The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Pi]

The Independent announced today it's national chmpionship.
Todays entry puzzle took me 5 minutes and i look forward to competing in the regionals.

What was strange was that they said in an article that the total number of possible coninations of sudoku puzzles was about 5 billion wheras i was always of the undersanding that there were 6.671x10^23.

Oh well.

How did everyone find the puzzle?

[Pat]

The Independent announced today it's national chmpionship.
Todays entry puzzle took me 5 minutes and i look forward to competing in the regionals. How did everyone find the puzzle?

here are the articles in The Independent -

• Independent SuDoku Grand Master Championship 2006 --- 2006.Apr.7
  
• The rise and rise of SuDoku --- 2006.Apr.10

but the puzzles are probably only in the print edition

~ Pat

[Pi]

did anyone else enter this tournament, they held a regional final in chester a few weeks ago, although i won it i haven't been told i have a place in the final i wondered if anyone else had heard from the indi yet

[paul_a_reed]

Zero communication so I asked the question:

I wonder if it is possible if you can tell me when the sudoku finalist list will be published in the newspaper?

In response:


Dear Paul

Thank you for your interest in The Independent.

There will not be a list of Grand Master Su Doku Championship finalists printed in the paper. The finalists will be notified by post by today, 26th June.
If you have not received a letter by today then I'm sorry to say that you did not make it to the final.

Kind Regards

...

customerservices@independent.co.uk

[paul_a_reed]

[color=blue]Gutted - I knew I should have quickly checked I had filled them all in.[/color]



Paul

I have had this e-mail passed on to me from our customer services department. I wasn't present at the Cambridge heat but have spoken to the staff member that was and as you thought they did say that the list of people who participated will be put in- paper. Like last year however this wasn't and will not be done until the editorial is written about the final which will be on 22nd July and so should either go in- paper on Sunday 23rd or Monday 24th July. I have been assured however that deadline dates for this were not communicated to entrants as we cannot promise such things due to the nature of the industry. What is planned is never confirmed until printed due to the fact that major but late news- stories may break, as I am sure that you can understand.

[color=blue]The times this year were much faster than of those who competed last year and I can tell you that you were in the group of people that should have been invited to the final but on marking it was noted that one of the puzzles hadn't entirely been completed.[/color]

I do hope that this doesn't dispel you from entering our weekly Sudoku competitions and may I tale this opportunity to thank you for your participation in the event help making it so popular and successful.

Kind regards
Natalie

-------

Hello,


It was mentioned in the heat that a list would be printed.
It is slightly disappointing that with over 1200 entrants who possibly took time off work and traveled distant to compete, that there is so much lack of communication.
Can you at least tell me the cut-off qualification time so that in the very least I can add it to a blog somewhere, so that interested parties can find this information of the internet.
Oh, perhaps you are going to be publishing a list of these people on your web site?

Regards,

Paul Reed

[Pi]

I was finaly contacted by the independent and told that i have a place in the final, i thought it stragne that it took them this long and that they changed the date of the final.


It's a shame you made a mistake on youyr puzzle becuase that can happen to anyone, bad luck.

[paul_a_reed]

What time did you get - mine 23mins and a few seconds.
I missed out completing 2 squares in one of the puzzles - nightmare.
Hope they do it again next year - I won't be so lax in my check.
I blame another one in my heat who completed about a minute before me, made me panic.

[Pat]

The Independent has now announced the winner — Becky Hewitt

[udosuk]

For a moment I thought it was the wife of Lleyton Hewitt (the tennis player) - Bec Hewitt (nee Cartwright)... Then I thought a soap star (Home and Away) couldn't be that smart...