The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Cec]

Hi, I started the following puzzle after learning of overseas rain - never thought I'd appreciate rain during an "Ashes" Test match.

x4x x7x xxx
x86 xxx x74
xx7 xx9 13x

xx5 x4x xxx
1xx 9x2 xx6
xxx x8x 7xx

x14 6xx 3xx
85x xxx 61x
xxx x9x x5x

After about two hours, I got as far as this:

941 873 265
386 215 974
527 469 138

265 x4x 893
178 932 546
493 586 721

714 658 389
859 324 617
632 x9x 452

As each of the four vacant cells in rows 4 and 9 all have the same pair of candidates (1 and 7) I can't find a solution to complete this puzzle. Any help would be appreciated.

Regards Bonsai Cec

[simes]

Perhaps your problem is because you have two 8s in row 7, and two 2s in row 9?

Simes

[PaulIQ164]

But for reference, if you had correctly found yourself in that situation, then yes, there'd have been no unique solution to the puzzle, and it would have therefore been a badly-formed sudoku (in fact arguably it wouldn't have been a sudoku at all).

[Cec]

Thank you simes and PaulIQ164 for detecting my mistake - Yuk! most embarrasing. Watching this enthralling "Ashes" series and doing sudoku puzzles at 2am not recommended.

Regards, Bonsai Cec