The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Ronco]

Boston Globe Thursday, 24 July

8.4|...|..1
...|.7.|...
6.7|9..|8.5
.3.|.1.|.2.
5..|.6.|..4
.7.|.5.|.1.
..2|..3|4.7
...|.9.|...
7..|...|9.3

Was able to fill-in
8.4|...|..1
..3|.7.|...
6.7|9..|8.5
43.|.1.|52.
5..|.6.|..4
27.|.5.|.1.
..2|.83|4.7
3..|.9.|1.2
7..|...|9.3

In first column where two cells can be 1 or 9, must I guess to continue?

[daj95376]

As you posted it, my solver reports:

Code: Select all

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

 *** ERROR: puzzle has multiple solutions ***


BTW: This is not the puzzle I found when searching for today's Boston Globe sudoku puzzle. It doesn't match yesterday's, either.

[udosuk]

Having no idea what the original Boston Globe puzzle might be (typo errors?), here are 2 symmetrical puzzles produced by adding 3 clues. Both have a unique solution.

Code: Select all

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

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

[Pat]

BTW: This is not the puzzle I found when searching for today's Boston Globe sudoku puzzle. It doesn't match yesterday's, either.

The Boston Globe is listed as a Pappocom newspaper

those would be their printed puzzles

online,
they may have other puzzles( from a different source )

[Ronco]

The top puzzle that I reported in my original inquiry of today accurately reflects the puzzle that the Boston Globe printed today, July 24. I too have noticed that what is reported on the web is different than what the Globe prints and distributes in paper format. Thanks for all the assitance.

[Ronco]

Correction, the Globe puzzle did not have an entry for column 9 row 3. The 5 is a number that I filled in and should have appeared only in the second version - i.e., the partially-solved puzzle. The original Globe puzzle was symetrical.

[daj95376]

Correction, the Globe puzzle did not have an entry for column 9 row 3. The 5 is a number that I filled in and should have appeared only in the second version - i.e., the partially-solved puzzle. The original Globe puzzle was symetrical.

Still no help.

[Glyn]

If there was no given at r3c9 then we're still stuck at 74 solutions because all routes lead to that being 5.
Problem is we can't partition the possible starting grids using a missing given (1 or 9) at r7c1.
Is this one headed for the 'Sudokus of Shame'? Ronco please let us know the answer they give tomorrow.

[udosuk]

Correction, the Globe puzzle did not have an entry for column 9 row 3. The 5 is a number that I filled in and should have appeared only in the second version - i.e., the partially-solved puzzle. The original Globe puzzle was symetrical.

In that case I'm able to produce a valid symmetrical puzzle with only 2 extra clues:

Code: Select all

+---+---+---+
|8.4|...|..1|
|...|.7.|...|
|6.7|9..|8..|
+---+---+---+
|.3.|.1.|.2.|
|5.9|.6.|7.4|
|.7.|.5.|.1.|
+---+---+---+
|..2|..3|4.7|
|...|.9.|...|
|7..|...|9.3|
+---+---+---+

[Glyn]

Well done Matt that symmetric puzzle is solvable with singles alone. perhaps this should be called 'Missing Clues' Sudoku.

[Pat]

yes but are they still from Pappocom ??
as 84176 is not accepted in the "solutions"

[udosuk]

yes but are they still from Pappocom ??
as 84176 is not accepted in the "solutions"

That puzzle was my own attempt in producing a valid symmetrical puzzle from the set of clues provided. I'm not surprise it's not found in the Pappocom database.

It could be an interesting challenge by adding clues to try to get a matching puzzle from the Pappocom database.