This is my forth video here, I have started playing again, the kids are hungry, the wife is neglected, when i close my eyes I see numbers and squares. It's too late for me now, save yourselves.
All the games I love the most that also has longevity, are the games that also makes me see them when I close my eyes. Sudoku, minesweeper, antijoy, euclidea, solitair/freecell, and so on (pretty much any pattern-based game, even some first-person shooters that have such traits). So you are not alone. I usually stop playing the games when those symptoms appear, as my inability to fall asleep within half an hour unless exhausted, turns into an hour because of it. Sometimes I switch to another game. At least antijoy no longer has this issue for me, as I solved its campaign and it only rarely gets updates adding a few new levels. ps: I used to have no issues playing sudoku a lot. Probably as I didnt solve it based on patterns back when, but rather by methodically step through it. It all changed when the fire natio- When I downloaded brainums sudoku app, as it had an in-built trainer for solving by pattern, and super useful highlighting that lets you see your notes easier :/
@@feha92 I heard this is called the tetris effect, when playing a game so often wires your mind to start thinking in that sort of pattern in your everyday life. I can't tell you how many times i'll look at a keyboard and try to see where an R can fit using sudoku rules, lol.
@HowardC Yes, erasing lots of pencil marks can get messy, especially if I make a mistake. Being able to undo in the app is much easier. Corner and center marks and highlighting also make the app easy.
@@brianrichter8255 Thanks! If I use any app the puzzle is easier. I feel like I'm cheating when using an app so I use paper and pencil most of the time. I just purchased the app that these guys offer. I wonder if these competitions are app/programs or pencil and paper???
I'm an amateur solver, but anytime there's an approachable enough solution i try my hand at it. Its always interesting to see the logics that you use, Simon, especially in regards to where to look at the puzzle. It makes such a huge difference in how you solve compared to me! As an amateur, my instinct was to race at naked singles but you've shown in this video just how powerful pencil marking can be. Thank you as always!
I had this recommended to me again, and I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the solve. Took me only 8:07, and I could feel the solve just flowing from a hidden pair to a naked single, and so on. Very pleasant puzzle, thank you to both Sam and Simon!
How I beat Simon: 1. Get on the Sudoku 2. Listen to his first steps 3. Pause the video 4. Work on the puzzle 20 minutes 5. Start the video 6. I gOt ThAt BeFoRe SiMoN!!!!!!!! I'm sO sMaRt!!!!
well... 53:55 is a dreadful time, but I'm just pleased I've got to the point I can solve one of the puzzles on this channel! I didn't realise a popup saying "Looks good to me" could be so rewarding
Thanks Simon. My first proper no peeking solve in 35 mins. I was happy to see that my general approach matched yours when I watched video albeit much slower. Really enjoying these videos.
Thanks for posting this. I've gotten good a solving the medium difficulty puzzles but was hitting a plateau where I couldn't quite figure out how to get at the harder ones consistently. Videos like this, where you take on classic Sudoku rules without anything fancy really helps me work out the techniques to crack the harder ones.
Wow, I was sitting on it like 40 minutes with just 4 digits put, then started the video: "Look at the impact of these squares" so I did and solved it in like 10 minutes afterwards
2 ปีที่แล้ว +1
I am a complete novice and knowing nothing about "naked singles", it took me almost half an hour to solve it. I got stuck with 2 pairs of exact numbers in up & bottom right-hand squares. Took a bit of adjusting but it was really fun. Thank you for a very instructive and calming video.
Me: solves before watching and feels proud that it only took me twice as long as Simon Also me: watches video realising Simon probably could have solved in half the time if he wasn't having to explain his method
I managed to do it in 12 minutes and 30 seconds but I'm sure I can do it in less than 10 minutes if I spot some pairs faster. In any case, thanks a lot for your energy, your good vibes and happiness and your precious tips, I appreciate this a lot !!! Big love from France !
Discovered your channel recently and I confess I am amazed. I downloaded an app on my phone and haven't yet managed to solve a hard puzzle, only the medium ones. But with this video and your amazing web app, I somehow managed to find the willpower to solve the puzzle posted here. Took me a long while, 42 minutes to be exact, but it's the first ever hard sudoku I solved and all thanks to you. Now I'll watch the video and continue to me amazed at how easy you make them look!
Jesus christ... My doing that puzzle with full focus took 10 minutes... You are doing this while talking and explaining. I have been watching your channel for quite a while now, and I am still in awe of your skills...
I tried to solve this, 30 minutes in I thought I finally was making good progress and noticed a number I wanted to place couldn't be placed there or anywhere else in the box, so I had to clear everything and start over. I will however try again when I get home from work, Your channel has resparked my intrest for sudoku.
I like starting with what must be the “only two” options. Makes perfect sense and just boosted my abilities over the last 48 hours of watching your channel.
33:05 was my time and Simon just runs through it... haha it's just so impressive seeing him do it with ease when I had to really try! my times have gotten so much better though with watching the channel.
Hi, I have a book of cracking the crypts that belonged to my brother Jan. He passed away in 2021. Since his youth he was always busy with numbers. I found his name in the book as a supporter of your work. Nice to see you. Greetings from Amsterdam.
