The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[ilquerceto]

Any help would be appreciated. The original puzzle is:

*91/***/**4
425/8*9/*3*
*68/35*/***
--------------
*7*/***/***
**4/***/***
***/***/***
--------------
***/***/4**
***/***/***
***/*8*/*9*

I was able to get this far, but no further:

391/**2/854
425/819/736
768/354/9**
--------------
67*/**8/*4*
*54/*3*/*8*
*8*/4**/**7
--------------
**6/9**/4*8
8*9/*4*/***
*47/18*/*93

[udosuk]

Code: Select all

 *--------------------------------------------------------------------*
 | 3      9      1      | 67     67     2      | 8      5      4      |
 | 4      2      5      | 8      1      9      | 7      3      6      |
 | 7      6      8      | 3      5      4      | 9      12     12     |
 |----------------------+----------------------+----------------------|
 | 6      7      23     | 25     29     8      | 1235   4      1259   |
 | 129    5      4      | 267    3      167    |*126    8     *129    |
 | 129    8      23     | 4      269    156    |*12356 *126    7      |
 |----------------------+----------------------+----------------------|
 | 125    13     6      | 9      27     357    | 4      127    8      |
 | 8      13     9      | 2567   4      3567   | 1256   1267   125    |
 | 25     4      7      | 1      8      56     | 256    9      3      |
 *--------------------------------------------------------------------*

Focus on block 6 (the right block of the middle band).
The 1 there must be locked on row 4, and not in the 4 cells marked with "*".
Afterwards you will find 2 cells forming a naked pair {26} in that block,
which will allow you to eliminate 2 & 6 from all other cells in there.
Then the rest of the puzzle will become trivial (solved with singles).