“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which allows us to count our blessings.” – Eric Hoffer
Today’s puzzle is an original puzzle idea that I named Kuruko puzzles. (Sounds nearly exotic doesn’t it?) In any case, these puzzles are somewhat like Sudoku puzzles in that you need to fill in empty “boxes” with numbers following a given pattern. In Sudoku, the “boxes” are squares and they are evenly distributed in chess board-like grid. In Kuruko, the “boxes” are hexagons and they are distributed in a hexagonal pattern. Some of the hexagons are gray (7 of them) and some are white (24 of them). Around each gray hexagon there are six white hexagons. Also, three of the six white hexagons surrounding each gray hexagon “point” to the gray hexagon with a black arrow. Just like Sudoku, Kuruko has some very simple rules to follow, actually just two rules:
Rule 1. The number in each gray hexagon is the sum of the numbers in the three white hexagon pointing to it.
Rule 2. Each gray hexagon is surrounded by the numbers 1 through 6 once and only once in each of the six surrounding white hexagons.
Here’s and example puzzle and solution:
Now for the puzzles. Below are two Kuruko puzzles from my Kuruko puzzle book containing 100 original Kuruko puzzles. Just following the simple rules to solve and Good Luck!
I hope you enjoy these Kuruko puzzles. If you like them, check out my book of 100 Original Kuruko Puzzles available on amazon.com. It’s a great and challenging collection of puzzles. Good Luck and pass the puzzles onto others who may enjoy them!
Tags: Number Puzzle, Sudoku