The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[heather]

hi im new to this website but i have played(or tried to!) su doku since the first puzzle in the times! i wondered if anyone had seen the samurai si doku in the times today(28th). i dont know where to start! i can see this puzzle keeping me from revising for my a levels this weekend!!

[possum]

Have just seen it, Heather! And the recommended solving time of 42 minutes. Will be having a go at it later. Good prize: Glastonbury tickets.

[lil_miss]

Wayne is this samurai su doku one of yours?

[possum]

Have just completed this on my third attempt. I enjoyed it, and found it more challenging than the usual su doku. There is to be another Samurai in Monday's Times.

[Guest]

Tried the Samurai today, and as an experienced Su Doke player I am confused. I thought that and Su Doku only ever had one solution. I've sorted out he top left Su-Doku, but the numbers on the bottom line of the bottom right hand quadrant don't align with the numbers in the middle Su Doku or the top right Su-Doku with regard to the positioning of the eight's!

[abi283]

I had that exact same problem with the eights! had to abandon it in the end, even though i am certain my solution to top left puzzle is correct!

[possum]

In reply to Confused and Abi, if I read your posts correctly, you attempted to solve the five grids individually rather than as part of the larger puzzle. It cannot be solved this way.

[Guest]

I solved the middle grid first, and found it easier as i had more numbers in the corner sections.

[Pappocom]

Wayne is this samurai su doku one of yours?

No, it's not one of mine. I haven't seen it, so can't really comment. I take it there are 5 grids, overlapping by one box in each corner of the central grid? Puzzle magazines in Japan feature such overlapping puzzles quite regularly, in a variety of configurations. Ideally, none of the grids should be solveable in isolation - they should need help from their overlappers. The number of clues-per-grid should be fewer than would normally be the case.

- Wayne

[Guest]

Have completed this puzzle, i will post the answer after 10pm sunday *grinz* cant be having with other peeps stealing my tickets, but my advice is solve the middle grid first, as it has the most numbers helping it as the other 4 grids help solve a square in each, then work through the rest, i solved grids in C, B, D, A order but could just be how my wacky mind works
btw, my time was 43 mins... damn that toilet break

[petef]

My wife and I have both completed it now. She did it by hand and I modified my solving program. None of the 5 grids are uniquely solvable by themselves. By comparing pencil marks in the overlaps the unique solution does come out.
--
Pete Forman

[Guest]

took me 25 minutes to suss out that the overlapping cells are key - after that it's just like solving difficult level Sudokus.

oh, btw the wife's now left me

[Guest]

Thanks for all of the help and advice. I got the idea (and solution now).

Glastonbury here we come!

[jonallen1966]

It's quite a tricky one. Once I had solved
the middle one, all 4 ones round the outside
take quite a while for me to solve.
You can use numbers from the outer 4 to
help solve the middle one too which helps.

42 mins the japanese reckon ?
They must be real experts, it took me more
than 4 hours of concentrated time to solve it

I've put a scan of it on my website if you'd like to see it
www.allenmannaro.com/Samurai_Sudoku.jpg

[george-no1]

Did anyone actually crack it in under 42 minutes? It must have taken me double that - it is going to make me fail my latin test now!

If someone actually did do it in under 42, I'd like to know how!

George