Thank you for this youtube channel! When I began doing sudoku puzzles as a child, I learned a little trick that I thought might help some viewers. You see that 3 and 7 in the middle row of box five? I new, once I had found the 9 in box eight's upper right hand corner, that the positions of 3 and 7, in box eight, are conditioned by two rules: a.) 3 and 7 cannot pair in squares one and two of box eight. b.) 3 and 7 can't stack in box eight's square two and square five i.e. you can't spear box five with a 3 and 7 in box eight. There are two other facts that indicate the position of the 6 in box eight. a.) The 1 in box seven forces the 1 in box eight to be in the middle or bottom row of box eight. b.) The 6 in square four of box two leaves 6 as the only number that can occupy square two in box eight. If either a 3 or a 7 had been "given information", if 3 or 7 were already printed in square one or two of box eight, then YES, 3 and 7 could pair side by side in box eight in another given puzzle. In this puzzle 3 and 7 could not pair side by side once the 9 was placed in box eight's square three! I use this trick in all sudoku puzzles that I do because it helps to find the other missing information in the puzzle. I hope this is helpful to many viewers who didn't realize this sudoku "rule of number conduct".
I have been solving "extreme" 'hard" and "very hard" puzzles from a sudoku book without the "pencil in" method, but it takes me DAYS. I will try this method (looking at rows & columns) to narrow down the solutions. Great tutorial!
31:55 for me. This was a good slap in the face to show me where I need to work on my foundations. Now time to watch the video and see where to improve.
I discovered 2 different x-wings using number 2. C-1+9 R-2+8 & C-3+8 R-3+7. I was so excited waiting to watch Simon solve the puzzle and mention x-wings. Sadly he didn’t. Nevertheless I found them and never would have had I not discovered your channel. Thank you and keep it up. Cheers
Thank you! I was using a technique someone taught me a long time ago and using your method has opened up a whole new vista to me. I am slow but learning and actually solve a hard sudoko with your help! I am still having a bit of trouble with diabolical so I'll stick with hard until I get more comfortable.
Thanks for the video. Paused the video at the beginning. Took 30 min to solve. Then watched the whole video to understand how to approach the puzzle. Thanks again....
I’ve been watching you for a while and for the first time I decided to try it out myself first and it took a little over an hour for me to complete it I think I’m about to get addicted😅
Would you be interested in solving a hard ("extreme", "competition", or whatever else Sudoku apps call their hardest difficulties) computer generated Sudoku?I find I have a much bigger problem with those than these logically hand built ones. These I can solve, even if it might take an hour, but some of the app ones (during breaks at work, for example) I can't make any progress. It kind of feels like I'm getting stuck in pretty much the same place on most of the generated ones.Though I did see one or two that are genuinely unsolvable, actually starting with contradicting givens. I understand if that's not your thing, though.
I hit the "like button", but actually, I love this puzzle. Cracking the Cryptic, just amazing how many viewers you have, just amazing. If Peter Robinson (Uncommon Knowledge) and Simon Anthony put their minds together, they could solve all the worlds problems,
I'm basically new to Sudoku. Can I clarify the notation with the corner or centre numbers. I first notice this at 5:31 when you add the 4 and 5 to the squares that had 9. When the numbers are in the centre do they represent only possibilities for a single cell, but when they are in the corner they are the only location of a number in a 3x3 block? Thank you
37:02 for me. Stumbled a couple times along the way, but this was a very satisfying solve. Looking forward to seeing how it gets broke in the video now. I noticed the 3/7 pair in the central box and quickly found the 8/9 pair in box 4. Also found a naked single 9 in box 9, helped me place other digits about midway through the solve. Not sure if that was required for the solve or not, it stuck out to me though.
I just wrote to Simon and Mark just the other day and requested exactly this very thing. Now I understand that finding an X-wing is possible even when it is not specifically pencil marked. It really is as simple as finding the same number limited to two locations in two different rows or columns and when you get stuck, you might as well go looking to see if that's true anywhere. This was my first relatively easy solve. Thanks, Simon! You and Mark are great!! Also watched an older video about pincers and pivots today. That's going to come in handy.
This is a fantastic example of a puzzle that requires good logic but no completely complex techniques to solve, perfect for someone like me who hasn't grasped all that yet
It took me 1 hour 1 min 29 seconds and you can do this in 10 minutes 😂 That's so impressive! Edit: Now that I am watching the video I immidiately see why you are so much faster!
I just stumbled upon this channel. I do enjoy solving sudokus and just recently been able to crack the harder ones, although not particularly fast. I solved this one in 35 minutes. You taught me something new about the grid. I had no idea it meant something!
So i am trying to up my sudoko game by learning new ways to approach them. Your videos are helpful as you attack them completely different than me. It has been refreshing to learn new ways to approach. So thank you.
I came here looking to improve (as an amateur), I tried the puzzle before watching and solved it in 9 minutes which I guess is a good sign. I've already been doing most of the techniques in this video intuitively, but the naked single in the bottom right corner was an eye opener for me, I never thought of looking at rows of 4 digits like that.
First sudoku video I've watched and I was pleasantly surprised how much quicker I solved it than I suspected. Thank you for sharing some interesting techniques
It never fails. I follow along, then it gets to a part where I pause the video and confidently go off on my own, only to eventually realize I made a mistake somewhere. Grr.
I tried doing it by following your explanation while pausing and rewinding parts as I can so that my train of thought could follow yours. It took me 31mins and 51s. 😂 Not as good, but pretty neat for a beginner like me, thanks a lot!
