The Sudoku With Only 6 Different Cages

*** NEW SUDOKU HUNT RELEASED YESTERDAY ***
We've launched a brand new competition - a sudoku hunt (by us) featuring lots of sudokus with connections to Hollywood sandwiches! Check it out for as little as $2/month here:

*** TODAY'S PUZZLE ***
An original and absolutely brilliant sudoku today called Bookends by mnasti2. (Hence the Simon & Garfunkel intro today.) This is a seriously clever piece of puzzle setting as you'll discover the moment you try it!

Play the puzzle at the link below:

Rules:
Normal sudoku rules apply (ie place the digits 1 to 6, once each, into each row, column and rectangular box). One cell in each row, column, and box is a ‘doubler’, and each digit is doubled once. Digits do not repeat in cages. Each cage sums to a different total (with doubled digits counting as twice their value) and the totals are ranked in order from lowest (1) to highest (6). The number in the top left of the cage, if given, indicates this rank.

Thanks to all of you who have helped us achieve the milestone of 600,000 subscribers on YouTube. Below you can find a link to a free puzzle pack we have curated to celebrate :)

*** NEW SUDOKU HUNT RELEASED TODAY ***
We've launched a brand new competition - a sudoku hunt based on Hollywood sandwiches! Check it out for as little as $2/month here:

There's also a new solve of Jay Dyer's brutal sudoku: Repeat Prescription

Other treats on Patreon include:

- The Lord Of The Rings Sudoku Hunt by Blobz (and Simon's solve videos)
- Simon's solve of Sky-Skyscraper by Phistomefel has just been uploaded for our patrons.
- Mark's latest solve of The Times Club Monthly cryptic crossword
- Mark's latest series of solves of Connections, the daily New York Times puzzle based on the Only Connect wall game.

*** BRAID STREAM ***
You can watch our recent stream at this link:

▶ SUDOKU PAD - Use Our Software For Your Puzzles ◀

You can input classic sudoku puzzles into our software and help support Sven, the programmer responsible for the wonderful user interface we all use to play these puzzles everyday. The app also comes with 12 handmade puzzles from us:

iOS:

Android:

ALSO on Amazon: Search for “SudokuPad”

▶ Contents Of This Video ◀

0:00 Intro music and puzzle intro
1:45 Rats watch Rat Run sudoku?!
3:01 We're streaming on Wednesday
3:58 NEW Patreon competition TODAY
5:06 Happy Birthdays
6:43 Rules
8:20 Start of Solve: Let's Get Cracking

▶ Contact Us ◀

Twitter: @Cracking The Cryptic

Our PO Box address:

Simon Anthony & Mark Goodliffe
Box 102
56 Gloucester Road
London
SW7 4UB

(Please note to use our real names rather than 'Cracking The Cryptic'.)

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▶SEND US PUZZLES TO SOLVE/CONTACT US◀

▶FOLLOW US◀
Twitter: @crypticcracking
We also post the Wordle In A Minute videos on TikTok.

[debrabowen]

Simon’s goals in life are twofold: 1) work sudoku puzzles; 2) avoid doing sudoku. We’re here for it!

[tiax]

Thank you for the shout out Simon. The rats very much enjoyed their 5 seconds of fame 😊

[GuruJ_]

This is probably the hardest 6x6 I have ever done while never feeling it was "unfair" or overly complex to think about. Fiendishly good!

[MisterGH]

Today, my wife and I tried a bit of a challenge: As soon as the video was available, we clicked the link and solved it to see how many people solved it in between Simon and us. We clicked in with 28 solves on the software, and 23:56 later, the count was up to 79; making us the 51st solve since Simon. At just over a minute past his time too!

[MaryVidal-ptbx]

I always enjoy Simon’s guitar playing but when it’s S&G it makes my heart sing. A guitar intro and a fun puzzle make a happy Monday.

[Coyotek]

17:08 ... I did like how the solve began and ended very similarly (hence the title, of course)

Nice puzzle!

[longwaytotipperary]

Love a Simon and Garfunkel intro by our favorite Simon!!!

[In__Space]

Loved the logic in that one, especially the delight it gave Simon as he found it.

[emilywilliams]

This puzzle was actually within my ability despite having doublers in it - very fun. I'm glad you featured it on the channel, Simon, so that it will get lots more attention. Very fun video. (And guitar!)

[markp]

16:17 finish. A fun puzzle, with some nice logic pushing you through to the end. There are a few different ways to see the final bit of logic, and I missed the one that Simon used (about the green doubler needing to be in row 6). I instead realized that if there was a 5 in the 1 cage, then the doublers in boxes 5 and 6 would be the same. Excellent job!

[davardi]

12:13

Usually I suck at sudokus compared to Simon, because I can't do set theory or anything like that, but the logic here felt very natural.

[davidrattner]

Your guitar playing Simon is always special for us!!! Just like your voice, it is very soothing!!

[MattYDdraig]

16:38
Beautiful and a little fiendish. Box 6 stumped me for a little while but everything came together nicely. Clever logic pushing both digits and doublers around the grid.

[HowlBunny]

I LOVE the guitar intros. They’re so soothing😊

[TimWalton]

Finished! (I had to look at the video for the tiniest bit of help when I got stuck once though). Great puzzle, I really enjoyed it. Not cripplingly difficult, an interesting ruleset, and first digit can be entered quite quickly. Great job :-)

[chocolateboy]

I finished in 38 minutes. That was a very fun, short and sweet sudoku. I, particularly, enjoyed figuring out the two four-celled cages and that one of them had to have a doubled 1 in them. I got a little tripped up near the end, but I was able to get where the 5 went in region 4. Great Puzzle!

[roccov]

I enjoyed that. Just the right level of complexity but still solvable.

[lunardancer]

21:34 for me. Love the Simon & Garfield at the start.

[mnasti]

Thanks! Happy to see this, I love making 6x6s. Excited for Cryptmaster!

[penningmeestercgkdelft]

17:28 Simon: "This must be a natural orange, isn't it?"
Me: feels like eating some juicy orange indeed ;-)