The New Sudoku Players' Forum

[Pappocom]

A belated welcome to the Sunday Times!

- Wayne

[Pi]

I do the three times sudoku every day and so have got quite used to the format, however the few sunday ones i have done seem to be different, are they made by a different program?

p.s. I am not talking about them being green

[Pappocom]

They are made by the same program (Pappocom's Sudoku, from www.sudoku.com/program.htm ) but they are Very Hard puzzles.

- Wayne

[Pi]

i currently have only the trial version of the program, to get the very hard puzzles do i need to buy the full version?

also do i own the copyright to puzzles that the program produces?

[PaulIQ164]

You can get the Very Hards by (I think) holding down Control as you select Hard.

[Pappocom]

PaulIQ164 is correct about using the Control key.

Copyright in the puzzles produced by Pappocom's Sudoku remains with Pappocom.

- Wayne

[PaulIQ164]

Hooray! I was right. I must print out this page and put it in my file marked "Times Paul Was Right".

[Pat]

They are made by the same program (Pappocom's Sudoku),
but they are Very Hard puzzles.

is this an exclusive arrangement with The Sunday Times?
or are the Very Hard puzzles available to other newspapers too?

(is it possible that other newspapers are not interested in publishing this level of puzzle??)


meanwhile, The Sunday Times has added a 2nd puzzle -
larger, with a box-size of 3x4 (implying a SuDoku puzzle of 12-squared = 144 cells);
are these puzzles also from Pappocom?

- Pat

[Pappocom]

The 12x12s are also from Pappocom. It should say so, besides the puzzle. Is there no copyright notice there?

A number of papers have requested Very Hard ("Superior") puzzles, but I supply only the Sunday Times, by design.

- Wayne

[Pat]

A number of papers have requested Very Hard puzzles,
but I supply only The Sunday Times, by design.

too bad for The Lunar Observer,
they'd like to include a Very Hard puzzle in the sequence
(on every New Moon and every Full Moon).

The 12x12s are also from Pappocom.
It should say so, besides the puzzle.
Is there no copyright-notice there?

thanks for clarifying!
(i couldn't rely on the copyright-notice which they show -
you may have noticed that The Times continues to show your copyright-notice beside their set of 3 puzzles
which includes a "Killer Su Doku" puzzle.)

- Pat

[Pat]

as of 2006.Sep.10, puzzles at The Sunday Times are credited to SuDokuSolver.com ( rather than Pappocom ):
Superior sudoku 58

[udosuk]

Yes, and there is also a new variant called "Godoku"... A welcomed addition to enthusiasts of world puzzles...

[Pat]

this is a decent Hard puzzle -

- - - - - - -Superior sudoku 61- - -[ 28 clues ]

Code: Select all

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

- certainly not Very Hard!
for the first time, their "Superior" puzzle has a Pappocom rating of Hard.

[Pat]

- - - - - - -Superior sudoku 62- - -[ 26 clues ]

Code: Select all

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

now twice in a row, their "Superior" puzzle has a Pappocom rating of Hard.

[tarek]

Sunday Times Superior puzzles tend to have as a requirement (a naked triple OR a hidden triple OR an X-wing OR a combination of them as a rquirement).........

The puzzles above fail to do that....

I remeber 1 Pappocom Superiror that failed that (but I think it was a mistake).......

When I scrutinised puzzle posted in the Superior thread, the aim was to choose puzzles with reliable & constant reproducable techniques within the (Superior techniques), the puzzles above also fail that......

If the standards have changed, "Superior" fans should be told.

tarek