The First Book of ABC Puzzles

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 In this six by six square diagram, each row and each column will contain exactly 2 A's, 2 B's, and 2 C's. This same rule will be true of the two diagonals of the diagram. Each cell of the 6 * 6 = 36 cells will contain exactly one letter. Thus after you find a few letters from the clues, you will be able to fill in the rest using the skills you developed solving the Sudoku puzzles. To elaborate what we mean by diagonals, the first diagonal refers to moving across the diagram by starting at the first square in the upper left hand corner and proceeding to the neighbor square below and to the right, which connects diagonally. Then continue downward diagonally until you reach the bottom, right square on the grid. This is appropriately called a falling diagonal. The second diagonal is obtained somewhat similarly, but this time you start from the lower left square on the grid, move to the square this one touches diagonally (at its upper right corner), and continue moving diagonally upwards till you reach the top right square. This diagonal is then called a rising diagonal. Visually, the two diagonals make a big “X” across the diagram. In the pages that follow, you will solve 90 puzzles that fill in this same diagram, using across and down clues. The row 1 clue applies only to row 1. The row 2 clue applies only to row 2. Etc. These 90 puzzles come in 15 groups of six, with variable difficulty available in each group. This is achieved by each of the six puzzles in a group having the same answer, but different and complex ways of discovering it. As such each group is labeled appropriately. For example, puzzle 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F. Then the next group is 2A-2F, and so on. So, if you like easier puzzles then use the clues from all six puzzles, A, B, C, D, E and F at the same time. If you like puzzles of intermediate difficulty instead, then try to solve one using the clues from only two or three of the puzzles within a group. It is a game of clues, and how much evidence you want to challenge yourself with is up to you. Other fun puzzle books use different vocabularies to describe directions. So, let's get some jargon out of the way so that we are on the same page with what the clues mean. The given table provides this information as an easy reference, and its content becomes self-evident when using it to read through your first set of clues. It also includes reminders about what the difference is between a “rising” and “falling” diagonal on the diagram. In addition, notes about how the individual squares on the two different diagonals will be referenced to by number (square 1- square 6) are provided on the table. Word Used in a Clue What We Agree It Means “before” in an across clue “to the left of” “after” in an across clue “to the right of” “first A” in an across clue The A that is to the left of the second A “first square” in an across clue “left-most square” “last square” in an across clue “right-most square” “before” in a down clue “above” “after” in a down clue “below” “first square” in a down clue “top-most square” “last square” in a down clue “bottom-most square” “falling diagonal” refers to the diagonal going from upper left corner to lower right corner of the diagram square number 1 of the falling diagonal is the upper left corner square (the square you start from) square number 6 of the falling diagonal is the lower right corner square (the square you end on) “rising diagonal” refers to the diagonal going from lower left corner to upper right corner of the diagram square number 1 of the rising diagonal is the lower left corner square (the square you start from) square number 6 of the rising diagonal is the upper right corner square (the square you end on) Note that “before” or “after” does not necessarily mean adjacent.   1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 ABC puzzle number 1A How many clues will you require to solve the puzzle? The better you are at solving this puzzle, the fewer clues you will need. Clues Row Across 1 First B is not adjacent to first C. 2 Neither the first square nor the last square will contain an A. 3 Second C comes before second A. 4 First B comes after first C and second B comes after second C. 5 First A comes before first B and second A comes after second B. 6 First B comes after first A. Column Down 1 Second A comes after second B. 2 The second B is in square number 6. 3 The first A is in square number 1. 4 First B is not adjacent to second C. 5 Second A is not adjacent to first C. 6 First B is not adjacent to second C. Falling diagonal Second C comes after first A. Rising diagonal First A is adjacent to first B. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 ABC puzzle number 1B How many clues will you require to solve the puzzle? The better you are at solving this puzzle, the fewer clues you will need. Clues Row Across 1 The first A is in square number 2. 2 First A is adjacent to first B. 3 The second C is in square number 2. 4 Second B is not adjacent to first C. 5 Second B is adjacent to first C. 6 The two A's are not adjacent. Column Down 1 Second C comes before first A. 2 First A comes before second B. 3 Second C comes before second B. 4 First A is not adjacent to second C. 5 First A comes after first C and second A comes after second C. 6 Second A is not adjacent to first B. Falling diagonal Second B is adjacent to first C. Rising diagonal First C comes after first A and second C comes after second A. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 ABC puzzle number 1C How many clues will you require to solve the puzzle? The better you are at solving this puzzle, the fewer clues you will need. Clues Row Across 1 First A is not adjacent to second B. 2 First C comes after first B and second C comes before second B. 3 First B comes after second A. 4 The first C is in square number 1. 5 First A comes before first B and second A comes after second B. 6 Second A is adjacent to first C. Column Down 1 Second C comes after second B. 2 Second C comes before first B. 3 First A comes before first C and second A comes before second C. 4 The second A is in square number 3. 5 The first A is adjacent to the second B. 6 First C comes before second A. Falling diagonal First A comes after first B. Rising diagonal First C comes after first A and second C comes after second A.   1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 ABC puzzle number 1D How many clues will you require to solve the puzzle? The better you are at solving this puzzle, the fewer clues you will need. Clues Row Across 1 First B is not adjacent to first C. 2 Second A is not adjacent to first B. 3 First A is adjacent to second C. 4 Second C comes before first B. 5 First B is adjacent to first C. 6 First A comes before first C and second A comes before second C. Column Down 1 Second A is not adjacent to first B. 2 The number of letters between the A's is 0. 3 Second C comes before second B. 4 First A comes before second B. 5 First C comes before first A. 6 The two A's are adjacent. Falling diagonal First B is not adjacent to second C. Rising diagonal The second A is in square number 4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6