Consecutive Samurai Sudoku
Since the focus is now on Samurai Sudoku puzzles 
, I’d like to introduce yet another variant of this overlapping 5-in-1 Sudoku puzzles: Consecutive Samurai Sudoku!
As far as I know, this is one of a kind puzzle – if you have already seen it elsewhere please do let me know.
So, “pipes” (“|” symbols) between cells mean that those cells must contain consecutive numbers. If there is no pipe – those cells can’t contain consecutive numbers. This second part of the rule is very important but also easy to forget.
Consecutive Samurai Sudoku for Wednesday, May 24 – THINKER – this is the only place you can find these kind of Sudoku puzzles!
Download the puzzle by clicking on this thumbnail:
I’d like to hear your thoughts on how difficult you find these puzzles. There are only 12 starting clues, so it might seem too difficult, but only the very basic techniques are required. Once you get going, it becomes a whole lot easier. Good luck and enjoy!
May 24th, 2006 at 10:04 pm
I found that even though this was listed as a “thinker” I found it to be relatively easy. That is compared to your other types that are labeld “Thinker”. Although I found it a nice new layout.
May 24th, 2006 at 10:16 pm
Well, it’s certainly making me think. Once I broke through it was quite easy to solve that part but I still have four fifths left.
May 26th, 2006 at 12:03 am
In general I like the consecutive sudoku variant, and particularly like those rare puzzles that start looking clean (ie have no “pipes” as no consecutive digits ever touch). This puzzle was fine, but not tremendously difficult if you have some experience with these and know exactly how to get started.
Its possible that some other geometry like the butterfly, etc. would word better for these variants as the samurai form did not do anything for me here, and I basically solved 5 separate puzzles except for the fact I had to do them in a particular order which was rather obvious from the location of the pipes.
May 26th, 2006 at 1:54 am
Thanks for this puzzle, I found it very enjoyable. I started with a decent portion of the UR, and the UR overlap helped solve the UL and eventually both UL and UR overlaps. The UR overlap helped with the LR overlap, which then helped fully solve the center 9×9 + LL and LR overlaps, then finished with the two fun individual puzzles LL and LR. I guess I missed some hints that Thomas found, because I found that I required the overlap information to get footholds in most of the individual grids, and it was reasonably challenging for me.
I never got around to commenting on it before, but I also really liked the samurai greater than from a few weeks ago.
Great puzzles, and thanks again!
May 27th, 2006 at 12:31 am
Well, I completely solved the UR, then that fed down sort of easily into the LR for me which I then completely solved. Basically, by getting that column between the UR and LR in the middle box, I didn’t need the overlap rules ever. Still, a nice consecutive digit puzzle (or 5, depending on how you view the samurai).