Sudoku is sweeping the nation.
That's what the special display by the door of Barnes & Noble said yesterday. Well, it's been in Japan since 1986, but Sudoku is only now reaching popularity in other countries. It uses numbers for convenience, but there is no math involved. The Wikipedia article includes strategies for solving.
The word Sudoku means "single number in an alloted place" in Japanese. The numerals in Sudoku puzzles are used for convenience; arithmetic relationships between numerals are absolutely irrelevant. Any set of distinct symbols will do; letters, shapes, or colours may be used without altering the rules (Penny Press' Scramblets and Knight Features Syndicate's Sudoku Word both use letters).
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5 comments:
Sudoku is totally huge back home in the UK and it is/was only a matter of time before it's permeating the US. It's in most of the nationals (don't knwow about the Sun - maybe they'd use body parts rather than numbers) and there are several "how to" books along with the collections of the puzzles.
Oh yes, and there's this in my list of favorites:-
http://www.dailysudoku.co.uk/cgi-bin/sudoku/archive.pl
No way am I up to the samurai Sudoku yet.
I've been doing the ones in the USA Today lately, and while I find it enjoyable, I am baffled by the prevalence of "How-To" books. While I understand that some people might need some help in understanding how to go through it, it's just a logic puzzle, and one or two tricks easily give you the capability to do them.
USA Today, at least, has yet to print a puzzle I haven't been able to complete.
The 'how to' books baffle me too - but they seem to sell.
Tried Samurai yet?
I have been doing the USA Today puzzles (because I get the paper at the hotel I'm staying at). I haven't hit one where I just had to guess and go from there, but I haven't done a 5 star yet. I'm thinking there might be a point where there is a fork in the road with no guaranteed path on a 5 star (have to try one fork and see if it runs to dead end), but who knows.
What kind of things would they say in the how to book? Notes on how to eliminate wrongs?
Not quite sure as I haven't read one in depth - just skimmed them in the bookshop and decided that Carol Vordeman didn't need any more money.
Some of the more difficult ones tend to come to a fork where there are 2 alternatives. Take the wrong one and you'll find out when the final frame doesn't fill correctly...then you have to go back to the fork and work your way forward.
Also sounds like there are different grades for difficulty in various places. "Samurai" are ones where a central square is surrounded by 4 other squares sharing a corner in common. If that makes any sense at all...
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