From possible combinations (all cells with possible values shown) - my best time for an extreme Sudoku is still 69 seconds and my top ten time is 88 seconds - still trying to beat 60 seconds. I consider any time under 2 minutes 20 seconds average to good and anything under 80 seconds quite fast. I don't generally play hard sudokus because I find them too easy - once you have the 36 or so solve routines down you generally only have about 20 routines you need to stick with. Thing is with practice you can get really, really fast. It is rare - maybe one puzzle in a hundred or more that takes me 10 - 30 minutes to solve - because on those I learn something new as I encounter a new tactic to use. Must say I love them - often do them on the bus going home and try and get five to ten or so done on the trip - depending on how jerky the ride is over a 35 minute trip!
@@aldriannatawijaya6737 has to be simple practice and very, very fast pattern recognition and every now and then a puzzle just collapses and each cell found points to the next. Remember I start my times from possibles revealed - so to reveal all possibilities for all cells generally would take someone 4-5 minutes - but there is practically no skill involved - so I just remove that and start from a pattern with say 27 known cells and 54 cells with 2-7 choices in each. I typically look at cells and start solving around the digits that have the highest occurrence then progress down to the digits with 3, 2, 1, or 0 cells presenting. Then I do a quick parse across all digits looking for patterns. Sometimes the hard deciphering algorithms aquire the pattern quicker - it just out - like in seconds, sometimes I miss a simple pattern and it might take 2-3 minutes to spot the obvious elimination - but that is almost I missed a simple clue on the first 3-4 passes (human error). About 1 time in 70 I might botch the pattern if the glass screen on my smart phone doesn't play nice - but generally if you are around 2 mins 20 seconds you know sooner or later you will do a real fast time - and when you start to go well under 90 seconds its a real buzz! If I could ever go sub 60 seconds I think I would retire - game conquered - but that might take a long time and require a freaky perfect game to come along!
I've been watching the newer videos and I get a little in over my head on some of the very difficult puzzles. So coming back to a classic sudoku and being able to complete it in 9:29 felt super exciting for me! It was very fun 😊
I got about 22 minutes, either is a record, or it's how good I'm actually at sudoku and I've been making my own life harder by starting with additional rules. 13 minutes with Simon's techniques, thanks. I'm still not good at spotting 3 numbers looking at a box, nor pencil marking.
Yay, I did it in 20 minutes without watching the video at all. There were a couple of times when I thought that I would have to refer to the video in order to keep going, but I ended up managing by myself.
I like to do classic puzzles without pencil marks if I can, adding some memory exercise into my puzzle solving. If I get absolutely stuck I can of course use pencil marks and see if there was something obvious I overlooked... but I'm hoping to find a couple of new logic tricks to add to my bag to try. That first numberphile video taught me a couple of new tricks to try, so thanks for that.
After watching this video and being stuck on my first hard puzzle in my book, I realized I’ll just go back and practice on medium for awhile lol This is more complex than I thought when you get to the difficult range of puzzles.
When I first did this puzzle, it took about an this and this was just after this video was released. I saw it again and decided to do it again. Now, I barely remember do this puzzle, but none of the details, so it was almost like the first time. It only took me twenty minutes. And as I watched the video just after doing the puzzle, I saw something which I need to do, but I don't. Simon didn't going through each digit doing the Snyder notation, he looked at the whole puzzle and looked for where a pair of digits have to occupy. I'm still doing the former as a routine at the start of each puzzle, but if Simon does it differently, I figure I've got to look into it and try it out. If I had done the puzzle his way, I could have knocked two or three minutes off. Mark and Simon are really decent men...for being British. Hey, I'm a Florida man and my sons, none of which live here any more, totally hassle me about that. Even my three surrogate daughters do it.
First sub 30 puzzle! (At least in the ‘hard’ category) and I only needed the opening hint for the first time! Thanks for the way you teach these puzzle and for your evident passion for the hobby.
I'm learning some new techniques now, and I'd like to ask: At 9:19, is it safe to use unique rectangle to place a 6 in R7C5? And another question: is unique rectangle safe to use in general, that is, is it always safe to assume that the original board will produce a unique solution?
Started following this channel recently and love it, can solve about half the NY times expert puzzles I do but still don't understand the logic behind that right corner 9
Prior to putting in the 9 in the R9/C9 he mentions how, "mismatched" the R9 & C9, are. There is only a 9 that can go in that spot. He works so fast that it's very hard for me to follow. I'm only starting this "hobby" but I did catch that. I feel he does a very good job of explaining except he does so speaking quickly so I generally have to go back several times to pick up the tips.
Finished it in exactly 12:06 Was really impressed with myself, Then when I started watching the video, I realised I had done it couple weeks ago or so...
I ve only opened those videos to get to the puzzles, but now that I got to watch it to see your approach I noticed you use the corner and center marks the same way as I do hehe
Great video and puzzle. I took a slightly different direction, but I was able to find numbers by going through columns and rows after taking a look at the structure of the puzzle, learned that from you and Mark. As I filled in numbers the puzzle seemed to create naked singles all over the place. What fun. Gene
I started doing sudokus about 5 months ago. I've gotten pretty good. I call it a "key" when you have only one obvious choice. Can a puzzle every get to a point where there isn't a "key", and you have to make and visualize a choice result several moves ahead to see if it works or not. I've had a few of these. This type of puzzle seems to make it truly "diabolical".
