The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[m_b_metcalf]

Gentlemen,
Valentine's Day is soon upon us and we need to suitably impress the ladies (who may be making similar attempts to impress us). Last year's efforts were very pretty but not too difficult. Can we find an appropriate SE 10+ pearl?

Here are a few first attempts and suggestions.

Regards,

Mike Metcalf

We start with a 23-clue heart:

Code: Select all

 . 6 3 . . . 1 7 .
 9 . . 1 . 2 . . 3
 8 . . . 9 . . . 6
 6 . . . 5 . . . 7
 7 . . . . . . . 4 SE 8.4
 . 9 . . . . . 8 .
 . . 1 . . . 4 . .
 . . . 9 . 3 . . .
 . . . . 4 . . . .


followed by a 22-clue heart:

Code: Select all

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


and one with 21 clues:

Code: Select all

 . . 5 . . . 7 . .
 . 9 . 8 . 1 . 5 .
 6 . . . 2 . . . 4
 3 . . . 7 . . . 2 SE 7.3
 2 . . . . . . . 1
 . 5 . . . . . 4 .
 . . 8 . . . 9 . .
 . . . 4 . 5 . . .
 . . . . 1 . . . .


This last one has a possible variant:

Code: Select all

 . . . . . . . . .
 . x x x . x x x .
 x . . . x . . . x
 x . . . x . . . x
 x . . . . . . . x
 . x . . . . . x .
 . . x . . . x . .
 . . . x . x . . .
 . . . . x . . . .


that I haven't been able to find. Similarly for a 20-clue heart:

Code: Select all

 . . x . . . x . .
 . x . x . x . x .
 x . . . x . . . x
 x . . . . . . . x
 x . . . . . . . x
 . x . . . . . x .
 . . x . . . x . .
 . . . x . x . . .
 . . . . x . . . .


JPF, where are you?

Of course, hearts are sometimes broken, as in:

Code: Select all

 . 9 7 . . . . 6 .   23 - 3, SE 7.2
 3 . . 4 . 2 . . 5
 1 . . . 7 . . . .
 . . . . 9 . . . 2
 7 . . . . . . . 8
 . 8 . . . . . 3 .
 . . 5 . . . 9 . .
 . . . 6 . 7 . . .
 . . . . 3 . . . .


or

Code: Select all

 . 6 7 . . . 1 . .
 . . . 9 . 1 . . 4
 5 . . . 7 . . . 8   22 - 2, SE 4.4
 4 . . . . . . . 3
 1 . . . . . . . 9
 . 2 . . . . . 6 .
 . . 9 . . . 7 . .
 . . . 3 . 8 . . .
 . . . . 5 . . . .


or

Code: Select all

 . . . . . . 6 . .   21 - 1, SE 7.4
 . 4 . 9 . 7 . 1 .
 1 . . . 3 . . . 8
 4 . . . 8 . . . 5
 6 . . . . . . . 3
 . 1 . . . . . 9 .
 . . 9 . . . 3 . .
 . . . 2 . 4 . . .
 . . . . 7 . . . .


Also, hearts can be tilted, as in:

Code: Select all

 . . . . 3 . . . . 23-clues, tilted, SE 8.4
 . . . 2 . 5 . . .
 . . 8 . . 4 . . .
 . 6 . . . 7 5 8 .
 1 . . . 6 . . . 3
 4 . . . . . . 9 .
 3 . . . . . 1 . .
 2 . . . . 9 . . .
 8 9 5 1 2 . . . .


and here too there are many variants possible.

[JPF]

JPF, where are you?

Here I am

Code: Select all

 . . . . . . . . .
 . 3 9 7 . 5 4 2 .
 4 . . . 6 . . . 9
 1 . . . 8 . . . 6
 7 . . . . . . . 2
 . 5 . . . . . 9 .
 . . 8 . . . 1 . .
 . . . 2 . 3 . . .
 . . . . 7 . . . .    SE = 7.2


Code: Select all

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


JPF

[Pat]

• Sudoku with a heart
  
• Valentine's Sudoku

[m_b_metcalf]

JPF, where are you?

