The latest articles on DEV Community by Benedetto Cattarinich (@cattarinich). https://dev.to/cattarinich https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F920547%2F5d82ebfc-c509-406e-a294-932b5de456fa.jpeg https://dev.to/cattarinich en Benedetto Cattarinich Mon, 07 Jul 2025 04:33:37 +0000 https://dev.to/cattarinich/sudoku-like-puzzle-32a3 https://dev.to/cattarinich/sudoku-like-puzzle-32a3 <p>Sudoku-Like Puzzle Rules</p> <p><strong>General Puzzle Structure</strong> </p> <ul> <li>The puzzle has 40 hexagonal cells arranged in a trapezoidal layout: <ul> <li>Rows of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 cells (from top to bottom).</li> </ul> </li> <li>Each cell can contain an integer from 1 to 10.</li> <li>All values must be placed such that: <ul> <li>Each integer (1-10) appears exactly 4 times across the entire grid.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Block Constraints</strong> </p> <ul> <li>The grid is divided into 8 blocks (each with 5 cell indices).</li> <li>For each block: <ul> <li>No duplicate values.</li> <li>Each block must contain at least one prime number (2, 3, 5, or 7).</li> <li>Every prime in the block must be adjacent (a common edge) to an even number.</li> <li>Exception: value 2 is exempt from this requirement if it is in one of the two special blocks (see below).</li> <li>The sum of the values in each block must be unique (no two blocks can have the same total).</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>*<em>Special Block Rule: {2, 3, 5, 7, X} *</em></p> <ul> <li>Exactly two blocks must contain the set {2, 3, 5, 7, X}.</li> <li>In one of these blocks, X must be odd; in the other, X must be even.</li> <li>In these blocks: <ul> <li>The 2 is exempt from needing to be adjacent to an even number.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Adjacency Rule</strong> </p> <ul> <li>Two cells are adjacent if they have a common edge.</li> <li>For every prime value (except 2 in special blocks), there must be in the same block an adjacent cell that holds an even value.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Alignment Rule</strong> </p> <ul> <li>There is an alignment mapping across the 40 cells.</li> <li>Cells that are "aligned" (e.g., in the same visual row, column, or diagonal) must not contain duplicate values. <em>Note: Each cell usually has 6 (not 3) alignments, 3 along the edges and 3 along the vertices.</em> </li> </ul> <p><strong>No Duplicate Values</strong> </p> <ul> <li>No repeated values within: <ul> <li>Any block,</li> <li>Any alignment group,</li> <li>The global digit distribution (each digit used exactly 4 times)</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p>The puzzle has a verified solution.</p> devchallenge