I reattempted this puzzle using Simon's free flow focus and I have to admit that I'm not very good at it. I started out well enough, but I soon formed a 14 cell in R3,C4 that I wound up using to break the puzzle, as I eventually had a 1 and 4 on either side of it. I won't let this stop me from learning this technique, but it's clear that my slower, more methodical technique of running through the numbers one at a time disallows room for more error.
Interesting how the mind works, Simon took a few minutes to see the 9 in the bottom right corner that was there for all to see from the get go! I profess that time shouldn't be a consideration. If you solve the puzzle, kudos to you.
Another great puzzle by Sam. The ones in the classic app from him have been excellent (I especially love the final puzzle, a work of art to solve), and this is no different. 8:09 to solve, and a great flow from one number/pair to the next.
I thought I had it at just under 20 min, but when I checked there was a mistake! I had to go back to the video with the timer still running. Most of what I did matched yours, but not in the same order. I don't know exactly when my mistake happened, but I ended up pausing the vid to finish at 34:41. I was pretty proud that I made it as far as I did. I tend to make mistakes only when I don't look carefully enough at the squares that interact and end up jumping to conclusions that should have been obviously wrong.
Your videos have been getting me back into sudoku in the last couple months. Discovered a few nice variants as well! But how do I keep hitting a freeze point about 1/3-1/2 the way through some of the more difficult ones! Any pointers for finding/learning the hidden trick?
Managed to finish this one in 17:18, my fastest solve yet for a puzzle from this channel! I'm certain now that it's somehow easier for me to solve puzzles that are *fun* like this as opposed to theoretically equal difficulty puzzles that are generated with generic computer software.
At 3:13 why he puts 89 only in the two boxes as a note. For instance one more 8 could go on the top right of the 3X3 grid and one extra 9 could go on the right bottom of that 3X3 grid...
I like these types of sudokus because they are challenging enough to get you thinking but free form enough that there are multiple answers. I solved this a completely different way (albeit much more slowly).
My first suduko ever; pritty simpel really once you get the jisst of it; The video could be a bit faster; Had to set the speed to 4 in order not to fall asleep; More then that; it was quit fun for a beginners video. Very nice how it was dumbed down so that anyone can follow.
never mind just saw the 2 in the middle group that blocks that row's 2 from being in the top middle of the bottom middle group (forced to be a 6 then to complete the row it needs the 2)
I haven’t been playing sudoku all that long, so within the first two minutes when he was saying “we know that such and such a number goes here…”, I was like “we do I certainly don’t.” LOL. I guess I have a long way to go before I can learn from his methods.
this is the first time i actually try and solve a sudoku before watching the video andit was so nice to see my thought process was the same as his at least up until half the puzzle, made me feel good about myself even tho it took me double the time
This is my forth video here, I have started playing again, the kids are hungry, the wife is neglected, when i close my eyes I see numbers and squares. It's too late for me now, save yourselves.
They have two games on steam too, there is no escape :D
I only read your comment after solving this one... the is no hope now.
Bit too late for me as well, I think...... :D
All the games I love the most that also has longevity, are the games that also makes me see them when I close my eyes. Sudoku, minesweeper, antijoy, euclidea, solitair/freecell, and so on (pretty much any pattern-based game, even some first-person shooters that have such traits). So you are not alone.
I usually stop playing the games when those symptoms appear, as my inability to fall asleep within half an hour unless exhausted, turns into an hour because of it. Sometimes I switch to another game. At least antijoy no longer has this issue for me, as I solved its campaign and it only rarely gets updates adding a few new levels.
ps: I used to have no issues playing sudoku a lot. Probably as I didnt solve it based on patterns back when, but rather by methodically step through it. It all changed when the fire natio- When I downloaded brainums sudoku app, as it had an in-built trainer for solving by pattern, and super useful highlighting that lets you see your notes easier :/
@@feha92 I heard this is called the tetris effect, when playing a game so often wires your mind to start thinking in that sort of pattern in your everyday life. I can't tell you how many times i'll look at a keyboard and try to see where an R can fit using sudoku rules, lol.
This was fun, it took me just about 20 minutes. I consider it a victory whenever I solve it in less than twice the length of the video.
Do you use an app or pen/pencil and paper?
I use their web app. I did use pencil and paper before they created the web app.
@@brianrichter8255 Thanks. Do you find using the app easier for solving sudoku?
@HowardC Yes, erasing lots of pencil marks can get messy, especially if I make a mistake. Being able to undo in the app is much easier. Corner and center marks and highlighting also make the app easy.
@@brianrichter8255 Thanks!
If I use any app the puzzle is easier. I feel like I'm cheating when using an app so I use paper and pencil most of the time. I just purchased the app that these guys offer.
I wonder if these competitions are app/programs or pencil and paper???
"Which is a racy name for something far more prosaic"
Idk about you but I'm here for the vocabulary
Mark Mays same
Exactly! 😁
Undoubtedly
This had me ROFLing
Hahahaha
I've just tried this sudoku and it took me 1 hour 31 minutes! Really proud, even though the time is incredibly slow.
Took me about the same time. It's quite fun.
45 in r5, 45in c3, 37 in r5, 37 in c4, 89 in b4, 24 in c1. The puzzle almost done, before a first big digit. :)
17:14, pretty proud of myself. I've learned a lot from these videas
Do you use any pencil?
