I hate/love sudoku and my mother in law.

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I'm usually really good at puzzles. I love puzzles and games! I've always looked at the sudoku puzzles with longing and panic.

While on vacation my mother in law tried to explain them to me.

I got it! Well.... I thought I got it. Okay.... I don't get it.

I can do the ones marked "easy" -- they're almost too easy but the "medium" ones have me ripping out my hair and cussing my mother in law for getting me hooked on something I can't do.

So spill: is there some kind of trick? I've tried guessing when I get stuck only to find that my entire puzzle gets messed up.

<sob>

Do you sudoku?

Please tell me what the secret is!

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@boomerang,

I love sudoku.

(and it's the only puzzle gram doesn't do before I get the paper...)

it's kinda like algebra, but fun.

and guessing rarely gets you where you wanna go...

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@Rockhead,

So now I guess I have to add you to my list of things/people I hate.

So what do you do when you get stuck -- when there isn't an obvious place to put the number? I usually get about halfway through the puzzle then there will be a spot where it can be one or two numbers. That's when I guess.

Am I missing something? Is there ALWAYS something that will tell you which one is right?

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@boomerang,

there is never an always.

sometimes I go away for a day and come back from a different angle.

if this then that is a good rule. back and forth...

numbers play works for me. some folks are not wired that way. i rarely use a calculator, either. just cuz. mebbe too much time as a shill.

i've given up on some, too. they are s'posed to be fun.

gram loves all things puzzles, and can't do the easier ones.

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I do both Sudoku and KenKen everyday.

You can buy books on these two puzzles at Amazon.com

The NYTimes runs the puzzles each day also. One easy and one hard.

the 3 X 3 and 4 X 4 puzzles are easy, but when you get to the 9 x 9 puzzles things get very difficult. The authors need to make the boxes larger so you can get all the possible combinations into them.

By the way, many times the so-called "logic" puzzles aren't very logical. Also, there's often more than one solution to many of the problems.

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@boomerang,

Boomerang said "Please tell me what the secret is!"

http://www.sudoku-solutions.com/sudokusolver.php Laughing

1 Reply

@Dutchy,

Many of the so-called logic puzzles don't require logic at all. Rolling Eyes

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@boomerang,

Youtube to the rescue: A step by step guide to solving a NY times sudoku.

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I have wasted far too much of my life on Sudoku puzzles. As a permanent substitute teacher whose days often consisted of babysitting, interspersed with the blessed relief of real teaching, I could not read all day or even during a study hall for an hour. Printing the "monster" version from www.dailysudoku.com allowed me a portable amusement.

I like the 16 block puzzles, I think, in part because they test my abysmal eyesight. The 9 block puzzles are more difficult, most likely because they are asymmetrical.

Mechanical pencils help because they produce a finer line and don't need constant sharpening. Those tube-erasers in plastic cases help as well.

Other sudoku addicts have said that some 'hard' puzzles are quite easy while some easy ones are aggravating. I no longer attempt the solve the easy, draw and play, four block puzzles on line.

Because of sudoku, I have spent a fortune on ink cartridges, printing the daily monsters!

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@boomerang,

Quote:

I usually get about halfway through the puzzle then there will be a spot where it can be one or two numbers. That's when I guess.

Look at that spot in relation to the lines that it is in, both vertical and horizontal, and also the box that it is in. The numbers should not duplicate in any of those three positions. Those three criteria should help you narrow down your choice, especially if it's only down to one or two numbers. It's a form of checks and balances.

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@Miller,

Quote:

the 3 X 3 and 4 X 4 puzzles are easy, but when you get to the 9 x 9 puzzles things get very difficult. The authors need to make the boxes larger so you can get all the possible combinations into them.

I have a friend who makes enlarged copies of them for just that purpose. See if it works for you.

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@boomerang,

The way I do it is to find the ones that there is only two possible options, I then note in pencil what they are and use the corresponding empty spots to see if I can eliminate one of the options.

I usually like the easy to medium ones as I think too much at work and do not want to have to think too much when doing a puzzle so usually I peek at the answers to get a number and then go on.

1 Reply

@Butrflynet,

Butrflynet wrote:

Quote:

the 3 X 3 and 4 X 4 puzzles are easy, but when you get to the 9 x 9 puzzles things get very difficult. The authors need to make the boxes larger so you can get all the possible combinations into them.

I have a friend who makes enlarged copies of them for just that purpose. See if it works for you.

Good idea. With really large boxes, the puzzles are much easier.

0 Replies

@Linkat,

Linkat wrote:

The way I do it is to find the ones that there is only two possible options, I then note in pencil what they are and use the corresponding empty spots to see if I can eliminate one of the options.

I usually like the easy to medium ones as I think too much at work and do not want to have to think too much when doing a puzzle so usually I peek at the answers to get a number and then go on.

With the NYtimes, you have to wait till the next day to get the answer. With the Globe, you just have to turn the page and you can find the answer.

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@Rockhead,

Rockhead wrote:

and guessing rarely gets you where you wanna go...

I guess pretty often and I usually get the right answer.

1 Reply

@Miller,

don't do your taxes that way...

I usually work them in pen. (grams rules)

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I play online sudoku and there I can check if something doesn't add up Wink

http://www.websudoku.com/

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I HATE SUDOKU. I HATE IT. HATE IT. I. HATE. SUDOKU.

I did the tutorial (thank you!), I went to a free site and printed up some "easy" puzzles (thank you!) I was clicking along thinking I was doing great until I just had a few boxes to fill and BAM it wouldn't fit. I couldn't even track down my mistake.

I HATE SUDOKU!

1 Reply

@boomerang,

boomerang wrote:

I HATE SUDOKU. I HATE IT. HATE IT. I. HATE. SUDOKU.

I did the tutorial (thank you!), I went to a free site and printed up some "easy" puzzles (thank you!) I was clicking along thinking I was doing great until I just had a few boxes to fill and BAM it wouldn't fit. I couldn't even track down my mistake.

I HATE SUDOKU!

Work with pencil and paper. Use an eraser if things don't work. Start over, and follow your instincts.

0 Replies

I was defeated by a 'medium' 16 block puzzle that is lying limply on my desk. On the other hand, I did a 'very hard' standard puzzle on line in 8 minutes! Huh!

Generally, with the 16 block puzzles, I begin at the top, proceed horizontally, starting with the letter A and go through each block, determining if there are missing A's. I proceed through the letters to F then do the numbers, counting down from 9. My approach is very OCD.

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I hate/love sudoku and my mother in law.

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