The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[anderson]

I love the Times Superiors but have been stuck on 44 for a while. Any clues to what I should be looking for would be great.

[Sped]

Is this the puzzle you're asking about?

Code: Select all

 *-----------*
 |...|82.|.7.|
 |3..|5..|..1|
 |.24|..1|...|
 |---+---+---|
 |.71|...|5..|
 |2..|...|..8|
 |..5|...|62.|
 |---+---+---|
 |...|7..|36.|
 |1..|..9|..7|
 |.5.|.36|...|
 *-----------*


[underquark]

There's a triple in Box 3 for starters; 4, 8, 9 can each exist in any one of three cells but not in the other cells in that box:

Code: Select all

---------------------------*
 |49       7        3469   |
 |2489     48       1      |
 |89       58       369    |
-+-------------------------|

Which reduces to:

Code: Select all

---------------------------*
 |49       7        36     |
 |2        48       1      |
 |89       5        36     |
-+-------------------------|

[QBasicMac]

There's a triple in Box 3 for starters; 4, 8, 9

"For starters" is right!

Hi, anderson,

Assuming you got this far with singles and doubles:

Code: Select all

+-------------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 569    1     69   | 8    2     34   | 49  7     34569 |
| 3      689   6789 | 5    4679  47   | 2   489   1     |
| 56789  2     4    | 369  679   1    | 89  3589  3569  |
+-------------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 4689   7     1    | 369  4689  2    | 5   349   349   |
| 2      3469  369  | 369  4569  345  | 7   1     8     |
| 489    3489  5    | 1    4789  3478 | 6   2     349   |
+-------------------+-----------------+-----------------+
| 489    489   289  | 7    1     58   | 3   6     259   |
| 1      36    36   | 2    58    9    | 48  458   7     |
| 789    5     2789 | 4    3     6    | 1   89    29    |
+-------------------+-----------------+-----------------+


Remove 489 from all but r1c7, r3c7, r2c8 as instructed by underquark

Also remove excess candidates to expose this triple
r2c3=78, r7c3=28, r9c3=278

That gets you to here

Code: Select all

+------------------+-----------------+--------------+
| 569    1     69  | 8    2     34   | 49  7    356 |
| 3      689   78  | 5    4679  47   | 2   489  1   |
| 56789  2     4   | 369  679   1    | 89  35   356 |
+------------------+-----------------+--------------+
| 4689   7     1   | 369  4689  2    | 5   349  349 |
| 2      3469  369 | 369  4569  345  | 7   1    8   |
| 489    3489  5   | 1    4789  3478 | 6   2    349 |
+------------------+-----------------+--------------+
| 489    489   28  | 7    1     58   | 3   6    259 |
| 1      36    36  | 2    58    9    | 48  458  7   |
| 789    5     278 | 4    3     6    | 1   89   29  |
+------------------+-----------------+--------------+


where my expertise runs out. Good Luck.

I will post this on the forum where more experts reside
http://forum.enjoysudoku.com/viewforum.php?f=17
entitled "Stuck"

Mac

[Sped]

Look at the 4s in box 6 and column 9.

Then look at the 9s in box 3 and column 7.

Then you'll find a triple.

It's all pairs and singles from there.

[Hud]

It may not have been needed, but I also used an x-y wing of 4,8,9 in boxes 3 and 9 to eliminate the 9 at R2C8.

[QBasicMac]

Then look at the 9s in box 3 and column 7.

Yep, missed that as pointed out on the other forum.

After that, no more tricks - just doubles and singles.

Mac

[anderson]

Thanks all with the help, all sorted, some times you cant see the trees for the wood.