The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[AllanTrojan]

Our ratings are only from solvers that don't rely on trial and error till completion.

How do you define 'trial and error'?

ALL algorithms use trial and error in some form or other.

(Don't tell me that a human can find a Jellyfish without trial and error!)

My program uses 'basic techniques'
a few fish
followed by a colouring algorithm
some forcing chains
and
for the most difficult problems
a 'backtracking' algorithm
that at most requires a search to level-3 depth.

[StrmCkr]

trial and error.

is plugging in a candaidate and following its "changes" till either a: stops and solves a puzzle. doesnt complete too much- no information gained.
B: shows a contradition.

from here you can back track which proved that test candidate A is wrong. and start over.

a human player does not plug in a candidate for a "fishy cycel".

it is a scan of the pm grid for the arangment of the pattern and apply the induced reduction based on said identifyed cover set. when they are identified.

there is a diffrence.

ALL algorithms use trial and error in some form or other

this is false as well. all algorithms scan the Pms for the program pattern and imply the reduction based on the cover set they found.

some "forcing chains" rely on
testing a candidate in a cell and based on permations they induce prove true or false or inflect identicall reductions at induced line of sight cells.

i am a manual solver
i have solved ever single one of these hard puzzle using non trial and error methods.

dont tell me ahuman cannot identify comlex patterns.

i do not implore guess and test methods.

i look for cover set limits. ie pattern restriction arangmentts.
and costrait propagation of pairs.

all ratings here in this thread and others
are based on none trial and error approaches.

[tarek]

I would be grateful if someone could explain to me
what the notations ER/EP/ED mean
and how they are calculated.

Welcome to the forum AllanTrojan,

These terms have been introduced in the Patterns Game. They represent different ratings by Sudoku Explainer 121 for the same puzzle. ER is the overall rating until complete solution, EP is the overall rating until the 1st uncovered cell, ED is the rating of the 1st Move.

You can review all of this including all the relevant links in the head post of the Patterns Game thread.

tarek

[coloin]

all ratings here in this thread and others
are based on none trial and error approaches.

Well, there is a fine and blurry line as to what is deemed acceptable and what could be described as T&E !

I think most of the rating programs have an element of T&E.

Implication tabling, tagging, and any SE >7.1 has a T&E process [arguably]

champagnes solver uses processing time to attribute a difficulty.

"Suexrat9" gives the average node count for a back-tracking program to crack a puzzle.

gsf's "sudoku -q2" gives a value on the relative merits of a wide range of added proposition paired clues.

Easy puzzles are solved without any T&E.

We use Sudoku Explainer - but we do acknowledge that newer solving techniques arent considered when it allocates a "rating"

StrmCkr has "superhuman" solving power - and speed - and some of his solving techniques [fishy patterns excepted] also have this T&E component [which is completely OK in my book]

C

[AllanTrojan]

Thanks, Tarek, for the information.
Just what I wanted.

[Obi-Wahn]

There was just a stupid bug in the Jelly check function of my solver. Luckily it only affected the rare case when the initial number of candidates was a multiple of 32.

So here's my current top list of puzzles that at least need more than one Jelly to solve:

Code: Select all

Puzzle___________________________________________________________________________  ITR_________  SE121 Label________________
1.......2.9.4...5...6...7...5.3.4.......6........58.4...2...6...3...9.8.7.......1  1St-7Je-27Sw  11,8  coloin-04/13-1414
6.......2.9.4...5...1...7...5..84.......2.......3.5.4.2.....6...3...9.8...7.....1  1St-7Je-17Sw  11,8  coloin-04/13-1600
1.......2.9.4...5...6...7...5.3.4......96.........8.4...2...6...3...9.8.7.......1  1St-5Je-11Sw  11,7  coloin-04/13-1426
1.......5.9.2...4...3...7...8.9.6.......5.......84..9...5...3...6...4.2.7.......1  7Je-23Sw      11,5  OW081008
1.......6.5.7...8...3...4.....5.8.9.....3.....8.92....6.....3...7...5.2...4.....1  6Je-19Sw      11,8  colx006
1.......6.5.7...8...3...4.....2.8.9.....1.....8.95....6.....3...7...5.2...4.....1  5Je-14Sw      11,7  OW081006
....71......9....1.6.4.2...5.....7...1...4..6..3....8..9.2....4..7...3..8......5.  4Je-23Sw      11,3  tarek071223170000-170
1.......2.9.4...5...6...7...5.9.3.......7.......85..4.7.....6...3...9.8...2.....1  3Je-11Sw      11,6  Easter Monster
6.......2.9.4...5...1...7...5.34........6.......8.5.4.2.....6...3...9.8...7.....1  2Je-14Sw      11,5  coloin-04/13-1397
6.......2.9.4...5...1...7...5.8.........15......9.3.4.7.....6...3...9.8...2.....1  2Je-14Sw      11,2  coloin-04/13-1535
........4.1...3.9.6...9.8.....3.5.....71......3...2.1...4...7...9.5...2.8.......6  2Je-12Sw      11,3  Tarek_Pearly_#3298
1.......7.4.6...8...3...5...8.9.........16......4.2.9...5...3...6...4.2.7.......1  2Je-11Sw      11,4  OW081007

ITR = Implication Table Rating

I will calculate the Jelly and Sword counts for the hardest step of each puzzle now and publish a complete list of Jelly+ puzzles.