No fancy techniques needed, love how the solve just seemed to flow. Great classic sudoku
This was actually my first sudoku I was able to solve from this channel, so proud. Even tho my time was 37:30 I am improving :)
Me too, got it on 30:31
good job to both of you. it took me a lot longer than that.
40:24 for me, you're doing good mate! ;)
@@manuakasam Lol i got that exact time too! 40:24.
40:48!
I'm an amateur solver, but anytime there's an approachable enough solution i try my hand at it. Its always interesting to see the logics that you use, Simon, especially in regards to where to look at the puzzle. It makes such a huge difference in how you solve compared to me! As an amateur, my instinct was to race at naked singles but you've shown in this video just how powerful pencil marking can be. Thank you as always!
*Fills in 41 of 57 empty squares*
“I think we might have cracked the puzzle.”
I had this recommended to me again, and I was pleasantly surprised when I tried the solve. Took me only 8:07, and I could feel the solve just flowing from a hidden pair to a naked single, and so on. Very pleasant puzzle, thank you to both Sam and Simon!
How I beat Simon:
1. Get on the Sudoku
2. Listen to his first steps
3. Pause the video
4. Work on the puzzle 20 minutes
5. Start the video
6. I gOt ThAt BeFoRe SiMoN!!!!!!!! I'm sO sMaRt!!!!
How to begging for likes
Nobody is begging you filthy dog
well... 53:55 is a dreadful time, but I'm just pleased I've got to the point I can solve one of the puzzles on this channel! I didn't realise a popup saying "Looks good to me" could be so rewarding
I completed Sudoku in 14 minutes professional level
Thanks Simon. My first proper no peeking solve in 35 mins. I was happy to see that my general approach matched yours when I watched video albeit much slower. Really enjoying these videos.
Thanks for posting this. I've gotten good a solving the medium difficulty puzzles but was hitting a plateau where I couldn't quite figure out how to get at the harder ones consistently. Videos like this, where you take on classic Sudoku rules without anything fancy really helps me work out the techniques to crack the harder ones.
Can you say more? I too have mastered medium levels but struggle with difficult levels.
Oh dear, I'm new to Sudoku and right now it's all double Dutch. I hope to get better one day 🙏🙏🙏🇦🇺❤
Wow, I was sitting on it like 40 minutes with just 4 digits put, then started the video: "Look at the impact of these squares" so I did and solved it in like 10 minutes afterwards
I am a complete novice and knowing nothing about "naked singles", it took me almost half an hour to solve it. I got stuck with 2 pairs of exact numbers in up & bottom right-hand squares. Took a bit of adjusting but it was really fun. Thank you for a very instructive and calming video.
This was the second sudoku I was able to solve from this channel. It didn't take any advanced techniques, but it still makes me proud :)
Me: solves before watching and feels proud that it only took me twice as long as Simon
Also me: watches video realising Simon probably could have solved in half the time if he wasn't having to explain his method
Probably more like a 3rd or a quarter of the time.
My firts time trying one of his puzzles and it took me an hour lmao (without watching first)
I tried solving this as fast as I could, and I got a time of 11:21! It was an enjoyable puzzle to speedsolve, lots and lots of pairs and triples!
I managed to do it in 12 minutes and 30 seconds but I'm sure I can do it in less than 10 minutes if I spot some pairs faster.
In any case, thanks a lot for your energy, your good vibes and happiness and your precious tips, I appreciate this a lot !!!
Big love from France !
Discovered your channel recently and I confess I am amazed. I downloaded an app on my phone and haven't yet managed to solve a hard puzzle, only the medium ones. But with this video and your amazing web app, I somehow managed to find the willpower to solve the puzzle posted here. Took me a long while, 42 minutes to be exact, but it's the first ever hard sudoku I solved and all thanks to you. Now I'll watch the video and continue to me amazed at how easy you make them look!
Jesus christ... My doing that puzzle with full focus took 10 minutes... You are doing this while talking and explaining. I have been watching your channel for quite a while now, and I am still in awe of your skills...
LOL @ “It’s called a ‘naked single.’ It’s a racy name for something far more prosaic.”
I tried to solve this, 30 minutes in I thought I finally was making good progress and noticed a number I wanted to place couldn't be placed there or anywhere else in the box, so I had to clear everything and start over. I will however try again when I get home from work, Your channel has resparked my intrest for sudoku.
I like starting with what must be the “only two” options. Makes perfect sense and just boosted my abilities over the last 48 hours of watching your channel.
33:05 was my time and Simon just runs through it... haha it's just so impressive seeing him do it with ease when I had to really try! my times have gotten so much better though with watching the channel.
Hi, I have a book of cracking the crypts that belonged to my brother Jan. He passed away in 2021. Since his youth he was always busy with numbers. I found his name in the book as a supporter of your work. Nice to see you. Greetings from Amsterdam.
Thank you for this youtube channel! When I began doing sudoku puzzles as a child, I learned a little trick that I thought might help some viewers. You see that 3 and 7 in the middle row of box five? I new, once I had found the 9 in box eight's upper right hand corner, that the positions of 3 and 7, in box eight, are conditioned by two rules: a.) 3 and 7 cannot pair in squares one and two of box eight. b.) 3 and 7 can't stack in box eight's square two and square five i.e. you can't spear box five with a 3 and 7 in box eight. There are two other facts that indicate the position of the 6 in box eight. a.) The 1 in box seven forces the 1 in box eight to be in the middle or bottom row of box eight. b.) The 6 in square four of box two leaves 6 as the only number that can occupy square two in box eight. If either a 3 or a 7 had been "given information", if 3 or 7 were already printed in square one or two of box eight, then YES, 3 and 7 could pair side by side in box eight in another given puzzle. In this puzzle 3 and 7 could not pair side by side once the 9 was placed in box eight's square three! I use this trick in all sudoku puzzles that I do because it helps to find the other missing information in the puzzle. I hope this is helpful to many viewers who didn't realize this sudoku "rule of number conduct".
