The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[charles]

Would someone please help me get to the next stage in the following puzzle?

7[59]4,[259][29]8,631
[1589][1589]2,6[19]3,4[59]7
[159]36,[4579][1479][75],8[59]2
329,851,764
[51]7[51],[94][946][96],283
648,[72]3[72],915
4[15689][135],[259][2689][2569],[35]7[89]
[589][5689]7,3[689]4,12[89]
2[89][35],1[789]79],[35]46

[emm]

This is either a very hard puzzle, Charles, which no-one can do or else they are ignoring the antipodeans again. It's just not fair - antipodeans have feelings too!

If you haven't already solved this one yourself I suggest you post under Solving Techniques - you can count on a response from the big guns there.

[simes]

My solver reports:

Code: Select all

Block 8: row 7 must contain 5, removing 5 from candidates for r7c2, r7c3, r7c7

and after that it's easy.

(You can read about the logic behind this elimination here)

Simon

[Pat]

This is either a very hard puzzle, Charles, which no-one can do - I certainly can't - or else they are ignoring the antipodeans again. It's just not fair - antipodeans have feelings too!

If you haven't already solved this one yourself I suggest you post under Solving Techniques - you can count on a response from the big guns there.

well, i saw it and deliberately ignored it, as the format of the posted puzzle is very unfriendly to the human eye.

if i had an easy way to remove the [ ... ] and see the puzzle itself, i would certainly be trying my best to solve it!

[MCC]

My solver reports:

Code: Select all

Block 8: row 7 must contain 5, removing 5 from candidates for r7c2, r7c3, r7c7

and after that it's easy.

(You can read about the logic behind this elimination here)

Simon

Surely, block 7: row 8, is the more logical way to go in eliminating 5's from boxes 7,8 and 9?

[emm]

There's a naked pair in row 8 that eliminates all other 5s in row 8 which gets you to where simes jumped off. I can't see how to eliminate the 5's in box 7.......but anyway, I was thinking of commenting to you, Charles, that Pat's remark about your unfriendly format was actually true and that if you want to post again you could use the code button on the posting page which will lay your puzzle grid out for you in a very friendly fashion - if you haven't got bored yet and gone home.

[MCC]

There's a naked pair in row 8 that eliminates all other 5s in row 8 which gets you to where simes jumped off. I can't see how to eliminate the 5's in box 7.

The only place a 5 can go in row 8 is in box 7, it is locked in cells (r8c1) & (r8c2).
This allows the elimination of the 5's in cells (r7c2)(r7c3)(r9c3).
A 5 can now be placed in cell (r9c7) with the elimination of the 5 in cell (r7c7).
This leaves the 5 locked in box 8 in cells (r7c4) & (r7c6).

[emm]

Excuse me for being picky, MCC, but I’m in one of those moods. Actually the 5s are locked into row 7 box 8 before they're locked into row 8 box 7.

It’s only because they’re locked into row 7 box 8 that you can delete the 5 from r7c7 => r9c7 = 5. Up until that point 5 is also a candidate for r9c3 in box 7.

PS : Apologies for my input about the naked pair - I have no idea where that came from!

[MCC]

em you're excused.

If I had worked through the puzzle from the original grid my answer would have been different, but I was replying from the stage that Charles had reached.

I was too much of a gentleman to mention the naked pair.

[emm]

Wow! You are a gentleman! I do think it’s a bit of a shame that Cec has thrown that whole nudist camp thing into the arena though, don’t you? Now I’m getting the straight talkers mixed up with the double entendres!

Another thought I had was that it’s funny how someone like Charles can casually start off a random line of thinking and then just go home and leave everyone else to it. I hope you’re listening, Charles!

[MCC]

Wow! You are a gentleman! I do think it’s a bit of a shame that Cec has thrown that whole nudist camp thing into the arena though, don’t you? Now I’m getting the straight talkers mixed up with the double entendres!

Maybe the thought of cricket and all the bouncers was getting to cec.

Another thought I had was that it’s funny how someone like Charles can casually start off a random line of thinking and then just go home and leave everyone else to it. I hope you’re listening, Charles!

Yes. You would have thought he had the decency to mention if the replies were of any help to him.

[Pat]

.

i saw it and deliberately ignored it, as the format of the posted puzzle is very unfriendly to the human eye.

if i had an easy way to remove the [ ... ] and see the puzzle itself, i would certainly be trying my best to solve it!
.

many members neglect to use [ code ], i just copy & paste

but what about the empty cells??
a placeholder is advisable,
preferably a dot,
but use the hyphen or the asterisk or whatever you like,
i can handle them with a single Replace All.

however, in the present case we are given those bracketed lists,
where [ code ] will not get the columns aligned
and Replace All is useless too.

hence my grouchy comment,
and a question:
do you all have some nifty software that can eat up the bracketed lists?
or how did you all handle it?

- Pat

.

[emm]

Pat, I'm with you on this. I have the code sussed for definite clues but no amount of fiddling will line up the candidiates. I've searched through old threads and it looks like most people enter them higgledy-piggledy. FAQ is not helpful – it directs you to the guide which can be found on the posting page – and they’ve hidden it somewhere there where no-one can find it.

Have you noticed that MCC & you & me (now that Charles has gone walkabout) are the only ones who write in the Downunder Zone. Why not post your question in the 'Metropolitan Section'? That should get a response! (slightly cynical)

[MCC]

Pat and em, here is where tso uses candidates in code, it might be of help.

http://forum.enjoysudoku.com/viewtopic.php?p=10234#p10234

Make sure you widen the window it appears in.

[emm]

Thanks MCC, I have already tried using this format - albeit a little clumsily - but the candidate brackets do not stay in line and separated as tso's do. They all bunch up again even when you use the code. Someone's going to have to get up the courage to ask him how he does it!