Greetz, Obi

[tarek]

By altering the central box I managed to generate another hard one with 5 Jellies and 14 Swords for fifth place.

Code: Select all

OW081006
1 . .|. . .|. . 6
. 5 .|7 . .|. 8 .
. . 3|. . .|4 . .
-----+-----+-----
. . .|2 . 8|. 9 .
. . .|. 1 .|. . .
. 8 .|9 5 .|. . .
-----+-----+-----
6 . .|. . .|3 . .
. 7 .|. . 5|. 2 .
. . 4|. . .|. . 1
SE121 = 11.7

This puzzle was in my database ... Your method (& SE) saw in it what other methods didn't see

q2=95161; sx9=1418; sxt=668

tarek

[coloin]

Two more contenders.......

Code: Select all

1.......2....1..3...5..34....2..1..4....8.7..6..9.......1..5.4.8.....5..9...6....

+---+---+---+
|1..|...|..2|
|...|.1.|.3.|
|..5|..3|4..|
+---+---+---+
|..2|..1|..4|
|...|.8.|7..|
|6..|9..|...|
+---+---+---+
|..1|..5|.4.|
|8..|...|5..|
|9..|.6.|...|
+---+---+---+   coly001

st9 :   4535 ,
sxt :   2651 ,
-q1 :   99001 FNBP C21.m/M3.416.1277
-q2 :   98788 FNBP C21.m/M3.416.1277

Code: Select all

.......1...6....23.2..3.4..8....5....3..1...4..96........9..7...1..2..4.5....8...

+---+---+---+
|...|...|.1.|
|..6|...|.23|
|.2.|.3.|4..|
+---+---+---+
|8..|..5|...|
|.3.|.1.|..4|
|..9|6..|...|
+---+---+---+
|...|9..|7..|
|.1.|.2.|.4.|
|5..|..8|...|
+---+---+---+  coly002

sx9 :   3383 ,
sxt :   2021 ,
-q1 :   96570 FNP  C21.m/M2.1.242757
-q2 :   99404 FNBP C21.m/M2.1.242757

C

[champagne]

Implication tabling, tagging, and any SE >7.1 has a T&E process
C

This is somehow an outdated debate, nevertheless, I can answer (late) to that point.

If my solver can not solve a puzzle using a "T&E free" set of rules, it gives up. I have no outlet to go ahead.

Up to now, this is limited to 2 puzzles, "Fata Morgana" and "Trompe l'oeil" but others will come.

champagne

[Mauricio]

How hard is really this sudoku?

Code: Select all

+-------+-------+-------+
| . . . | . . 1 | . . 2 |
| . . 3 | . . . | . 4 . |
| . 5 . | . 6 . | 7 . . |
+-------+-------+-------+
| . . . | 8 . . | . 7 . |
| . . 7 | . . 3 | 8 . . |
| 9 . . | . 5 . | . . 1 |
+-------+-------+-------+
| . . 6 | . 8 . | 2 . . |
| . 4 . | 6 . . | . . 7 |
| 2 . . | . . 9 | . 6 . |
+-------+-------+-------+ ED=11.3, ER=?


To solve it, I only need to suppose uniqueness and to use not more than hidden pair.

[champagne]

How hard is really this sudoku?
To solve it, I only need to suppose uniqueness and to use not more than hidden pair.

Interesting animal.
Should receive a name if others confirm my diagnostic.

Not solved by my solver.
(to be sure this was not due to recent changes in the solver, I run several old versions of the program).

Using Allan Barker method, I did not find any eliminations before combining six floors
(an option I added, the search was limited to five floors, enough for the toughest known).

Where does it come from??


You should publish your solution


champagne

[ronk]

To solve it, I only need to suppose uniqueness and to use not more than hidden pair.

Perhaps something to do with diagonal symmetry and digit relabeling: 1-9, 3-5 and 6-7.

These six digits may be removed as candidates in the diagonal. Gurth's symmetry, right?

[Glyn]

ronk Excellent observation. Just leaving a naked pair and a naked triple to finish.

[Mauricio]

These six digits may be removed as candidates in the diagonal. Gurth's symmetry, right?

Completely right. That puzzle was the "hardest" of 1.8 million puzzles having the following properties:
a)Minimal
b)First move not a single
c)Each minirow/minicolumn has at most 1 given
d)Automorphic if reflexed along the main diagonal
If I did not have oversights in my search, those 1.8 M puzzles are all puzzles having those properties.

[champagne]

Hi all

This is a wonderful example. I suggested Allan to study it, but I doubt he finds a simple answer.

SK loop was already a very powerful way to go ahead in some puzzles, but this is still better if you consider that classical paths fail.

I think I got your point, may be not to the level necessary to teach it to my solver. Where is it described?

champagne

EDIT:

Thanks to Mike Barker and it's usefull index, I found the discussion. Very convicing.

For sure this is avery specific family of puzzles, but also very easy to identify.