Nobody puts NINE in the corner!

Normal sudoku rules apply and identical digits cannot be a knight's move apart, EXCEPT FOR 9's, which MUST each be a knight's move apart from at least one other 9.

▶ OUR PATREON PAGE – JOIN THE COMMUNITY AND TRY OUR NEW PUZZLE HUNT◀

▶ OUR SECOND SUDOKU PUZZLE HUNT – OUT NOW!◀

▶ CTC FAN DISCORD SERVER◀

▶SUPPORT US + ACCESS EXCLUSIVE "CRACKING THE CRYPTIC" PUZZLES/VIDEOS◀

▶ OUR BACK CATALOGUE – ALL CATEGORISED WITH LINKS!◀

▶ OUR NEW THERMO SUDOKU APP IS OUT!◀

▶ *NEW* CRACKING THE CRYPTIC MERCHANDISE◀

▶ THE FIRST SUDOKU PUZZLE HUNT BY BEN NEEDHAM◀

▶ TRY OUR CHESS SUDOKU APP◀

▶TRY OUR CLASSIC SUDOKU APP◀

▶TRY OUR SANDWICH SUDOKU APP◀

▶SEND US PUZZLES TO SOLVE/CONTACT US◀

▶FOLLOW US◀
Twitter: #crypticcracking
@crypticcracking

▶SOFTWARE◀
Play the puzzle in the video by clicking the link under the video (above). We are building a website which will allow you to enter your own sudoku puzzles into the software and this is coming soon!

▶Logo Design◀
Melvyn Mainini

▶Opening Credits Design◀
Joel Blundell

▶ABOUT US◀
Hi! We're Simon Anthony and Mark Goodliffe, two of the UK's most enthusiastic puzzle solvers. We have both represented the UK at the World Sudoku Championships and the World Puzzle Championships. We're also "cryptic crossword" aficionados. Mark is the twelve-time winner of The Times championship and Simon is the former record holder for most consecutive correct solutions to The Listener crossword. We hope we can help your puzzle solving while also introducing you to some of the world's best puzzles.

Thank you for watching!
Simon and Mark

[AFastidiousCuber]

People need to understand that it takes a lot of courage to come on camera and do live solves of puzzles like this under the scrutiny of thousands of eyes. Some people yesterday were, I think, being needlessly rude about his mistake. Both Mark and Simon should be applauded for their efforts, and mistakes are totally expected and acceptable. I love what you guys do, keep up the great work!

[aasekristoffer]

Hey! Awesome that you liked my puzzle, and also that you pronounced my name correctly! :-D

[OlafDoschke]

That restriction of 9s really impossible in corners gave me a smile today.

[markiangooley]

Was screaming at the screen until I realized that it takes only two 9s to have a knight’s-move connection and those two can be isolated from every other 9.

I always invent more constraints. Another reason why I’m no good at these.

[DirtBYA]

This was my first attempt at a puzzle they've done on the channel. I am proud to announce 23:34, I've been watching for a while and thought this one is just my speed. Great to be apart of this community!

[CaTastrophy]

I've also got a literal chess sudoku puzzle in the works, called "The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of 9 Pawns" where you're given all the pawns (1s) on either red or blue squares, red square pawns move downwards instead of upwards, as the blue pawns do. Nothing else. A pawn's move/attack away from a 1 must contain a 2, a 2 becomes a knight. Knights move like knights do, becoming 3s: Bishops. Bishops move diagonally, stopping somewhere to Rook 4s, which move to become a Pawn again, but this time, a 5. 6 knight, 7 bishop, 8 rook, 9 queen.

Normal sudoku rules apply, and above all else, when something is moving to become a higher piece, there can't be an even higher one in its path, with the exception of the knights, who can ignore that. Multiple pieces cannot transform into the same piece, each Bishop 3 must have exactly one Knight 2 and one Rook 4 in its promotional chain.

I've gotten basically nowhere on this one, please, someone more skilled in implementing ideas than I use this for themselves, credit me for the initial idea if you want, I don't really need a reputation in the field of my hobby when I'm bored of other hobbies.

Chess sudoku is my favorite! 25:26 getting better!

[handuo]

49:52 because I ended up solving it in a really roundabout way - the only way I ended up cracking it was by following the path of possible 9 placements and figuring out that there was only one place in a certain box that a 9 could go without eventually breaking it. Went pretty smoothly after that, but I'm sure there was a far easier way of cracking it haha

[Stephen-Fox]

Took longer for me to finally decide to look at the 9s than it should have, but once I spotted a jellyfish that had already appeared by the time I did look at them the puzzle fell over quite quickly. And for me at least jellyfish are more intuitive than the chain that Mark used at about the same point in the solve, and also let me place all the 9s quite easily from it. Very enjoyable puzzle and a fun video.

[albertoluca]

26 minutes, it's the first time I finish a sudoku in less than half an hour! Loved this one

[glennmelven]

I never would have thought to get that first 9 like that. Genius!

[MaxWre]

And I was there trying to connect every single 9 in ONE Knight pattern with this middle 9. After stretching my brain into dimensions that I did not know existed... I watched your video and realised that I was focused on the wrong thing ....
Thanks that !

[ShirtsAreRare]

29:08 simple puzzle, but very enjoyable. If you're new to sudoku variants I think this puzzle would be a wonderful start.

[MisterNohbdy]

3:55 - Yes, except that the given 1 which led you to put in those possibilities also rules out the very cells to which those possibilities were pointing. So that is, as you said, "a bit disappointing". :P

[joekerr]

Loved this puzzle. The placement of the nines is aesthetically pleasing.

[ibrt]

Hmm, I got horribly stuck by thinking that all 9's on the board had to be connected to each other by knight's move, and finding that this was impossible and led to an impasse. I really wondered how the puzzle could be solved until I realized that all 9's didn't have to be reachable from the central 9. That was quite painful.

[susanne]

These rules were fun with an approachable puzzle - Thank you very much!

[victormanjarinsala]

My solve path was quite different but got there anyway (slower than Mark of course). I found it was useful to highlight all cells that could be 9s, it made it very visual to spot the different possibilities. Nice one!!

[TheBeatlesfan]

Finished in 10 minutes flat! Really liked the twist on the anti-knight sudoku, it's reminiscent of the jousting one with the red squares featured a bit ago!

[harstar]

I rushed the rules and tried to connect *all* the 9s for about ten mins before trying to work out if it was possible with no other restraints on a 9x9 grid... It is not, came back, read the rules, realised 2 boxes can be self sufficiently connected and bish bash bosh 2 mins later the puzzle became beautiful. Masterful construction.