Surface Sum
Expert
Used by Smart Hint
Two overlapping groups of runs differ by exactly one cell — subtracting their clue totals determines that cell's digit outright.
- Cells that establish the pattern
- Where the conclusion lands
How it works
- Add the two down clues: 16 + 11 = 27. That's the exact total of the four tinted cells.
- Now add the two across clues: 13 + 20 = 33. Those two runs cover the same four cells — and one cell more, the one hanging off the end of the lower row.
- Everything in the tinted block cancels between the two sums, so the leftover cell is 33 − 27 = 6.
- No candidate lists needed, no combination table — just clue arithmetic over a region whose two directions don't quite line up. Hunt for these wherever a row runs one cell past the columns beside it.