Questions related to Round 12 : Ashwatthama is Dead? should be posted here.

12-2. Expanded Sudoku.
1. I assume there's no difference between black and white spaces and they are just for aesthetic purposes.
2. The description seems deliberately different, which could suggest that the grid shape won't be regular. Can regions be sizes other than 9 cells? Or is a mechanic like Deficit Sudoku possible. I understand if this is something you don't want to give away.
The description is similar to Star Sudoku, which is shown to have some rows of different sizes, but as far as I'm aware always has 9 cell regions.

12-7. Star Sudoku.
Wording should probably be consistent. First part of the puzzle talks about rows and diagonal rows. Last line of the puzzle mentions rows and columns.




Edited by Para 2026-09-18 8:09 PM

Yes, they are just for aesthetic purposes. Each region will have 9 cells. Thanks for pointing out. We will update the wording in the next version of the IB.

Is the star sudoku shape fixed, or the shape may be different, with just the restrictions in the rules?