The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[george-no1]

I have asked for this forum to be added to the website so that junior players have the chance to discuss Sudoku and anything related.

If anyone wants help with a puzzle they're stuck on, post it here and I (or someone else) will help you.

George

[simes]

Hi George,

I don't want to sound negative, but what do our younger colleages want to talk about - sudoku releated that is - that isn't of general interest to everyone? Why have a specific forum for juniors? Will you no longer be posting in the other, presumably "adult", forums?

Should I, for example, request a forum specifically for male, 40-42 years old, gorgeously handsome types? (Obviously, I wouldn't be allowed to join that forum... I'm too old.)

I'm not getting at you, you obviously felt a need for this forum, but I just wonder why?

Simes

[lunababy_moonchild]

It seems to me that adults have all sorts of 'have to walk the dog/talk to my partner/play with the children' issues that prevent puzzle solving - except for on the commute to work - that teenagers don't have.

Perhaps teenagers have different, as yet unknown, issues regarding puzzle solving. They also have their own method of communicating wth u, as it were.

The puzzle does seem to be aimed at adults, as does the forum as a whole.

We haven't been locked out of this forum and they haven't been locked out of the adult forum so it doesn't prevent sharing.

Luna

[george-no1]

Simes: Of course I will still be posting in the 'adult' forum! So far no other Juniors have posted in this one anyway.

I asked for this forum to be set up to give Junior players the chance not to discuss different things necessarily, but to discuss them with different people. Do you remember the George/tso argument that arose? That could have been prevented if George had been posting in a Junior forum. Do you remember when sudokudwlali posted in txt spk and wasn't understood?

Luna: Thank you for understanding the situation accurately. It is much appreciated.

George

[Karyobin]

I think she was understood. We were just very nasty and superior. I suffered much guilt. I actually sought a priest, and I'm not even R.C. And to be fair, I believe the george/tso argument sprang up largely due to the young fellah trying to convince people he was 8 years old. Bit silly, that.

And Luna always understands, it's what she does.





Can I be really sarcastic here, like I am to the kids at school?

[george-no1]

Can I be really sarcastic here, like I am to the kids at school?

Sometimes I can't tell whether you're being serious or not, Karyobin. So I just make fun of your name when quoting you, instead of actually reading what you write.

And George (not me, btw) wouldn't have wanted to convince people that he was 8 if he had been posting in a Junior forum. I think.

G (I'm gonna sign as 'G' now coz its quicker than George)

[Karyobin]

Sometimes I can't tell whether you're being serious or not, Karyobin. So I just make fun of your name when quoting you, instead of actually reading what you write.

Tsk tsk: yup, it's a curse.

The general rule is: when you've tried to teach kids who are throwing everything that isn't nailed down through the 1st floor windows and who use every single expletive you know in every combination you know of, well, it's hard to get emotionally involved in discussing puzzle-solving. That is to say, I don't get upset and often have a laugh at other people, but I do try to make sure that I always leave the door open for them to come straight back at me and if they do, all the better. Arguments: never. Playful fencing: BRING IT ON!!!

Life needs more spice.

(Cool about the 'G', by the way - I always sign with a 'J' these days. Did you know that Napoleon Bonaparte's headstone says nothing other than 'N'?)

[lunababy_moonchild]

I do other things as well .

In a written medium, such as this, sarcasm is very difficult to spot.

Luna *It was only 2 runs, and that was only because Australia had 4 men on crutches *

[sawet]

I need help!!!!! badly on this problem for homework due in 12 hours! please help me email me asap if you guys can at twangtwump@aol.com thanx much!- saweet009

[hazza]

A surprising amount of teenagers actually play sudoku. Lots of my friends do. Some of us can do the fiendish rating in The Times, which is quite an achivement for junior players.

I find it hard to describe my sudoku's without screenshots. I have seen a method which looks a bit like this-

{234}{0367}

I'm not quite sure what this means, and am wondering if anyone could help me, so that I could use it to show my puzzles online (for whatever reason).

Thanks

[Karyobin]

Not a problem. A typical (semi-completed) grid might look like:

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

Some people insert '/' or '|' between each group of three cells and even, occasionally, rows of dashes between each group of three rows. The problem with these fancy extra characters though, is that if you're going to expect other posters to cut and paste it, they only make it more likely to be rejected by the target program. So I stick to this method; nice and simple and obvious to all what it means.

The example you've given reminds me a bit of this:

{1,2} {3} {7,8,9} {1,2} {1,4,7} {5} {6} {2,7} {4,7,8,9}

Which is an illustration of the candidate structure (i.e. the possibilities that may go into each cell) in a row. I like to make known cells stand out in bold, just to avoid any confusion. So, in this example the first cell may be 1 or 2, the second is known to be a 3, the third is either 7, 8 or 9 and so on.

Hope this helps.

[george-no1]

A surprising amount of teenagers actually play sudoku. Lots of my friends do. Some of us can do the fiendish rating in The Times, which is quite an achivement for junior players.

I'm pleased to hear it. If Sudoku is popular at your school and lots of people are good at it, perhaps you could consider trying to set up some type of club. That's what I'm going to do at my school in September.

G

[hazza]

Yeah. I am thinking of making a su-doku forum for junior players.

[hazza]

Not a problem. A typical (semi-completed) grid might look like:

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

Some people insert '/' or '|' between each group of three cells and even, occasionally, rows of dashes between each group of three rows. The problem with these fancy extra characters though, is that if you're going to expect other posters to cut and paste it, they only make it more likely to be rejected by the target program. So I stick to this method; nice and simple and obvious to all what it means.

The example you've given reminds me a bit of this:

{1,2} {3} {7,8,9} {1,2} {1,4,7} {5} {6} {2,7} {4,7,8,9}

Which is an illustration of the candidate structure (i.e. the possibilities that may go into each cell) in a row. I like to make known cells stand out in bold, just to avoid any confusion. So, in this example the first cell may be 1 or 2, the second is known to be a 3, the third is either 7, 8 or 9 and so on.

Hope this helps.

Thanks a lot, that has really cleared things up

[SudokuRocksMySocks]

Hi, I'm new to the website thanx for setting up a junior forum, I'm 15 and a Sudoku beginner. I did my first difficult rated one yesturday in The Times -a very proud moment hehe ^^

Ive been reading some of the posts and can i ask what is xyz-wing and xy-chain is??