Here I am

Code: Select all

 . . . . . . . . .
 . 3 9 7 . 5 4 2 .
 4 . . . 6 . . . 9
 1 . . . 8 . . . 6
 7 . . . . . . . 2
 . 5 . . . . . 9 .
 . . 8 . . . 1 . .
 . . . 2 . 3 . . .
 . . . . 7 . . . .    SE = 7.2


JPF

Brilliant! Your 20-clue is unshakable but, with two small changes, the first one can become a broken heart :

Code: Select all

 . . . . . . . . .
 . 3 9 . . 8 4 2 .
 4 . . . 6 . . . 9
 1 . . . 8 . . . 6
 7 . . . . . . . 2 SE 7.2
 . 2 . . . . . 9 .
 . . 8 . . . 1 . .
 . . . 2 . 3 . . .
 . . . . 7 . . . . 


Congratulations again.

Mike Metcalf

[JPF]

Congratulations...

Thanks Mike.
Here are 2 hearts for the price of one :

Code: Select all

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


SE=6.6

JPF

[m_b_metcalf]

Congratulations...

Thanks Mike.
Here are 2 hearts for the price of one :

... and here's my crude rendering of a heart pierced by Cupid's arrow:

Code: Select all

 . . . . . . . 8 4
 . . . . . . . 6 9
 . . 6 5 . 4 1 . .
 . 8 . . 7 6 . 5 .
 . 5 . . 9 . . 3 .     SE 8.5 with or without r2c8
 . . 2 . . . 8 . .
 . . 4 1 . 9 . . .
 . 7 . . 8 . . . .
 1 . . . . . . . .


Regards,

Mike Metcalf

[JPF]

19 & missing 9 :

Code: Select all

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


JPF

[ravel]

Since most ladies might be in doubt about your love, when you give them an ER 7.2 puzzle, here are some alternatives for this pattern:

Code: Select all

 +-------+-------+-------+
 | . . . | . . . | . . . |
 | . 9 8 | 4 . 7 | 1 3 . |
 | 6 . . | . 9 . | . . 2 |
 +-------+-------+-------+
 | 2 . . | . 3 . | . . 5 |
 | 1 . . | . . . | . . 8 |
 | . 4 . | . . . | . 9 . |
 +-------+-------+-------+
 | . . 6 | . . . | 4 . . |
 | . . . | 8 . 1 | . . . |
 | . . . | . 5 . | . . . |
 +-------+-------+-------+ ER 7.1

..........234.798.1...9...66...2...37.......8.1.....5...2...5.....8.3.......1.... ER 6.6
..........546.381.7...2...59...4...36.......9.8.....5...3...6.....8.5.......1.... ER 5.6
..........172.853.9...5...64...8...33.......9.8.....7...9...8.....7.1.......3.... ER 4.2
..........182.467.9...1...46...5...83.......7.5.....4...1...2.....4.8.......9.... ER 2.5
..........164.798.7...6...55...9...31.......6.4.....7...9...5.....7.8.......1.... ER 2.3
..........749.813.6...4...88...6...32.......1.3.....4...1...5.....4.7.......3.... ER 2.0
..........681.543.9...4...73...9...26.......1.5.....7...9...5.....3.6.......7.... ER 1.7
..........328.965.1...7...28...4...76.......5.5.....2...4...9.....5.3.......8.... ER 1.5


[m_b_metcalf]

JPF, where are you?

Here I am

Code: Select all

 . . . . . . . . .
 . 3 9 7 . 5 4 2 .
 4 . . . 6 . . . 9
 1 . . . 8 . . . 6
 7 . . . . . . . 2
 . 5 . . . . . 9 .
 . . 8 . . . 1 . .
 . . . 2 . 3 . . .
 . . . . 7 . . . .    SE = 7.2


JPF

OK, got one myself now :

Code: Select all

 . . . . . . . . .
 . 3 5 2 . 7 9 6 .
 4 . . . 8 . . . 1
 8 . . . 7 . . . 3
 6 . . . . . . . 9
 . 1 . . . . . 2 .
 . . 2 . . . 7 . .
 . . . 9 . 1 . . .
 . . . . 3 . . . .
   
SE 7.1


Regards,

Mike Metcalf

[ravel]

Two more with different rating:

Code: Select all

..........152.789.2...4...71...7...63.......2.8.....1...7...5.....8.9.......1.... ER 4.4
..........164.852.9...7...16...9...73.......2.8.....1...7...8.....2.5.......4.... ER 8.5

[ab]

here's another 6.6

Code: Select all

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


[ab]

a different heart:

Code: Select all

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


[Pat]

i like ravel's idea of providing a range of difficulties

perhaps we could see more examples at levels such as

• "ulterior"
• "Infra-Sub-Superior"
• "Not-Quite-Superior"
• "superior"
• "superior plus"
• "Extra Superior"