The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[andrea]

Just looking at Times No 378 fiendish (Friday's) and can't made head or tail of it. Please can somebody tell me what I'm missing???

. . 2 9 . . . . .
. . . . 7 . . . .
. . 6 . . 4 . 8 .
6 3 9 5 1 2 7 4 8
. 7 . 4 . . 6 2 3
2 8 4 3 6 7 1 9 5
. 1 . 7 . . 8 . .
. . . . 4 . . . .
. . . . . 5 3 . .

Many Thanks

[zebedeezbd]

The only possible candidates for 4 or 5 in row 1 are cells 2 and 7 so you can remove 5s as possible candidates from other cells in the row, leaving only one option for the 5 in column 5 by my reckoning, so that's your next move. Good luck from there onwards!

[victor]

In row 1, columns 2 and 7 have to be 45, i.e. a pair (so no other 5s in this row). Now in block 2, there's only one position for its 5, r3c5. Etc.!

[andrea]

Thank you both, zebedeezbd and victor. Perhaps it's not such a good idea to start a fiendish when tired. Thanks again.

[milobird]

Me and two friends have just spent hours overlooking this blatantly obvious step. That's sudoku...