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Skyscrapers Puzzle
via jbranchaud@gmail.com
I was browsing through this list of puzzles for one that caught my eye. Skyscrapers jumped out and I was curious how to play.
Based on the size of the grid, let's say it is 5, the rules are:
- every row needs to contain the numbers 1 through 5
- every column needs to contain the numbers 1 through 5
- thinking of the numbers in the grid as building heights, the arrowed-numbers indicate exactly how many buildings are in your sightline for that row or column. If the first number is a 5, then the sightline is 1. If there is a sequence of 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1
, then the sightline is 3 because you can see 3
, then 4
, and then 5
, while the 2
is obscured by 3
, and the 1
is obscured by everything. Viewed from the other side, the sightline is 2 because you can see 1
, then 5
, and then nothing else.
A starting puzzle looks like this:
2 1
↓ ↓
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
4→ | | | | | |
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
4→ | | | | | |
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
| | | | | | ←5
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
| | | | | |
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
| | | | | |
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
↑ ↑
2 1
And the solution to that one looks like this:
2 1
↓ ↓
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
4→ | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
4→ | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ←5
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
| 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
| 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
+–––+–––+–––+–––+–––+
↑ ↑
2 1
Other places to find these puzzles: