The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[kakuroatk]

Hello All! I would like to introduce a new online web game called Sudoku Styles!!

Here is the link: https://www.atksolutions.com/games/sudoku.html

In addition to Classic Sudoku, this game also has many additional variations and is works around the concept of constraints.

Several of the other variations are:
- Sudoku X - Sudoku plus 2 extra constraints making an X
- Window Sudoku- Sudoku plus 4 extra window regions (Windoku)
- Jigsaw Sudoku - irregular shapes making up the constraints
- Mini Quad Sudoku - 4 mini interlocking Sudoku puzzles
- Mini Samurai Sudoku - 5 mini interlocking Sudoku puzzles

... and a LOT more!

There are 3 levels: Easy, Medium and Hard. The HARD level can be very challenging!
** Every puzzle has only one unique solution that can be solved through logic. **

Here are some screens:




It also works on mobile devices like iPad and Tablets.

5/1/2021 - Updated majority of puzzles for symmetry and difficulty level increased.

Cheers!

[denis_berthier]

Hi Kakuroatk,

I had a look at your new Sudoku game (only the standard version). As for the other ones, I like the look of the interface. However, I think the still valid candidates should be displayed by default in the undecided cells - or, at least there should be an option for doing it.

I'v tried several hard puzzles, but I notice that they are much easier than the hard Kakuro puzzles. Is it deliberate?

[kakuroatk]

Glad you like the game. It is still a work in progress when it comes to tweaking and making the classic Sudoku puzzles harder.
I do notice that for a particular puzzle type, that the more constraints it has, the level of hardness increases. Cheers!

[kakuroatk]

Update 9/15/2015 - Added a ton new puzzles and constantly updating. Hard level should be very challenging.

Tip: Keep in mind to quickly copy and paste pencil marks from one cell to another, use letters "C" and "V".
This saves a lot of housekeeping time.

Tip: Also, if a constraint has all but one cell completed then the "?" will auto-complete that last cell.

[denis_berthier]

Hi kakuroatk
The grid design is nice.
I tried 3 hard classic puzzles; they are in the range 8.3-8.4, which seems correct for a hard level.

I can't see any means for automatically displaying the pencilmarks. Having to add them one by one in each cell is much too complicated.

[kakuroatk]

Updated 4/30/2022 - Added 2 new puzzle styles... Windows Sudoku X (WindokuX) and Region Sudoku! Both of these are very challenging puzzles.
Folks on this forum are already aware of WindokuX so these are fun. However, Region Sudoku I find also very challenging. Even the easy level.



This game now has, including Sudoku, 12 different puzzle styles!!

Here is the link: https://www.atksolutions.com/games/sudoku.html

[kakuroatk]

Updated 2/13/2023 - Updated the game to include many more Jigsaw and Region designs.
In total, including Sudoku, Jigsaws, Regions and all the others now have a total of 30 different variations!

[kakuroatk]

So I tried something fun today ... I uploaded a colored irregular Sudoku Styles puzzle to see if ChatGpt could solve it. Standard Sudoku rules apply: each row, column, and 3×3 block must have the numbers 1–9 exactly once and each colored region also contains 1–9 exactly once. I expected a clean solution… what I got instead was complete chaos. Numbers repeated in rows, columns, blocks rules broken everywhere. Chat just ignored the core rules and made up a grid.

Takeaway? AI can be amazing for brainstorming or generating content, but when it comes to logic puzzles with complex constraints, it can totally fail.

[denis_berthier]

.
ChatGPT doesn't have any inferential capabilities. Nor does it contain any constraints satisfaction solver. You can't expect it to solve specific puzzles.
.

[Hajime]

Hi kakuroatk
One for you. WindokuX+Jigsaw. Only 12 clues, but symmetrical. Pretty hard.

Code: Select all

#1/WX/B4,JS
....................6.5.3....9.7.8.............8.9.7....2.4.1....................
111222233151111223555122233545666337545666737544666737448889777488999979448888999


For "easy" solving: only naked/hidden singles. Also 12 clue symmetrical puzzle. Same jigsaw.

