Blogmark

Skyscrapers Puzzle

via jbranchaud@gmail.com

https://www.conceptispuzzles.com/index.aspx?uri=puzzle/skyscrapers/rules
Puzzle

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: