My problem with Sudoku is that you have to guess on higher difficulties. This is why I like Picross a lot more, no guessing at all, it’s all logical. How is Ken Ken in this regard?
You don’t have to guess with sudoku, I’ve done around 15 000 puzzles or so by now, and even the hardest have logic behind them, of course you can guess if you can’t figure out the logic, but every one of them if you get them from a quality source has no guessing, and a single solution.
Okay, so I looked it up. Apparently, you don’t need to guess in proper Sudoku, when there is only one solution, but apparently there are also many Sudoku, sometimes printed, which have more than one solution, and so you require guessing.
Also, some sites mention “guessing” as a technique, which I probably took it to mean that you have to do it.
Since I believed guessing is required, I would leave the puzzle where I got a bit stuck, assuming this is where I need to guess. I have a Sudoku book here somewhere, going to take it out and try “Sudoku solver” on the ones I stuck, to figure out the techniques I am missing.
Thanks for the comment! If I start to like Sudoku again, the blame would be all on you! 😀
Okay, so I looked it up. Apparently, you don’t need to guess in proper Sudoku, when there is only one solution
Yup, you got it :)
, but apparently there are also many Sudoku, sometimes printed, which have more than one solution, and so you require guessing.
Yeah, but only where you have come to a place where a 50-50 guess is needed, when you get used to solving good puzzles you learn how to figure it out, and there is a lot of checkers that you can run on puzzles if you’re not sure, and if you find one with multiple solutions you just evade that source.
Also There are known good sources for puzzles, ones that are proper puzzles, so the best choice is just to keep at them.
Also, some sites mention “guessing” as a technique, which I probably took it to mean that you have to do it.
Guessing is used in speedsolving, where they solve the puzzles really fast. Guessing is a valid technique in picross as well, you can just guess if a cell is filled or not, it’s exactly the same in sudoku, you just cheat yourself, and it’s a big likelihood that you made the puzzle unsolveable, personally I find it not very gratifying to guess, so I never do.
Since I believed guessing is required, I would leave the puzzle where I got a bit stuck, assuming this is where I need to guess.
Yeah, some of the techniques, like finned fishes, Alternate inference chains and 3d-Medusa and so on can get a bit involved, so if you haven’t seen them before it’s hard figure them out by yourself. I used to moderate the r/sudoku sub over at reddit, where we used to help people solve a lot of puzzles they were struggling with. But really difficult stuff like that usually aren’t in printed puzzles, they seldomly have anything more complex than an X-wing.
Thanks for such a detailed response, and the links.
I just checked and there aren’t many Sudoku communities. Only 2, and one of them has only one post, by the creator himself, asking for help on a Sudoku he is stuck on. And the second community is similar, with the creator looking for mods. Why not join one of these (or create your own, if you like), and spread the joys of Sudoku?
My problem with Sudoku is that you have to guess on higher difficulties. This is why I like Picross a lot more, no guessing at all, it’s all logical. How is Ken Ken in this regard?
You don’t have to guess with sudoku, I’ve done around 15 000 puzzles or so by now, and even the hardest have logic behind them, of course you can guess if you can’t figure out the logic, but every one of them if you get them from a quality source has no guessing, and a single solution.
Okay, so I looked it up. Apparently, you don’t need to guess in proper Sudoku, when there is only one solution, but apparently there are also many Sudoku, sometimes printed, which have more than one solution, and so you require guessing.
Also, some sites mention “guessing” as a technique, which I probably took it to mean that you have to do it.
Since I believed guessing is required, I would leave the puzzle where I got a bit stuck, assuming this is where I need to guess. I have a Sudoku book here somewhere, going to take it out and try “Sudoku solver” on the ones I stuck, to figure out the techniques I am missing.
Thanks for the comment! If I start to like Sudoku again, the blame would be all on you! 😀
Yup, you got it :)
Yeah, but only where you have come to a place where a 50-50 guess is needed, when you get used to solving good puzzles you learn how to figure it out, and there is a lot of checkers that you can run on puzzles if you’re not sure, and if you find one with multiple solutions you just evade that source.
Also There are known good sources for puzzles, ones that are proper puzzles, so the best choice is just to keep at them.
Guessing is used in speedsolving, where they solve the puzzles really fast. Guessing is a valid technique in picross as well, you can just guess if a cell is filled or not, it’s exactly the same in sudoku, you just cheat yourself, and it’s a big likelihood that you made the puzzle unsolveable, personally I find it not very gratifying to guess, so I never do.
Yeah, some of the techniques, like finned fishes, Alternate inference chains and 3d-Medusa and so on can get a bit involved, so if you haven’t seen them before it’s hard figure them out by yourself. I used to moderate the r/sudoku sub over at reddit, where we used to help people solve a lot of puzzles they were struggling with. But really difficult stuff like that usually aren’t in printed puzzles, they seldomly have anything more complex than an X-wing.
If you want to learn about techinques https://hodoku.sourceforge.net/en/techniques.php is a really good source, and hodoku is a really good solver too in case you want to learn, if you want something online there is https://sudokuwiki.com which is decent as well :)
Hah, you’re welcome, I’ve been solving for around a decade now, and it’s still fun to me, so at least there is something for it.
Thanks for such a detailed response, and the links.
I just checked and there aren’t many Sudoku communities. Only 2, and one of them has only one post, by the creator himself, asking for help on a Sudoku he is stuck on. And the second community is similar, with the creator looking for mods. Why not join one of these (or create your own, if you like), and spread the joys of Sudoku?
I don’t know, I’m currently enjoying my break, but maybe I will :) For now I’m doing random acts of sudoku if someone mentions it :)
Haha, sure. I am saving your name, going to ping you whenever someone mentions anything sudoku related 😀
In this respect is exactly like Picross, always logic involved (or mathematics in this case), never wild guessing
Ah, cool. I would look up some nice Ken Ken app.
Thanks for the recommendation!