Thursday, 1 October 2026

Freddie Hand

Today's puzzle is an X-Sandwich, another new genre from the innovations round, a great source of ideas I can steal. I think it's pretty neat.

Rules: Place a number from 1 to N/2 into each cell so that each row and column contains every number from that range exactly twice, where N is the side length of the grid. A clue outside the grid indicates the sum of all numbers between two Xs in the corresponding row or column from the direction of the clue, where X is the first number in that row or column from the direction of the clue. (A 0 clue means there are no numbers between the two Xs).

Here's a little GAPP 101 to help you get started: The sandwich sum always begins with the second cell from the clue. This is particular useful for 1 clues!

Acquire a Speedy Sloth 🦥 by solving the puzzle in 3:30 or less!
Obtain a Quick Crab 🦀 by solving the puzzle in 6:30 or less!
And all solvers who complete the puzzle will be rewarded with an Innovative Izu Thrush 🐦

Example (Penpa+): https://tinyurl.com/y4jude3k
Puzzle (Penpa+): https://tinyurl.com/2u5tczcx