Ever since I found this set of rules for finding fish, I have been running a lot of puzzles in search of new weird fish, and today it came up with a strange looking one from a puzzle we all know quite well: Vidar's Monster #4:
- Code: Select all
+-------+-------+-------+
| 1 . . | . . 6 | . . . |
| . 6 . | 9 . . | . . 8 |
| 8 . . | . . 4 | 3 6 . |
+-------+-------+-------+
| . . 8 | . . . | 4 . . |
| . . 6 | . 4 3 | 9 . 5 |
| . 4 . | 5 . . | . . . |
+-------+-------+-------+
| . 2 . | . . . | . 7 . |
| 4 . 1 | . 7 . | . . . |
| . . 3 | . 1 . | 2 . . |
+-------+-------+-------+
Now lets look at the 7's from go:
- Code: Select all
. 7 7 | 7 . . | 7 . 7
7 . 7 | . . 7 | 7 . .
. 7 7 | 7 . . | . . 7
------+-------+------
7 7 . | 7 . 7 | . . 7
7 7 . | 7 . . | . . .
7 . 7 | . . 7 | 7 . 7
------+-------+------
. . . | . . . | . 7 .
. . . | . 7 . | . . .
7 7 . | . . . | . . .
Now just looking at columns 3,6,7 and 9 you can make the following eliminations:
- Code: Select all
. * 7 | 7 . . | 7 . 7
* . 7 | . . 7 | 7 . |
. 7 7 | 7 . | | | . 7
----|-+-----|-+-|---|
7 7 | | 7 . 7 | | . 7
7 7 | | 7 . | | | . |
7 . 7 | . . 7 | 7 . 7
------+-------+------
. . . | . . . | . 7 .
. . . | . 7 . | . . .
7 7 . | . . . | . . .
lets look at why:
- Code: Select all
. * a | 7 . . | f . i
* . a | . . c | g . |
. 7 a | 7 . | | | . i
----|-+-----|-+-|---|
7 7 | | 7 . d | | . j
7 7 | | 7 . | | | . |
7 . b | . . e | h . k
------+-------+------
. . . | . . . | . 7 .
. . . | . 7 . | . . .
7 7 . | . . . | . . .
Now if aaa is true, the * elimination is obvious, so let's start with a as false.
Then b=true and e, h,k=false. Now f or g are true, which means ii is false, and then j=true and d=false and then c=true and then g=false and then finally f=true...
so with f and c true, the two * gets killed off anyway...
now I know this is a bit of a freak, but I would purpose this general pattern:
- Code: Select all
. . # | . . . | # . #
* * # | . . H | # * #
. . # | . . | | # . #
----|-+-----|-+-|---|
. . X | . . X | X . X
. . | | . . | | | . |
. . | | . . | | | . |
----|-+-----|-+-|---|
. . X | . . X | X . X
. . . | . . . | . . .
. . . | . . . | . . .
easiest to prove by saying: the only way r2c12 is NOT going to be eliminated, is to set the "head" (r2c6) as false, and the fins in box 1 as false. But this creates an x-wing in columns 3 and 6, and that makes it impossible to place a number in both column 7 and 9.
so what do you think... is it fish?
Havard