I have been solving "extreme" 'hard" and "very hard" puzzles from a sudoku book without the "pencil in" method, but it takes me DAYS. I will try this method (looking at rows & columns) to narrow down the solutions. Great tutorial!
Wish someone could explain it to me. 😢❤
I'm very proud of myself! It's the first sudoku from this channel that I did on my own. My time was 33:44.
It's weird to go back in time and watch you solve a straight Sudoku. Really impressive!
I'm very happy, I decided to pause the video at the beginning and try it myself. It took me 10:04.
31:55 for me. This was a good slap in the face to show me where I need to work on my foundations. Now time to watch the video and see where to improve.
I discovered 2 different x-wings using number 2.
C-1+9 R-2+8 & C-3+8 R-3+7. I was so excited waiting to watch Simon solve the puzzle and mention x-wings. Sadly he didn’t. Nevertheless I found them and never would have had I not discovered your channel. Thank you and keep it up.
Cheers
Thank you! I was using a technique someone taught me a long time ago and using your method has opened up a whole new vista to me. I am slow but learning and actually solve a hard sudoko with your help! I am still having a bit of trouble with diabolical so I'll stick with hard until I get more comfortable.
Thanks for the video. Paused the video at the beginning. Took 30 min to solve. Then watched the whole video to understand how to approach the puzzle. Thanks again....
I’ve been watching you for a while and for the first time I decided to try it out myself first and it took a little over an hour for me to complete it
I think I’m about to get addicted😅
Would you be interested in solving a hard ("extreme", "competition", or whatever else Sudoku apps call their hardest difficulties) computer generated Sudoku?I find I have a much bigger problem with those than these logically hand built ones. These I can solve, even if it might take an hour, but some of the app ones (during breaks at work, for example) I can't make any progress.
It kind of feels like I'm getting stuck in pretty much the same place on most of the generated ones.Though I did see one or two that are genuinely unsolvable, actually starting with contradicting givens.
I understand if that's not your thing, though.
Usually if a puzzle requires brute force it means it's not a good puzzle, automatically generated ones might have that peoblem
I hit the "like button", but actually, I love this puzzle. Cracking the Cryptic, just amazing how many viewers you have, just amazing. If Peter Robinson (Uncommon Knowledge) and Simon Anthony put their minds together, they could solve all the worlds problems,
I'm basically new to Sudoku. Can I clarify the notation with the corner or centre numbers. I first notice this at 5:31 when you add the 4 and 5 to the squares that had 9. When the numbers are in the centre do they represent only possibilities for a single cell, but when they are in the corner they are the only location of a number in a 3x3 block? Thank you
37:02 for me. Stumbled a couple times along the way, but this was a very satisfying solve. Looking forward to seeing how it gets broke in the video now. I noticed the 3/7 pair in the central box and quickly found the 8/9 pair in box 4. Also found a naked single 9 in box 9, helped me place other digits about midway through the solve. Not sure if that was required for the solve or not, it stuck out to me though.
I just wrote to Simon and Mark just the other day and requested exactly this very thing. Now I understand that finding an X-wing is possible even when it is not specifically pencil marked. It really is as simple as finding the same number limited to two locations in two different rows or columns and when you get stuck, you might as well go looking to see if that's true anywhere. This was my first relatively easy solve. Thanks, Simon! You and Mark are great!! Also watched an older video about pincers and pivots today. That's going to come in handy.
This is a fantastic example of a puzzle that requires good logic but no completely complex techniques to solve, perfect for someone like me who hasn't grasped all that yet
My time was 14:38, which is fantastic for me. Definitely upping my pattern recognition game thanks to watching Simon for the last few months.
Mind blowing. I was using mediocre methods and would give up after 35 min of little progress. Now I take 20-30 min completing expert level!
"No finned swordfishes or... franken-x-wings..." All right, I'll bite - what's a franken-x-wing? :D
It’s similar to an x-wing, but instead of row and column creating the constraints, it’s row/column and square.
It took me 1 hour 1 min 29 seconds
and you can do this in 10 minutes 😂 That's so impressive!
Edit: Now that I am watching the video I immidiately see why you are so much faster!
I just stumbled upon this channel. I do enjoy solving sudokus and just recently been able to crack the harder ones, although not particularly fast. I solved this one in 35 minutes. You taught me something new about the grid. I had no idea it meant something!
So i am trying to up my sudoko game by learning new ways to approach them. Your videos are helpful as you attack them completely different than me. It has been refreshing to learn new ways to approach. So thank you.
I came here looking to improve (as an amateur), I tried the puzzle before watching and solved it in 9 minutes which I guess is a good sign. I've already been doing most of the techniques in this video intuitively, but the naked single in the bottom right corner was an eye opener for me, I never thought of looking at rows of 4 digits like that.
First sudoku video I've watched and I was pleasantly surprised how much quicker I solved it than I suspected.
