The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Kites]

I am not very familure with the various Technics, and don't know where to go from here....

3,1,95, 258,4,7, 28,289,6,
59,24,6, 258,3,258, 1,2489,7,
8,7,24, 6,9,1, 24,5,3,

14,5,148, 48,2,3, 6,7,9,
7,248,3, 9,1,6, 5,248,248,
6,9,248, 7,5,48, 248,3,1,

49,3,489, 1,6,24, 7,248,5,
15,46,7, 245,8,9, 3,16,24,
2,468,15, 3,7,45, 9,16,48,

[emm]

It's a good idea to lay the grid out clearly using the code. This makes it easier for everyone to help you - I have only just learned how to do this so I'm still happy to show off!

Code: Select all

{3}    {1}    {95}    {258}  {4}    {7}     {28}   {28}    {6}   
{59}   {24}   {6}     {258}  {3}    {258}   {1}    {2489}  {7}
{8}    {7}    {24}    {6}    {9}    {1}     {24}   {5}     {3}

etc


or if you can't be bothered with that you can just do the single clues

Code: Select all


 3 1 . | . 4 7 | . . 6
 . . 6 | . 3 . | 1 . 7
 8 7 . | 6 9 1 | . 5 3
-------+-------+------
 . . . | . . . | . . .
 . . . | . . . | . . .
etc

   

or getting into the budget version!

Code: Select all

31* *47 **6
**6 *3* 1*7
87* 691 *53

etc


If you're still with me then what you need to look for in your puzzle is an Xwing - find out about those on Simple Sudoku, a free program you can download at http://angusj.com/sudoku/

Yours is an Xwing of 2s in row3 and row6. While you're there look up locked candidates because that's the next thing you'll need. Hope this helps.

[Kites]

Thank you very much for your tips, Em, they have been a great help. I didn't realise that XWing can be applied to cells with three candidates in them - it all worked out very easily after that.
As for the lay out of my grid, I agree that it didn't look very clear, though I did leave spaces between the columns, but they didn't show for some reason. I'll try and make a better job of it next time...
Thanks again
Kites.


[quote="em"]It's a good idea to lay the grid out clearly using the code. This makes it easier for everyone to help you - I have only just learned how to do this so I'm still happy to show off!

[code]
{3} {1} {95} {258} {4} {7} {28} {28} {6}
{59} {24} {6} {258} {3} {258} {1} {2489} {7}
{8} {7} {24} {6} {9} {1} {24} {5} {3}

etc
[/code]

or if you can't be bothered with that you can just do the single clues

[code]

3 1 . | . 4 7 | . . 6
. . 6 | . 3 . | 1 . 7
8 7 . | 6 9 1 | . 5 3
-------+-------+------
. . . | . . . | . . .
. . . | . . . | . . .
etc

[/code]

or getting into the budget version!

[code]
31* *47 **6
**6 *3* 1*7
87* 691 *53

etc
[/code]

If you're still with me then what you need to look for in your puzzle is an [i]Xwing[/i] - find out about those on Simple Sudoku, a free program you can download at http://angusj.com/sudoku/

Yours is an Xwing of 2s in row3 and row6. While you're there look up [i]locked candidates[/i] because that's the next thing you'll need. Hope this helps.[/quote]

[QBasicMac]

I might add, for the benefit of others studying this thread that the puzzle to be solved was this:

31- -47 --6
--6 -3- 1-7
87- 691 -53

-5- -23 679
7-3 916 5--
69- 75- -31

-3- 16- 7-5
--7 -89 3--
2-- 37- 9--

And the work done before posting was this:

Box 1 contains {24} twice, so
r1c3: {259} >> {59}
r2c1: {459} >> {59}

Box 7 contains no 1 or 5 except in {145} and {1458}
Therefore, r8c1={15} and r9c3={15}

Box 9 contains no 1 or 6 except in {1246} and {1468}
Therefore, r8c8={16} and r9c8={16}

That yields the pencilmarks that were already established.

One can now follow the discussion about the X-Wing that em found.

