Su Doku

Jon Abbey · July-26th-2005, 01:03 AM

who else is addicted? fess up...

Pete C · July-26th-2005, 07:09 AM

For those, like me, who live in ignorance:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4469719.stm

bostontricky · July-26th-2005, 08:22 AM

Completely. I try to limit myself to three a day.

Play online!

Monte Smith · July-26th-2005, 10:14 AM

My wife discovered these last week. Only last week! It is terrifying to watch addiction take hold so rapidly. She sits at the table, rocking back and forth, mumbling, "This has to be an eight. No, it could be a two...."

Doc Martin · July-26th-2005, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

My wife discovered these last week. Only last week! It is terrifying to watch addiction take hold so rapidly. She sits at the table, rocking back and forth, mumbling, "This has to be an eight. No, it could be a two...."

I know what you mean, I'm sending my crazy wife into rehab.

Monte Smith · July-26th-2005, 11:11 AM

The worst thing is yesterday she got traumatized because she forgot to bring two half-finished puzzles with her to work. You know, so she can work on them "during her break." During her break, my ass! She's addicted. She's going to be working these unhealthy bastards on the clock. And she works in the hospital O.R. doing anesthesia. Some poor patient is going to get a So Do Ku sewn up in their breast enhancements.

Enforcer · July-26th-2005, 11:13 AM

"She's coming to!"
"Oh, I'll take care of that. Just a sec..."

Monte Smith · July-26th-2005, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Nagel

"She's coming to!"
"Oh, I'll take care of that. Just a sec..."

Exactly.

"Let's see. Was that two mils of narcotics I gave the patient? No wait, it is two in the corner square! Hahahaha!"

Rob C · July-26th-2005, 11:21 AM

I was unaware of Su Doku until this morning. BLISSFULLY unaware, blast your eyes!

Jon Abbey · July-26th-2005, 11:28 AM

the ones that are 12 by 12 that the NY Post runs on Sunday are the most challenging, anyone seen any of these online yet?

Brian Olewnick · July-26th-2005, 12:26 PM

Easy to find su doku sites, like:

http://www.monterosa.co.uk/sudoku/

moneyp · July-26th-2005, 12:31 PM

I'm with Rob C. "One of us... one of us..."

Dan G · July-26th-2005, 01:06 PM

I started doing them about a month ago, two a day - one in the Globe and Mail and one in my local paper. My wife caught on about a week later. We now compete, one of us copies it onto graph paper and we race trying to get them both done in the hour or so from the time we get home from work until it's time to make dinner. Most days, it's possible but there's a few that drag into the evening.

haven't seen a 12x12 yet...not sure I want to!

Rob C · July-26th-2005, 02:14 PM

Yay, I just solved my first one over lunch.

Things are going to start happening to me now.

moneyp · July-27th-2005, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob C

Yay, I just solved my first one over lunch.

Things are going to start happening to me now.

"Die, you random son of a bitch!"

Rob C · July-27th-2005, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mone peterson

"Die, you random son of a bitch!"

Hey, these puzzles are defective!

Monte Smith · August-9th-2005, 09:57 PM

From last week's The Spectator (UK):

tippy · August-9th-2005, 10:58 PM

damn, that's really fun!!

GoodSpeak · August-9th-2005, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Abbey

who else is addicted? fess up...

Not me.

Baseball takes up all of my addiction time.

Jon Abbey · August-9th-2005, 11:28 PM

me and my gal are still addicted, we photocopy the Post one each day and do them at the same time. usually I win, but she's gotten me a few times this last week. the worst is when you realize you've made a mistake, and you can't figure out how to fix it.

bostontricky · August-10th-2005, 12:09 AM

Jon (or anyone else), try this one. Either I'm missing something completely obvious or this one was designed by Satan.

Jon Abbey · August-10th-2005, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bostontricky

Jon (or anyone else), try this one. Either I'm missing something completely obvious or this one was designed by Satan.

I don't think that that one can be done, unless you simply start to guess one of the two possibilities for some of the open squares until it works or you're wrong, a strategy I've never tried. maybe if Brian O. sees this, he'll be able to do it, but neither Yuko nor I could fill in more than 4 squares successfully.

and my head hurts now, thank you kindly for that.

picsou · August-10th-2005, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bostontricky

Jon (or anyone else), try this one. Either I'm missing something completely obvious or this one was designed by Satan.

The completed grid is:

129375486
876194325
345628179
658712943
417983652
932456817
781269534
264531798
593847261

I began with quickly getting the 8 in the upper left 3x3 corner, and the 7 in the lower left and right 3x3. Then I worked out all possible numbers in each empty square, which left me with a few squares with only 2 possibilities. So I took a chance with choosing the 5 in the top most lane (6th square from left, instead of 8), and could complete the whole grid from that guess.

Piece of cake

Jon Abbey · August-10th-2005, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by picsou

So I took a chance with choosing the 5 in the top most lane (6th square from left, instead of 8), and could complete the whole grid from that guess.

yeah, that's what I was saying. I think that goes against the fundamental rules of this game, at least as I understood them, I don't think you should have to "guess" at any point. I also think this means there are multiple answers possible, if I'm not mistaken.

Jon Abbey · August-10th-2005, 02:48 AM

just for curiosity's sake, I tried using the 8 in top row, 6th spot, instead of 5, and it didn't end up working out.

so there is only one answer, but if it necessitates guesswork, I think it's a flawed puzzle. if someone can show me how to fill in more than four boxes mathematically, then I'll stand corrected.

picsou · August-10th-2005, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Abbey

yeah, that's what I was saying. I think that goes against the fundamental rules of this game, at least as I understood them, I don't think you should have to "guess" at any point. I also think this means there are multiple answers possible, if I'm not mistaken.

I have not read through the rules carefully, but that one should not have to guess at any time seems to me like wrong. I have not tried choosing the 8 instead of the 5, but will do now. If there is more than one solution for this grid, it means that it was wrongly designed (I mean the number they took away).

Jon Abbey · August-10th-2005, 03:21 AM

I already addressed that post with my prior one, picsou. the 8 doesn't work, but that doesn't make it a successful puzzle from my perspective.

bostontricky · August-10th-2005, 11:11 AM

This is like a new sublevel of hell.

However, once you fill in the four boxes mathematically (8 top left, 3 top right, 7 bottom left and right), it becomes apparent there are two options of the top row. Working through both of these options establishes the location of the 4 at the top left square and the 4 and the 9 at the bottom left square.

Whether this gets you anywhere...

Jon Abbey · August-10th-2005, 11:24 AM

I've done hundreds of these, and this is the first that seems to necessitate guesswork. for me, that breaks the (unwritten) rules of the game, I'd rather not finish it.

Brian Olewnick · September-1st-2005, 09:09 PM

Up for late-to-the-party Gordon!