The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Dragon]

A", "B", "C" and "D" refer to the cells containing the numbers required to enter the competition.

Code: Select all

..2|...|8..     ..7|...|5..
.8.|3.6|.9.     .6.|5.9|.3.
6..|.4.|7..     ..2|.1.|..8
---+---+---     ---+---+---
.2.|6.3|..A     B..|6.3|.2.
..4|.7.|...     ...|.8.|3..
.6.|9..|...     ...|..2|.9.
---+---+---     ---+---+---
4.5|...|...|4.6|...|...|4.7
.3.|...|...|.7.|...|...|.6.
...|...|...|8.3|...|...|...
---+---+---+---+---+---+---
        9.7|...|3.2
        .6.|...|.5.
        5.8|...|9.6
---+---+---+---+---+---+---
...|...|...|6.8|...|...|...
.8.|...|...|.5.|...|...|.5.
9.4|...|...|9.2|...|...|3.6
---+---+---     ---+---+---
.5.|2..|...     ...|..3|.8.
..9|.6.|...     ...|.5.|6..
.2.|1.8|..C     D..|1.8|.4.
---+---+---     ---+---+---
4..|.9.|6..     ..9|.2.|..5
.7.|6.1|.2.     .5.|4.1|.2.
..3|...|5..     ..6|...|8..


The estimated time is 55 minutes.

Now is it just me, but I have attempted this one three times now, and it always fails. (Especially the top left puzzle). Now is the uncharacteristic UK sunshine playing havoc with the little grey cells, or is this actually doable.

|)

[Animator]

First of all, thanks for posting the Samurai :)

It's possible to solve it.

This is the order in which I completed things: grid E, 5, 9, 2, 3, 1, 4, grid C, 6, grid D, 7, grid A, 8, grid B.

I suggest you try once again... after verifying your starting grid.

I kept track of the numbers I filled in (the order that is, I did not count how many I filled in so that's the bad thing). If you are still having trouble with it then I could post it...

[Dragon]

Sort of done. I made an early mistake in puzzle 1 three times.

What I'm left with is puzzle 4 (bottom left). Everything else works out. I have enough for the answers. But the thing is incomplete.

Blocks 1, 4, 5, 6 have what looks to be x-wings in them. Now this I cannot resolve.

What I've got it down to is:

Code: Select all

265|984|713
*8*|356|294
934|712|856
---+---+---
*5*|2*9|3*8
849|563|172
32*|1*8|9*5
---+---+---
412|895|637
578|631|429
693|427|581


Now anyway that I look at this seems valid. I can not see the logic to resolve it. If r4c1 is 1 then this leads to a "stalemate". If it's a 7 it resolves. But this cannot be the answer since even the "stalemate" could be the valid result. Can anybody see how this gets resolved? Or have I completely screwed up the whole thing?

[Animator]

I'm afraid you made another mistake (or else I made one)

This is my fourth grid:

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

[Enigma]

It can definitely be done... took me about 50 mins. The whole puzzle used triplets much more than I'm use to seeing them - either I'm getting used to spotting them or I've not hit the harder puzzles yet !

I get the same 4th grid as Animator [corrected] the 1 and 3 in the top right box were the last missing pieces and required help from the 1st grid to solve for me.

Paul

[CathyW]

Can someone please put me out of misery and post the full solution (now that the deadline is long finished). I've gone wrong again on this one.

Thanks
Cathy

[Animator]

Here it is... I hope you can make sense of it. (Note though, I do not guarantee that this is the correct solution. It's the solution I found)

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

[george-no1]

Surely if it is in The Times (I understand it is not a Pappocom puzzle, though) then they would have made sure that whoever composed it did so with care, and that there is only one solution?

If they hadn't, I suspect that a lot of people would have complained by now. Therefore, I conclude that your solution is unique (and therefore correct - also I checked it against my solution and it was identical).

George