Difference between revisions of "Killer Sudoku"

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[[Image:KillerA.png|right|400px|thumb|Solution to the example puzzle.]]
[[Image:KillerA.png|right|400px|thumb|Solution to the example puzzle.]]


'''Killer Sudoku''' (or simply '''Killer''') is one of the most popular Sudoku [[Sudoku Variations|variants]]. The Japanese name for Killer is '''Samunamupure''', and it is also known as '''Sum-Sudoku'''.
'''Killer Sudoku''' (or simply '''Killer''') is a very popular [[Sudoku Variant]]. The Japanese name for Killer is '''Samunamupure''', and it is also known as '''Sum-Sudoku'''.


The puzzle has no [[given]]s, but it has the same [[grid]] format as a standard Sudoku. This grid is covered by [[cage]]s, each of which enclose 2 or more [[cell]]s. The cages are usually marked with dotted outlines or with separate background colors. The top-left cell is labeled with a cage sum, which is the sum of all [[solution]] digits for the cells inside the cage. Unless otherwise stated, all Killer puzzles follow the [[Killer Convention]]: all digits in a cage should be distinct. In Killer nomenclature, the [[box]]es are often referred to as [[nonet]]s.
The puzzle has no [[given]]s, but it has the same [[grid]] format as a standard Sudoku. This grid is covered by [[cage]]s, each of which enclose 2 or more [[cell]]s. The cages are usually marked with dotted outlines or with separate background colors. The top-left cell is labeled with a cage sum, which is the sum of all [[solution]] digits for the cells inside the cage. Unless otherwise stated, all Killer puzzles follow the [[Killer Convention]]: all digits in a cage should be distinct. In Killer nomenclature, the [[box]]es are often referred to as [[nonet]]s.

Revision as of 21:58, 29 October 2021

Example Killer Sudoku puzzle.
Solution to the example puzzle.

Killer Sudoku (or simply Killer) is a very popular Sudoku Variant. The Japanese name for Killer is Samunamupure, and it is also known as Sum-Sudoku.

The puzzle has no givens, but it has the same grid format as a standard Sudoku. This grid is covered by cages, each of which enclose 2 or more cells. The cages are usually marked with dotted outlines or with separate background colors. The top-left cell is labeled with a cage sum, which is the sum of all solution digits for the cells inside the cage. Unless otherwise stated, all Killer puzzles follow the Killer Convention: all digits in a cage should be distinct. In Killer nomenclature, the boxes are often referred to as nonets.

Besides the solving techniques that you can use for standard Sudoku, solving a Killer requires a whole new set of solving techniques. It is often useful to know the cage combinations for particular cage sums. As an example, a cage of 2 cells with a sum of 3 has only one possible combination: 1 or 2. See this category for a list of Killer Sudoku techniques.

The Killer variant can be combined with the Jigsaw variant to form Jigsaw Killers. It can also be combined with Sudoku-X to form Killer-X.

External Links

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