SudokuPad | unshaded

Some other puzzles I enjoyed this week:

• Every Which Way, by Michael Lefkowitz

• The Goose Drank Wine, by Timotab
  also, check out last week’s third puzzle, Widescreen, on Timotab’s YouTube channel

• Greater ring, by Azvaril

• Sqüïshÿ Süms, by ChinStrap

Thanks for subscribing to Artisanal Sudoku! Feedback is always appreciated, just leave a comment, reach out on Bluesky, or reply to this email. If you liked these puzzles, you probably know someone else who’d like them too, so please spread the word. If you’re interested in submitting a puzzle, click here for more information. And if you want to try more of my puzzles—many of which are tougher than the ones you’ll find here—check out my page on Logic Masters Deutschland.

This week’s meta-description:
This Sunday, on the SudokuCon Twitch channel: the Setter Spotlight Series returns, featuring Marty Sears!

For premium subscribers, hints and two more bonus puzzles are below. If you like tough fog puzzles, this would be a good week to sign up.

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