The case notes
Find an outie from a Killer box
A Sudoku box also contains one through nine, so it totals forty-five. Here, three Killer cages cover the whole box. Watch a worked example, then try the idea in a puzzle.
A box totals 45
A Sudoku box also contains one through nine, so it totals forty-five. Here, three Killer cages cover the whole box.
One cell outside the box
But look closely: the bottom cage crosses the box edge. It takes one extra cell with it. That outside cell is called an outie.
6 + 15 + 25 = 46
Add the three cage clues: six, fifteen and twenty-five. They make forty-six. That counts every box cell once, plus the outie once.
46 − 45 = 1
The box itself totals forty-five. The cages total forty-six because of the one cell that sticks out. So that cell must be one.
Cages minus box = outie
When cages cover a box and spill over by one cell, subtract forty-five. The difference is your outie.
Read the transcript
A Sudoku box also contains one through nine, so it totals forty-five. Here, three Killer cages cover the whole box. But look closely: the bottom cage crosses the box edge. It takes one extra cell with it. That outside cell is called an outie. Add the three cage clues: six, fifteen and twenty-five. They make forty-six. That counts every box cell once, plus the outie once. The box itself totals forty-five. The cages total forty-six because of the one cell that sticks out. So that cell must be one. When cages cover a box and spill over by one cell, subtract forty-five. The difference is your outie.
Keep following the clues
- Killer Sudoku rules: cage sums and no repeated digits →
- Killer Sudoku cage combinations: find the digits in a small cage →
- Killer Sudoku rule of 45: find a missing digit in a row →
- Killer Sudoku: add cage sums to find a shared digit set →
- Killer Sudoku: Use a box to constrain a crossing Killer cage →
- Killer Sudoku: Compare two Killer cages through their shared row →
- Killer Sudoku: Let a Killer cage rule out digits nearby →
- Killer Sudoku: Use a sum you worked out as an invisible cage →
- Killer Sudoku: Use a modular line to choose a Killer cage pair →
- Killer Sudoku: Find two missing cells with the rule of 45 →
- Arrow Sudoku: Subtract an overlapping cage from an arrow →
- Arrow Sudoku: Use the rule of 45 to find an arrow circle →