The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[robv]

Hello,

Is it possible to get a copy of the contest puzzle from September? Any version will do -- even a screenshot of it. Here's why I am asking.

I wrote a SuDoKu-solving program (who hasn't?). Every time I've tested it (i.e., I manually solve a puzzle and I enter it into the program and I compare my answer to the program's), the results match. Last month I submitted a solution to the September puzzle, and according to today's http://www.sudoku.com/contest.htm web site, my answer was wrong. This means the program I wrote (in which I have -- had!? -- confidence) got it wrong. This is why I would like to see the puzzle again.

The program I wrote (I allege) uses logic, no guessing. It, in fact, cannot "solve" some of the "most difficult" puzzles posted here. I checked with the downloadable program (this web site), and it could not "verify" these same puzzles either. My attraction to SuDoKu has to do with whether logic only can solve a puzzle, and whether any exclusively logic-using sequence will arrive at the same unique solution. (I could probably formalize that, but I think anyone reading this knows what I mean.)

Regards, and thanks.

[Pi]

I don't yet have the know-how to make an independent program but my newly supercharged excel solver uses logic to solve puzzles, however at the moment it only uses simple logic and so can't solve harder puzzles by it's self, i will ament it so that it can but untill then i have built in a manual over-ride screen, you could do the same i suppose

[robv]

I don't yet have the know-how to make an independent program but my newly supercharged excel solver uses logic to solve puzzles, however at the moment it only uses simple logic and so can't solve harder puzzles by it's self, i will ament it so that it can but untill then i have built in a manual over-ride screen, you could do the same i suppose

I entered a big long post, and apparently there's a timeout value or something. I hit PREVIEW, it asked me to re-LOG IN, and then I LOST EVERYTHING! (No, I did not copy to the clipboard first, something I would normally do. Live and learn.) Anyway, I am not going to repeat all I previously entered. (And I have now learned if I keep hitting PREVIEW I do not time out.)

I am looking for the SEPTEMBER puzzle, the one from last month's contest (free SuDoKu program, etc.). I ran my program against the September puzzle, and apparently I entered the grid wrong, the program got the wrong answer (!?), or I goofed up the submission. I would like to get the puzzle so I can look into this. Because the program's always worked in testing, it never occurred to me to save the puzzle for the current scenario.

The program I wrote can be downloaded as follows.

http://home.mn.rr.com/robv/SUDOKU.EXE

This is a command-line program (e.g., open in a DOS box). Use the -v option to see its moves. It uses only logic, and will stop when it cannot use a built-in rule (labeled 5 and 6) to find a move. Here is an example input grid -- from the October puzzle! (Er, copyright Pappocom.)

7 8 x x 9 x x 3 5
x 6 x x x x x 2
x x x 1 x 2
4 9 x 8 x 3 x 1 6
x x x x 2
2 1 x 6 x 5 x 9 8
x x x 5 x 7
x 4 x x x x x 8
6 2 x x 8 x x 7 1

[Condor]

Is it possible to get a copy of the contest puzzle from September?

Here is the September contest puzzle you asked for.

Code: Select all

 . A . | . 3 5 | . B .
 7 . . | . . 4 | 3 . .
 . . 8 | . . . | 7 . 4
 ------+-------+------
 . . 2 | 8 . . | . . 1
 . 5 3 | 9 . 2 | 6 8 .
 8 . . | . . 6 | 9 . .
 ------+-------+------
 3 . 1 | . . . | 4 . .
 . . 5 | 1 . . | . . 2
 . C . | 3 4 . | . D . 


I will leave you to solve it yourself.

[robv]

Is it possible to get a copy of the contest puzzle from September?

Here is the September contest puzzle you asked for.

Code: Select all

 . A . | . 3 5 | . B .
 7 . . | . . 4 | 3 . .
 . . 8 | . . . | 7 . 4
 ------+-------+------
 . . 2 | 8 . . | . . 1
 . 5 3 | 9 . 2 | 6 8 .
 8 . . | . . 6 | 9 . .
 ------+-------+------
 3 . 1 | . . . | 4 . .
 . . 5 | 1 . . | . . 2
 . C . | 3 4 . | . D . 


I will leave you to solve it yourself.

Thank you. I used the program I wrote (http://home.mn.rr.com/robv/) to solve that puzzle, and came up with ABCD=6975. My contest entry had ABCD=6271, as if I was off by one column on the right when transcribing. I don't know how I managed to goof that up, but it is the end of the mystery. Thanks again. (I verified my program's answer by "dubbing" into Gould's program, which classified the puzzle as "EASY.")