Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Here's where you can attempt poLo by Mattisahuman: https://sudokupad.app/w3ve69np9y
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits separated by a white dot are consecutive. Red cells with outward pointing arrows are larger than all of their orthogonal neighbors. Blue cells with inward pointing arrows are smaller than all of their orthogonal neighbors.
Draw a loop into the grid that may only move orthogonally and may not touch itself, not even diagonally. Additionally, fortress cells are never part of the loop; however, all fortress cells touch the loop either orthogonally or diagonally (or both). The loop is broken up into segments by box borders. These segments are index lines which are all oriented in the same direction about the loop, to be determined by the solver.
Index Lines: The digit in the Nth cell along a segment indicates the position along the segment where the digit N appears. For example: 2143 would be a valid segment; the 1st digit, 2, indicates that the 2nd digit is a 1, and so on.
▶ OUR PATREON PAGE – JOIN THE COMMUNITY, SUPPORT US AND TRY OUR PUZZLE HUNTS◀
patreon.com/crackingthecryptic
The first of August is here, and we have released No Trump Game, a sudoku hunt based on a hand of bridge. No worries, you need not know a thing about bridge to come up trumps in this, but if you play your cards right and send in the answer by the 20th you will have a chance to win the prize. There is also always so much other fascinating content on Patreon, including crosswords (check out Mark’s recent Listener solve of a brilliant puzzle by Sabre), Gridograms, Connections, and a (rare) collaborative sudoku solve by Simon and Mark. Please join us on Patreon! Just $2/month for the monthly reward, $3/month (or higher) for solution videos. Don’t miss the Patreon-only channel on our discord for help with the sudoku hunts. Your support makes a big difference to us – thank you!
▶ From our new merch partner, you can get tees, hoodies, water bottles, and much more, and show the world that you’re part of this wonderful Cracking the Cryptic community! Don’t miss our incredible new Rat Run merch, designed by Marty Sears: cracking-the-cryptric-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd/collections/rat-run Check it all out here: youtube.com/channel/UCC-UOdK8-mIjxBQm_ot1T-Q/store ◀
▶ NEW IN OUR APP: A Worm by Zetamath – “Snecko”, which features overlapping 6x6 puzzles that just might not yield to a strictly sequential solve! On Steam it’s at store.steampowered.com/app/4756830/Cracking_the_Cryptic__The_Sudoku_Worm_of_Zetamath and you can find the AppStore and GooglePlay links at crackingthecryptic.com/apps ◀
▶ OUR APPS: We have many apps! Classic Sudoku Volume #2 joins our main app, along with Sudoku Worms (from Blobz, Phistomefel, Marty Sears, James Sinclair, and Michael Lefkowitz, and the newest one by Zetamath), Fog of War, and many other variant types, including Lines, Domino, Killer, Thermo, Arrow, Chess, Sandwich, Miracle, and a few Approachable collections. We are always developing more apps! Every app is full of hand-crafted puzzles with hints provided by Simon and Mark.
Check out crackingthecryptic.com/apps with links to all outlets. ◀
▶ FIND OUR BOOKS HERE ◀
https://coffeebean.games/product-category/cracking-the-cryptic/ Cracking the Cryptic’s Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and Vol 2, as well as the e-book editions of Fog of War (regular and deluxe editions), are all available!
Our website, with many thanks to GeorgeTheToad: crackingthecryptic.com
▶ CTC FAN DISCORD SERVER◀
discord.gg/BbN89j5
▶ OUR VIDEO CATALOGUE – CATEGORISED WITH LINKS◀
tinyurl.com/CTCCatalogue
▶SEND US PUZZLES TO SOLVE/CONTACT US◀
crackingthecryptic@gmail.com
Snailmail: Mark Goodliffe, Box 102, 56 Gloucester Road, London SW7 4UB
▶FOLLOW US◀
Twitter: #crypticcracking
@crypticcracking
Instagram @crackingthecryptic
▶Credits◀
Music: Lucy Audrin (Piano): Mozart's Sonata no 16; and Mark’s outro music by Riffclown.
SOFTWARE: Thanks to Sam Cappleman-Lynes and Sven Neumann
Logo: Melvyn Mainini
Opening Credits: Burak Mescioğlu
▶ABOUT US◀
Hi! We're Simon Anthony and Mark Goodliffe, two of the UK's most enthusiastic puzzle solvers. We have both represented the UK at the World Sudoku Championships and the World Puzzle Championships. We're also "cryptic crossword" aficionados. Mark is the 14-time winner of The Times crossword championship and twice Senior World Champion in Sudoku, and Simon is the former record holder for most consecutive correct solutions to The Listener crossword. We hope we can help your puzzle solving while also introducing you to some of the world's best puzzles.
Thank you for watching!
Simon and Mark
#crypticcracking #puzzle #sudoku
▶ Contents ◀
0:00 Theme Music & News around the channel
2:28 Rules of today’s puzzle
4:46 Start Of Solve - Let's Get Cracking!
55:20 Tumbleweed ...