Code: Select all

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


#1/WX/B4,JS
..........7.....2............21.56.............19.68............8.....4..........
111222233151111223555122233545666337545666737544666737448889777488999979448888999

Or very hard puzzle with only 8 clues, not symmetrical, same jigsaw

Code: Select all

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


#1/WX/B4,JS
.89........5....................41......2...................7..............3.....
111222233151111223555122233545666337545666737544666737448889777488999979448888999

Or a point symmetrical one of 8 clues, not too hard

Code: Select all

..........1.....3...........9........4.....7........6...........5.....2..........

[kakuroatk]

Hi Denis, you are right, I am very surprised that ChatGpt, can't even solve an easy sudoku at the very least.
It can list 100 prime #'s and give me a short story on the war between ketchup and mustard over the sour cream river.
In fact, I give it a 81 character string and it cannot even tell me it is 81 characters … lol

Hi Hajime, these are excellent puzzles!!
I am having a hard time generating a new grid to start with this WinXJig but I am able to solve these using my solver:

Easy One:

Code: Select all

..........7.....2............21.56.............19.68............8.....4..........
217698534574869321965374182492185673158437296341926857826743915683512749739251468


Hard with Symmetry:

Code: Select all

....................6.5.3....9.7.8.............8.9.7....2.4.1....................
965817234854732691286154379439271856317485962148693725792546183671329548523968417


Very Hard No Symmetry:

Code: Select all

.89........5....................41......2...................7..............3.....
389176425495617238714295863573864192846529371258731649631952784162483957927348516


Thank you

[denis_berthier]

I am very surprised that ChatGpt, can't even solve an easy sudoku at the very least.

The learning part is basically a multi-layer neural network based on gradient retro-propagation. Sure, there are many twists and improvements (most of which are kept secret). But the basic principle is unchanged. This part is non-public.
The (much lighter) public part is fundamentally a big multi-layered hash table interfaced to standardised interaction behaviours.

Over the years, several people have appeared here and said they were trying to use NN to solve Sudokus. I've always warned them not to bet too much on it. None has ever come back to say it worked.
.

[m_b_metcalf]

I asked ChatGPT to solve

Code: Select all

6 9 . . . 3 5 . .
 1 . 3 . . 6 . . .
 . 5 7 . . 9 . . 6
 . . . 6 . . 1 9 7
 . . . 8 4 . . . .
 7 . . . 9 1 . . .
 . . . . . . 9 6 .
 . . . . . . 3 . 5
 5 . . 3 . . . 7 1

and it replied:

See my thinking
Here’s a completed solution for your Sudoku:

text
6 9 8 7 2 3 5 1 4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
4 5 7 1 8 9 2 3 6
8 4 2 6 3 5 1 9 7
9 3 1 8 4 7 6 2 5
7 6 5 2 9 1 8 4 3
3 7 4 5 1 8 9 6 2
2 1 6 9 7 4 3 5 8
5 8 9 3 6 2 4 7 1
If you’d like, we can walk through how to get from the starting grid to this solution step by step.

I then said

Your solution is wrong -- the clue value 5 in row 8, column 9 has been moved into column 8!

(the incorrect grid being a puzzle with multiple solutions), to which it replied:

See my thinking
You’re absolutely right to call that out—my previous grid was invalid, since the given 5 in row 8, column 9 must stay in column 9 and I moved it.

I’ve tried to re-solve your puzzle step by step here, but doing it reliably in this setting is turning out to be too error‑prone for me—I’d likely just hand you another flawed solution, which isn’t useful.

If you want a guaranteed‑correct final grid, the safest move is to plug your clues into a dedicated Sudoku solver (there are many free ones online) and then, if you’d like, we can go through how that correct solution is reached—box by box, technique by technique—so you actually see the logic rather than just the answer.

If you’re up for that, paste the solver’s final grid here and we’ll dissect it together.

Mike

[denis_berthier]

.
It reminds me of a humoristic - but so realistic - conversation I found somewhere on the web:
Man: I found this mushroom in the forest. Is it safe to eat it?
GPT: yes.
Man (3 weeks later): I spent 3 weeks at the hospital after being poisoned by this mushroom. It almost killed me.
GPT. You are right. Do you want me to give you a list of eatable mushrooms?
.