Thank you for sharing some interesting techniques
It never fails. I follow along, then it gets to a part where I pause the video and confidently go off on my own, only to eventually realize I made a mistake somewhere. Grr.
first video I've ever watched of yours! it took a minute for me to understand the website, but I solved the puzzle in just under 9 minutes!
I tried doing it by following your explanation while pausing and rewinding parts as I can so that my train of thought could follow yours. It took me 31mins and 51s. 😂 Not as good, but pretty neat for a beginner like me, thanks a lot!
I constantly do expert sudoku puzzles in 5-8 minutes every morning.....it gets the computer working well for rest of each day!
I've never been interested in Sudokus and yet I can't stop coming back.
From possible combinations (all cells with possible values shown) - my best time for an extreme Sudoku is still 69 seconds and my top ten time is 88 seconds - still trying to beat 60 seconds. I consider any time under 2 minutes 20 seconds average to good and anything under 80 seconds quite fast. I don't generally play hard sudokus because I find them too easy - once you have the 36 or so solve routines down you generally only have about 20 routines you need to stick with. Thing is with practice you can get really, really fast. It is rare - maybe one puzzle in a hundred or more that takes me 10 - 30 minutes to solve - because on those I learn something new as I encounter a new tactic to use. Must say I love them - often do them on the bus going home and try and get five to ten or so done on the trip - depending on how jerky the ride is over a 35 minute trip!
how did you do that
@@aldriannatawijaya6737 has to be simple practice and very, very fast pattern recognition and every now and then a puzzle just collapses and each cell found points to the next. Remember I start my times from possibles revealed - so to reveal all possibilities for all cells generally would take someone 4-5 minutes - but there is practically no skill involved - so I just remove that and start from a pattern with say 27 known cells and 54 cells with 2-7 choices in each. I typically look at cells and start solving around the digits that have the highest occurrence then progress down to the digits with 3, 2, 1, or 0 cells presenting. Then I do a quick parse across all digits looking for patterns. Sometimes the hard deciphering algorithms aquire the pattern quicker - it just out - like in seconds, sometimes I miss a simple pattern and it might take 2-3 minutes to spot the obvious elimination - but that is almost I missed a simple clue on the first 3-4 passes (human error). About 1 time in 70 I might botch the pattern if the glass screen on my smart phone doesn't play nice - but generally if you are around 2 mins 20 seconds you know sooner or later you will do a real fast time - and when you start to go well under 90 seconds its a real buzz! If I could ever go sub 60 seconds I think I would retire - game conquered - but that might take a long time and require a freaky perfect game to come along!
I've been watching the newer videos and I get a little in over my head on some of the very difficult puzzles. So coming back to a classic sudoku and being able to complete it in 9:29 felt super exciting for me! It was very fun 😊
11 minutes 31 seconds with no hints from the video, my best ever on a puzzle from this channel.
That's a fun puzzle! Using what I learned (and retained) from previous Cryptic videos I got it in 14 minutes. Thank you Cryptic!
I'm so glad I found you - I just started my channel. This is so fancy! I just video my Sudoku book. lol and I avoid doing dishes.
Revisited this puzzle, and took me 9:36 this time. Have certainly improved because of this channel.
"He might be doing it slower than others" he says. My jaw hangs open as I try to keep up with what he is doing :O
I got about 22 minutes, either is a record, or it's how good I'm actually at sudoku and I've been making my own life harder by starting with additional rules.
13 minutes with Simon's techniques, thanks. I'm still not good at spotting 3 numbers looking at a box, nor pencil marking.
I solved this one under 8mins. Feeling accomplished 🙌 Loving all your advanced level videos on it 👌
Your brain is so sharp
Yay, I did it in 20 minutes without watching the video at all. There were a couple of times when I thought that I would have to refer to the video in order to keep going, but I ended up managing by myself.
I like to do classic puzzles without pencil marks if I can, adding some memory exercise into my puzzle solving. If I get absolutely stuck I can of course use pencil marks and see if there was something obvious I overlooked... but I'm hoping to find a couple of new logic tricks to add to my bag to try. That first numberphile video taught me a couple of new tricks to try, so thanks for that.
"How To Do Hard Sudokus In 10 Minutes"
I guess if this was a 'Friends' episode, it'd be 'The One with the Brain Transplant'.
After watching this video and being stuck on my first hard puzzle in my book, I realized I’ll just go back and practice on medium for awhile lol This is more complex than I thought when you get to the difficult range of puzzles.
When I first did this puzzle, it took about an this and this was just after this video was released. I saw it again and decided to do it again. Now, I barely remember do this puzzle, but none of the details, so it was almost like the first time. It only took me twenty minutes. And as I watched the video just after doing the puzzle, I saw something which I need to do, but I don't. Simon didn't going through each digit doing the Snyder notation, he looked at the whole puzzle and looked for where a pair of digits have to occupy. I'm still doing the former as a routine at the start of each puzzle, but if Simon does it differently, I figure I've got to look into it and try it out. If I had done the puzzle his way, I could have knocked two or three minutes off. Mark and Simon are really decent men...for being British. Hey, I'm a Florida man and my sons, none of which live here any more, totally hassle me about that. Even my three surrogate daughters do it.
First sub 30 puzzle! (At least in the ‘hard’ category) and I only needed the opening hint for the first time! Thanks for the way you teach these puzzle and for your evident passion for the hobby.