Mac

P.S. To whoever remembers my "X-Tree", I figured out where that came from. I was a DOS 3.0 user for many years and an invaluable utility before Windows and mouse stuff was XTree. It did a lot of the equivalent of the Windows Explorer. That, SideKick and DOSKEY.COM were all one needed to get past the limitations of DIR and EDLIN.

[9X9]

And there I was, with winter on its way for those of us north of the equator, hoping that it might have derived from Xmas-tree. Ho! Ho! Ho!

[PaulIQ164]

You know, even if you're south of the equator and winter's not on it's way, Christmas is still at the same time.

[Pat]

I might add, for the benefit of others studying this thread that the puzzle to be solved was this:

Code: Select all

 3 1 . | . 4 7 | . . 6
 . . 6 | . 3 . | 1 . 7
 8 7 . | 6 9 1 | . 5 3
-------+-------+------
 . 5 . | . 2 3 | 6 7 9
 7 . 3 | 9 1 6 | 5 . .
 6 9 . | 7 5 . | . 3 1
-------+-------+------
 . 3 . | 1 6 . | 7 . 5
 . . 7 | . 8 9 | 3 . .
 2 . . | 3 7 . | 9 . .

thanks, QBasicMac, for posting the puzzle in a readable way!

and how can i induce you to share your secret with us - namely, your method of transforming the puzzle-with-lists-of-possibilities into the puzzle itself?

please don't tell us that you re-typed the thing!

- Pat

[9X9]

PaulIQ164 - Too right! I lived and worked in Auckland in 1974/5 and spent Xmas at the beach, as all the lillywhite Poms did, just to be able to say I'd done it when I got back to civilization "Upover".

[QBasicMac]

[quote="Pat"]...please don't tell us that you re-typed the thing!

- Pat[/quote]

Heh! Well, almost. I copied the stuff into notepad and manually, one-at-a-time changed all multiple-numbers to a single dash. Then I did a global change of all commas to nulls. Then entered the result into my scratch pad, which accepts nearly anything except pencilmarks.

I was curious to follow the discussion, so did all that, but hated to think anyone else would have to do something similar. Glad you were able to benefit

Actually, just entering the numbers wouldn't have been worse than what I did. I "enter all the numbers" every day for the SuDoku of the Day on the internet. It seems to be in picture-format, rather than data I can copy and paste. The only benefit of the NOTEPAD method was that accuracy was assured. The Look-and-copy way results in errors and REALLY tough puzzles at times.

Mac

[Pat]

...please don't tell us that you re-typed the thing!

Well, almost. I copied the stuff into notepad and manually, one-at-a-time changed all multiple-numbers to a single dash. Then I did a global change of all commas to nulls. Then entered the result into my scratch pad, which accepts nearly anything except pencilmarks.

I was curious to follow the discussion, so did all that, but hated to think anyone else would have to do something similar.

i've asked elsewhere how to get rid of those lists-of-possibilities (without manually re-typing), but so far no results.

i do suspect that simes has some nifty software to do this, he always manages to clean up (and respond to) the posted puzzles regardless of the mess---

Actually, just entering the numbers wouldn't have been worse than what I did. I "enter all the numbers" every day for the SuDoku of the Day on the internet. It seems to be in picture-format, rather than data I can copy and paste. The only benefit of the NOTEPAD method was that accuracy was assured. The Look-and-copy way results in errors and REALLY tough puzzles at times.

Mac

for OCR, try Sudoku Susser
( also see http://www.setbb.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=220&mforum=sudoku#220 )

enjoy!

- Pat

.

[QBasicMac]

Thanks for the reference to OCR, Pat. Will look into it.

Just for that, I will write a zap-the-pencilmark program for you.

Mac

[emm]

when I got back to civilization

Well really! We're not still in grass skirts down here you know! (indignant outrage)

[Zeb]

Brussels would probably rule out the grass skirts for either being politically incorrect or because you're not in the EU

[9X9]

em - love to see you without the grass skirt - any chance of a pic???

[QBasicMac]

Yo, Pat (and anyone else interested)

I promised you a program that could take puzzle descriptions that contain pencilmarks and convert them to descriptions that just show dash for an unsolved cell.

www.network54.com/Forum/message-229185-1128523337 { broken link }

Mac