The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[ex99125b]

Having recently retired and always on the lookout for ways to keep my brain from desiccating, I have taken up sudoku.
If possible, I'd like a little advice. Maybe a little philosophy lesson as well.

Some background; Im using Andoku [sup]3[/sup] , am playing "classic sudoku" and I have all "help" turned off, no colors, no auto removal of candidates etc.

I started with "very easy" and did 100 games, worked my way through 100 games at "easy" and am now in the "moderate" level of difficulty.

I have found that filling in all the candidates in every cell and then pattern matching my way to completion is the quickest method (now).

Watching various videos that describe techniques to solve harder puzzles, I have seen that they appear to be in the form of: find 2 candidates for as may cells as you can, then pattern match available solutions and repeat. This iterative process seems in most cases to take at least as long as it takes to just start out with all possible candidates and solve.

so a few questions:
Is the "object"(generally) to solve in the least possible time?
Is filling in all possible candidates considered cheating/the easy way/newbie behavior/inferior to iteration?
Is there a level of classic sudoku at which you cannot solve by this method?
Am I developing a bad habit that is limiting my sudoku future?

I love the game, it fits my brain nicely. I hope to keep improving.
Thanks for any wisdom
Jim

[Mathimagics]

Hello Jim,

These questions are probably better suited to the "General" area, and perhaps that's why you haven't got a response as yet. (There are no philosophers in this area, AFAIK)

But anyway, here's my take on your questions:

• Is the "object"(generally) to solve in the least possible time?

For most people, the real objective is learning to do harder puzzles, a consequence of which is an increasing ability to do similarly difficult puzzles in less time.

On the other hand, there are Sudoku tournaments, where speed is everything. I can't do a Sudoku without making a cup of tea first, so I tend not to enter such tournaments.

• Is filling in all possible candidates considered cheating/the easy way/newbie behavior/inferior to iteration?

The marking of possible candidates in each unsolved cell is generally referred to as "pencilmarks".

Pencilmarks are a solving aid, not really a solving method.

But they are an essential tool, and are generally indispensable for solving anything but the easiest puzzles. Nobody around here would sniff at anyone who uses pencilmarks!

• a) Is there a level of classic sudoku at which you cannot solve by this method?
  b) Am I developing a bad habit that is limiting my sudoku future?

a) No
b) Probably not yet, but it will come later

Cheers
MM

[Yogi]

Howdy fellow Andoku 3 User! Here are a few thoughts.

Avoid the word ‘Retired’ – true retirement is Fatal! (Said the 73 year-old taxi driver who still does 2 days a week to get out of the house.

Never mind time. Quit a puzzle if frustrated or bored (there are plenty more) but don’t be tempted into sacrificing accuracy for speed. You will be even more frustrated when you find you’ve made a mistake. The objective is to find the solution – solve the puzzle.

Once you have moved up from Pen & Paper to using a Device, ALL candidates are essential to get the full picture for all possibilities. That’s why I got a tablet and Andoku.

The level you reach but cannot advance past is determined by your own abilities and your willingness to study and practise the trickier techniques. There could be a trade-off between enjoyment and the desire for achievement and satisfaction. Who wants to spend 3 days (or 3 weeks!) trying to solve a single Sudoku?

If you haven’t already, I would recommend you look at the YouTube videos of Sudoku Swami, especially the first few which will give you the generally-used lingo. He’s very good at explaining things.