1:12:45 The Revelation
Here's where you can attempt poLo by Mattisahuman: https://sudokupad.app/w3ve69np9y
Normal sudoku rules apply. Digits separated by a white dot are consecutive. Red cells with outward pointing arrows are larger than all of their orthogonal neighbors. Blue cells with inward pointing arrows are smaller than all of their orthogonal neighbors.
Draw a loop into the grid that may only move orthogonally and may not touch itself, not even diagonally. Additionally, fortress cells are never part of the loop; however, all fortress cells touch the loop either orthogonally or diagonally (or both). The loop is broken up into segments by box borders. These segments are index lines which are all oriented in the same direction about the loop, to be determined by the solver.
Index Lines: The digit in the Nth cell along a segment indicates the position along the segment where the digit N appears. For example: 2143 would be a valid segment; the 1st digit, 2, indicates that the 2nd digit is a 1, and so on.
▶ OUR PATREON PAGE – JOIN THE COMMUNITY, SUPPORT US AND TRY OUR PUZZLE HUNTS◀
patreon.com/crackingthecryptic
The first of August is here, and we have released No Trump Game, a sudoku hunt based on a hand of bridge. No worries, you need not know a thing about bridge to come up trumps in this, but if you play your cards right and send in the answer by the 20th you will have a chance to win the prize. There is also always so much other fascinating content on Patreon, including crosswords (check out Mark’s recent Listener solve of a brilliant puzzle by Sabre), Gridograms, Connections, and a (rare) collaborative sudoku solve by Simon and Mark. Please join us on Patreon! Just $2/month for the monthly reward, $3/month (or higher) for solution videos. Don’t miss the Patreon-only channel on our discord for help with the sudoku hunts. Your support makes a big difference to us – thank you!
▶ From our new merch partner, you can get tees, hoodies, water bottles, and much more, and show the world that you’re part of this wonderful Cracking the Cryptic community! Don’t miss our incredible new Rat Run merch, designed by Marty Sears: cracking-the-cryptric-shop.fourthwall.com/en-usd/collections/rat-run Check it all out here: youtube.com/channel/UCC-UOdK8-mIjxBQm_ot1T-Q/store ◀
▶ NEW IN OUR APP: A Worm by Zetamath – “Snecko”, which features overlapping 6x6 puzzles that just might not yield to a strictly sequential solve! On Steam it’s at store.steampowered.com/app/4756830/Cracking_the_Cryptic__The_Sudoku_Worm_of_Zetamath and you can find the AppStore and GooglePlay links at crackingthecryptic.com/apps ◀
▶ OUR APPS: We have many apps! Classic Sudoku Volume #2 joins our main app, along with Sudoku Worms (from Blobz, Phistomefel, Marty Sears, James Sinclair, and Michael Lefkowitz, and the newest one by Zetamath), Fog of War, and many other variant types, including Lines, Domino, Killer, Thermo, Arrow, Chess, Sandwich, Miracle, and a few Approachable collections. We are always developing more apps! Every app is full of hand-crafted puzzles with hints provided by Simon and Mark.
Check out crackingthecryptic.com/apps with links to all outlets. ◀
▶ FIND OUR BOOKS HERE ◀
https://coffeebean.games/product-category/cracking-the-cryptic/ Cracking the Cryptic’s Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and Vol 2, as well as the e-book editions of Fog of War (regular and deluxe editions), are all available!
Our website, with many thanks to GeorgeTheToad: crackingthecryptic.com
▶ CTC FAN DISCORD SERVER◀
discord.gg/BbN89j5
▶ OUR VIDEO CATALOGUE – CATEGORISED WITH LINKS◀
tinyurl.com/CTCCatalogue
▶SEND US PUZZLES TO SOLVE/CONTACT US◀
crackingthecryptic@gmail.com
Snailmail: Mark Goodliffe, Box 102, 56 Gloucester Road, London SW7 4UB
▶FOLLOW US◀
Twitter: #crypticcracking
@crypticcracking
Instagram @crackingthecryptic
▶Credits◀
Music: Lucy Audrin (Piano): Mozart's Sonata no 16; and Mark’s outro music by Riffclown.
SOFTWARE: Thanks to Sam Cappleman-Lynes and Sven Neumann
Logo: Melvyn Mainini
Opening Credits: Burak Mescioğlu
▶ABOUT US◀
Hi! We're Simon Anthony and Mark Goodliffe, two of the UK's most enthusiastic puzzle solvers. We have both represented the UK at the World Sudoku Championships and the World Puzzle Championships. We're also "cryptic crossword" aficionados. Mark is the 14-time winner of The Times crossword championship and twice Senior World Champion in Sudoku, and Simon is the former record holder for most consecutive correct solutions to The Listener crossword. We hope we can help your puzzle solving while also introducing you to some of the world's best puzzles.
Thank you for watching!
Simon and Mark
#crypticcracking #puzzle #sudoku
▶ Contents ◀
0:00 Theme Music & News around the channel
2:28 Rules of today’s puzzle
4:46 Start Of Solve - Let's Get Cracking!
55:20 Tumbleweed ...
1:12:45 The Revelation
