Sudoku Sunday: Killer Sudoku for week 47, 2024

Are you ready? This one is a bit trickier to get started!

The Killer Sudoku puzzle

Tips to solve

Are you stuck? Here are a few pointers to get you going. 

• Right at the start, there are 7 combinations of 3, 4, 16 and 17 you can pencil in. 4 Of those you can even fill in! We're off to a good start.
• Continue with the Top Row, Left Column. Fill all of the fields (apart from sum 20, pencil that one). Start with the combination for sum 5.
• In Bottom Row, Left Column are 3 combinations for sum 8 and 1 last field. If the 3 combinations all need to add up to 8, guess what the number in the last field is going to be? Hint: it's the only number NOT allowed in a sum 8.
• In the same block, use row matching to pencil in the highest sum 8.
• In the Middle Row, Middle Column, use the row strategy to pencil in the combination of 7. Only 2 combinations of sum 13 remain in that row, plus the extra field belonging to the sum 15. The cheat sheet teaches us there are only 3 possible combinations for sum 13, of which 1 is already out of the question. This is great news, because that means that 1 number for that out-of-the-question-combination is going in the remaining field.
• You can now fill in the remaining pencilled combination in TRLC.
• Staying in the Left Column, move to the Middle Row. Sum 14 can be filled in. This leaves you with 2 sums 11, for which you can determine which combination goes where. The lower combination can be filled. 
• With that settled, go back to the BRLC. 2 Combinations for sum 8 are left here, which you can now pencil in. Not the way you're used to, because you don't know which combination goes in which sum. By using row matching you do know in which column the 2 and 7 should go, and in which column the 1 and 6.
• The whole Left Column is now 'complete', with only 4 combinations pencilled in. Take it away!

The final solution

Done? Or want to sneak a peek?

Here is the solution to this Killer Sudoku puzzle!