(9-cells for #1, 10-cells for #2) It is noticeable, that for the three puzzles, the MSLS cell-patterns are similar between each other, and furthemore, stick to the "blocked SK-links" pattern (the reason why MSLS's are easy to spot manually).
Third puzzle:
- Code: Select all
+----------------------+--------------------------+--------------------------+
| 7 29 4 | 8 1256 129 | 569-2 <1256 3 |
| 3-689 5 <689 | <269 1234-6 1234-9 | <2689 7 <1689 |
| 3689 239 1 | 5679-2 23567 2379 | 4 <256 5689 |
+----------------------+--------------------------+--------------------------+
| 3469 3479 679 | 1 2457 247 | 235679 8 45679 |
| 5 8 79 | 3 247 6 | 279 124 1479 |
| 1346 1347 2 | 57 9 8 | 3567 34-56 4567 |
+----------------------+--------------------------+--------------------------+
| 2 479 3 | 679 678 79 | 1 <456 5678-4 |
| 14-8 6 <78 | <27 123-78 5 | <378 9 <478 |
| 189 179 5 | 4 13678 1379 | 678-3 <36 2 |
+----------------------+--------------------------+--------------------------+
1. MSLS 12 cells r28c3479, r1379c8
12 links: 689r2, 78r8, 56c8, 2c4, 12b3, 34b9 => -689 r2c1, -6r2c5, -9 r2c6, -8 r8c1, -78 r8c5, -56 r6c8, -2r3c4, -2r1c7, -4r7c9, -3 r9c7 (same eliminations as totuan's and ysfwsf's)
Finish with:
2. Y-Wing: (9=2)r2c4 - (2=7)r8c4 - (7=9)r7c6 =>-9r7c4; lcls, 3 placements
3. (18)r2c59|r9c57 = (13)r8c57 - (3=68)r9c78 => -8 r2c7; ste
So, many thanks, eleven, for this very nice pattern (unknown from me up to now), for the funny puzzles, and for your patient explanations
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