The New Sudoku Players' Forum

by **Bernard Stay** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:05 pm

I am utterly appalled that I can't get further than this today, and am having trouble with the crossword too! (is this the start of terminal decline?) :-

245|*63**9
617|92*|*53
938|*5*|2**
--------------
4*6|37*|5*2
1*3|542|**8
5*2|*96|***
--------------
821|*3*|7*5
769|215|**4
354|*8*|*2*

Grateful for a hint.

by **scrose** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:14 pm

Look for either a pair or a triple in row 6 and make some eliminations.
Look for a pair in column 7 and make an elimination.
You can now fill some cells in columns 7 and 9.

by **Bernard Stay** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 4:36 pm

Thanks S

That 6/9 pair in column 7 has been sitting there for hours and I couldn't spot it! Can't begin to understand why. Very worrying!

by **possum** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 5:53 pm

Bernard, I have found both today's and yesterday's difficult puzzles to have all the characteristics of fiendish su dokus. I was wondering if the extreme heat had affected my brain...

by **gmc** » Tue Jul 12, 2005 6:58 pm

have to agree. yesterday's and today's seemed more fiendish than difficult. Can't work out if I might not be getting stale or not

by **Bernard Stay** » Wed Jul 13, 2005 7:52 am

possum wrote:Bernard, I have found both today's and yesterday's difficult puzzles to have all the characteristics of fiendish su dokus. I was wondering if the extreme heat had affected my brain...

Thank you Possum for those kind words. What a difference a day makes! I polished off today's 'fiendish' before 8.45.

by **lyh4828** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 3:04 am

I started to play Sudoku about 2 weeks ago and juts joined this forum today I just run across this had run across your this puzzle today. Based on the logical deductions I concluded within these weeks when I have started to play Sudoku, I think either there is no unique solution to your puzzle or there is some mistake you have made in the puzzle. Would you mind checking once again because I am also eager to solve this puzzle which looks quite difficlut at the 1st glimpse.

by **Pappocom** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 10:27 am

I was getting puzzled myself by the number of people who seemed to agree that the Fiendish puzzle in The Times was getting easier, so I went online to check. I have to go online, because I don't live in England and can't just go down to the corner store to get the paper.

To my surprise, there is indeed an issue. It appears that since the appearance of the Killer Sudoku, The Times has downgraded the "Fiendish" label. Previously, the Fiendish puzzle equated to my program's Hard puzzle, but the puzzles published on August 31 (#388), September 1 (#340) and September 2 (#342) are all Mediums, according to my program.

I don't know whether this is deliberate on the part of The Times, or whether it is unintended. I am contacting The Times to find out.

- Wayne

by **PaulIQ164** » Sun Sep 04, 2005 12:27 pm

Ah, much appreciated Wayne. Maybe we'll get some answers.

PS: Shouldn't all this be in the "Are Fiendish Puzzles Getting Easier" topic?

by **roger888** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 8:57 pm

Wayne

Did you ever get a response from the Times as to why the fiendish puzzles were getting progressively easier?

by **Pappocom** » Wed Sep 14, 2005 11:56 am

Not yet. I believe that my man at The Times is on leave this week.

- Wayne

by **zebedeezbd** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 12:01 pm

Pappocom wrote:I have to go online, because I don't live in England and can't just go down to the corner store to get the paper.

Are you from the USA?

by **whohe** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 3:46 pm

Pappocom wrote:Not yet. I believe that my man at The Times is on leave this week.

- Wayne

That explains everything.

The New Sudoku Players' Forum

Difficult Tues. 12 July

Difficult Tues. 12 July