This puzzle took me just under 50 minutes. You are ridiculously good at puzzles :o
I'm learning some new techniques now, and I'd like to ask:
At 9:19, is it safe to use unique rectangle to place a 6 in R7C5?
And another question: is unique rectangle safe to use in general, that is, is it always safe to assume that the original board will produce a unique solution?
Started following this channel recently and love it, can solve about half the NY times expert puzzles I do but still don't understand the logic behind that right corner 9
Prior to putting in the 9 in the R9/C9 he mentions how, "mismatched" the R9 & C9, are. There is only a 9 that can go in that spot. He works so fast that it's very hard for me to follow. I'm only starting this "hobby" but I did catch that. I feel he does a very good job of explaining except he does so speaking quickly so I generally have to go back several times to pick up the tips.
Finished it in exactly 12:06
Was really impressed with myself,
Then when I started watching the video, I realised I had done it couple weeks ago or so...
I ve only opened those videos to get to the puzzles, but now that I got to watch it to see your approach I noticed you use the corner and center marks the same way as I do hehe
Great video and puzzle. I took a slightly different direction, but I was able to find numbers by going through columns and rows after taking a look at the structure of the puzzle, learned that from you and Mark. As I filled in numbers the puzzle seemed to create naked singles all over the place. What fun.
Gene
I started doing sudokus about 5 months ago. I've gotten pretty good. I call it a "key" when you have only one obvious choice. Can a puzzle every get to a point where there isn't a "key", and you have to make and visualize a choice result several moves ahead to see if it works or not. I've had a few of these. This type of puzzle seems to make it truly "diabolical".
I reattempted this puzzle using Simon's free flow focus and I have to admit that I'm not very good at it. I started out well enough, but I soon formed a 14 cell in R3,C4 that I wound up using to break the puzzle, as I eventually had a 1 and 4 on either side of it. I won't let this stop me from learning this technique, but it's clear that my slower, more methodical technique of running through the numbers one at a time disallows room for more error.
I love your videos sometimes to actually watch and other times to fall asleep to... your voice is so soothing
I am watching a lot of yours videos and now I learn how to solve harder sudokus. Thanks. :-)
Not sure whether I've gotten better recently, but this one is a
such a wholesome, I needed to watch it twice to understand it better.
I liked that corner-technique, haven't though about that before :)
Interesting how the mind works, Simon took a few minutes to see the 9 in the bottom right corner that was there for all to see from the get go! I profess that time shouldn't be a consideration. If you solve the puzzle, kudos to you.
Another great puzzle by Sam. The ones in the classic app from him have been excellent (I especially love the final puzzle, a work of art to solve), and this is no different. 8:09 to solve, and a great flow from one number/pair to the next.
I thought I had it at just under 20 min, but when I checked there was a mistake! I had to go back to the video with the timer still running. Most of what I did matched yours, but not in the same order. I don't know exactly when my mistake happened, but I ended up pausing the vid to finish at 34:41. I was pretty proud that I made it as far as I did. I tend to make mistakes only when I don't look carefully enough at the squares that interact and end up jumping to conclusions that should have been obviously wrong.
at 3:21
37 in row 4 , 6 and column 6 give a 37 pair in row 5.
also 246 in row 9 and column 7 give a 246 triple in box 9.
Your videos have been getting me back into sudoku in the last couple months. Discovered a few nice variants as well!
But how do I keep hitting a freeze point about 1/3-1/2 the way through some of the more difficult ones!
Any pointers for finding/learning the hidden trick?
Managed to finish this one in 17:18, my fastest solve yet for a puzzle from this channel! I'm certain now that it's somehow easier for me to solve puzzles that are *fun* like this as opposed to theoretically equal difficulty puzzles that are generated with generic computer software.
This took me 8:24. Probably the only puzzle on this channel where it didn't take me at least twice as long as Simon to finish.
At 3:13 why he puts 89 only in the two boxes as a note. For instance one more 8 could go on the top right of the 3X3 grid and one extra 9 could go on the right bottom of that 3X3 grid...
I like these types of sudokus because they are challenging enough to get you thinking but free form enough that there are multiple answers. I solved this a completely different way (albeit much more slowly).
I watched your video today and it totally works. Thanks for the tips
My first suduko ever; pritty simpel really once you get the jisst of it; The video could be a bit faster; Had to set the speed to 4 in order not to fall asleep; More then that; it was quit fun for a beginners video. Very nice how it was dumbed down so that anyone can follow.
in the video at 10:22 how can that square in the bottom left group top right be a 2 if the middle left could also be a 2?
never mind just saw the 2 in the middle group that blocks that row's 2 from being in the top middle of the bottom middle group (forced to be a 6 then to complete the row it needs the 2)
22 minutes I need to follow the logic through. It’s funny that the ones I always point out watching Simon I never see when solving myself😂😂😂
I’m happy I did the puzzle before I watched this. He confused the heck out of me the way he does it.. only took me 8min to finish it!
I haven’t been playing sudoku all that long, so within the first two minutes when he was saying “we know that such and such a number goes here…”, I was like “we do I certainly don’t.” LOL. I guess I have a long way to go before I can learn from his methods.
You go a little fast for me (I'm in my 80s) but I'm sure after watching it a few times I'll pick up some valuable tips. Thanks for sharing.
this is the first time i actually try and solve a sudoku before watching the video andit was so nice to see my thought process was the same as his at least up until half the puzzle, made me feel good about myself even tho it took me double the time