Sudoku - Naked Pair
Frustration and Relief»
Let’s start with the relief, because that came after I now ‘officially’ know this strategy, and so here is my attempt to explain it, although a quick search has revealed that others have already tried to do so.
The way I came up with it is interesting. I like to solve Sudoku puzzles from time to time, and I find it more fun to do so on a real paper pad than digitally on my smartphone. But now all four other members of my family have joined in, so we’ve been buying more and more Sudoku pads, but I didn’t really have my own. I changed that on one of our last trips and bought a pad with three levels of difficulty.
Scribbling»
I like to challenge myself to solve the puzzle without making any notes in the fields or in the margins, i.e. only entering newly discovered numbers. Alternatively, you can scribble numbers in small letters in the fields or on the lines between adjacent fields, according to the principle that a certain number can only be here and not elsewhere. I am usually sparing with this too and, if I do write anything, I only enter a few of these possibilities.
In apps, on the other hand, you can enter which numbers you think are still possible for each field. Then it can happen that you only have one possible number left in a field and you enter it in large letters. But even this strategy doesn’t feel right and almost seems like cheating.
Strategies»
I much prefer to keep it all in my head. And even if I don’t know the names of the strategies, there are certain things you try again and again. If the number X can only be in the top row, which column can it be in? Or if this square already contains all the numbers except X, Y and Z, where can Z possibly be? The same applies to columns and rows. I’m sure you know what I mean.
And now I was actually very successful in solving other blocks, even in the most difficult category. But now, with a new block, I’m having such problems with the first puzzle of the medium difficulty level? I can’t get any further and can’t find another number, frustrating.
Find another number»
So I couldn’t find a number and so I did what one is doing these days. I asked the AI to give me a hint but just so that I can find the next number all by myself. It took quite a longs time, almost 5 minutes and I had to ask again several times, because the strategies werde just so stupid, one being to put all possible numbers everywhere, just like I said before one can do in a smartphone sudoku app.
So I started to ask for a simpler approach and concrete steps to do and at some point it gave me the answer and this strategy, new to me at least. And it turns out when stuck on a sudoku puzzle again, I can check for this, a Naked Pair.
At a glance»
Here you can see the puzzle and the steps to the next number.
Select the step you want to visualize:
- the puzzle.
- Find as you can.
- Identify two lines missing just a pair of numbers, the actually.
- And if two of the missing fields are , you might be lucky.
- Because you can now from every other missing field.
I would bet now you find that single number you can add to your puzzles solution. And maybe you can even do these steps just in your head without any scribbling to your margins, now that you know.
“They” called that the Naked pair - strategy.
Happy puzzling!
take aways»
After putting this demo together, I think doing some Sudoku puzzle with Svelte can be fun and painful at the same time, so I won’t do another Sudoku. ;)
Putting together this post was not as easy as I imagined in the beginning. But blogging about one of the things I do in my leisure time is a fit for me. If you did enjoy this post as well, I am happy, else I don’t care.