The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Sabreman64]

I'm completely stuck on puzzle 88 in Times book 1. This is as far as I've got:

xx1 43x xxx
xx4 x78 6x1
xx7 x51 9xx

486 795 123
713 824 569
952 x1x x7x

xx5 x4x x1x
3x9 182 xxx
1x8 567 39x

I've even resorted to filling in a large sudoku grid with all the possibilities in the empty cells, but it hasn't helped me. Could someone please give me a small hint as to which row, column, or box I should be looking at in order to solve the puzzle?

[MCC]

I'm completely stuck on puzzle 88 in Times book 1. This is as far as I've got:

xx1 43x xxx
xx4 x78 6x1
xx7 x51 9xx

486 795 123
713 824 569
952 x1x x7x

xx5 x4x x1x
3x9 182 xxx
1x8 567 39x

I've even resorted to filling in a large sudoku grid with all the possibilities in the empty cells, but it hasn't helped me. Could someone please give me a small hint as to which row, column, or box I should be looking at in order to solve the puzzle?

Look at column 8, what number can only go in box 3.
This enables you to eliminate some candidates from box 3.
Then look at column 9, you can then place a number.

[Sabreman64]

Maybe it's because I'm tired or maybe I've not understood the clue you've given me, but I'm sorry, I'm still stuck. If I look at column 8 in box 3, I find the following possibilities: row 1: 5, 8; row 2: 3, 5; row 3: 3, 4, 8. Please forgive me if I'm being completely thick, but I can't see it.

[Sabreman64]

I feel really silly now, because I've just sussed it. After looking again at column 9, I found that 2 and 4 were the only possibilities in rows 3 and 9. So I could eliminate 2 and 4 as possibilities from the rest of column 9. It was staring me in the face all the time, and I didn't see it. Was that what you were hinting at, MCC?

[MCC]

I feel really silly now, because I've just sussed it. After looking again at column 9, I found that 2 and 4 were the only possibilities in rows 3 and 9. So I could eliminate 2 and 4 as possibilities from the rest of column 9. It was staring me in the face all the time, and I didn't see it. Was that what you were hinting at, MCC?

Yes.

Once you've realise that the 8 in box 3 can only go in column 8, you can eliminate all other 8's in box 3 leaving you with a naked double (2,4) in column 9. Then having eliminated all the other 2's and 4's in column 9 you can place an 8 in (r6c9).

[seamus]

I love Sudoku - it's great for getting the brain going. But I'm still struggling with puzzle 88, and I haven't even got as far as sabreman64 ! This is what I've achieved -

xx1 4xx xxx
xx4 x78 6x1
xx7 x51 9xx

486 xxx x23
713 824 569
952 xxx xxx

xx5 x4x xxx
3x9 18x xxx
xx8 xx7 3xx

Am I missing something obvious? help please.

[Animator]

Can you check if you used the correct starting grid?

This grid has multiple solutions...

My best guess is that r6c8 has to be 7 (then you get a unqiue solution)...

[seamus]

Oops !
Thank you Animator - I had missed a number in the grid. Thought I'd checked it properly, but I'm told this is a very frequent problem with newbies.