OK - Ask me a Sudoku Question!

Submitted By: Gath from Sudoku.com.au

To kick things off - ask me a sudoku question that has been bugging you.

Anything! A puzzle that you haven't been able to solve, or an explanation of a technique, and I'll do my best to answer it :)

(Of course, I might get Steve to help with the really tough stuff :) ).

Cheers,

Gath

115 Comments
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camperdan  From Ajo,Arizona
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OK, I'm a new member and have a question about navigation here. Gath invited questions on technique but I could not find how to input!?

So I'll put out the Q for anyone: In applying the SWORDFISH, (assume the number in Q is "5")if
all criteria is met, if there are one or more boxes with NO 5 (allowed), DOES THAT BOX(ES) HAVE TO ALREADY BE SOLVED? (not just non-5 candidates
22/Feb/10 9:21 AM
   Tree Sheila  From Deniliquin NSW
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Further to above question - Eureka!! I have used Google Chrome for months as my browser with no problem (unless I want to print something). So just now I opened Sudoku.com.au through Firefox and everything is exactly as it should be. Interesting.
18/Mar/10 5:38 AM
   Tree Sheila  From Deniliquin NSW
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Gath - You might be confused..I've copied these two questions over from another part of Forum, but I've got them in the wrong way round. D'uh. Here is the first part, the second part is above.....Suddenly I'm only getting the Easy Puzzle and that's it! No other stuff on the screen at all. There isn't even the option of Medium, Hard or Tough, no ads or horoscope, nothing! When I check Previous or Archives it's the same. Have tried Logging off and On. No difference.
18/Mar/10 5:42 AM
   Canuk Greg  From Ottawa, Canada    Supporting Member
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Hi Gath. Might it not be time for another 'Last to Post' or similar type contest on the site? We seem to be losing a lot of participants to Facebook games. Maybe a contest will draw them back to the challenges of Sudoku.
06/Apr/10 8:46 AM
smitty  From port macquarie
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Gath,
I am trying to learn from the comments on the tough puzzles and I don't understand the statement ie "UP=31". I understand the UP means unique possibility but I can't figure out the "=31" or some other number.
Thanks for your help
29/Apr/10 4:49 PM
Bud  From Florida
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Gath,
Look at the second move I made on today's (May 3) tough. This had an almost triple and an almost XY-wing linked to a bivalue pivot cell 12. When the pivot cell is 2 the almost triple became a triple and when the pivot cell is 1 the almost xy-wing became an XY-wing. In either case it gives a 3 cell elimination. Would this be called a quantum example? If not what is it called?
03/May/10 3:59 AM
Daniel C  From Australia
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I just started playing Sudoku not long ago. I am now attempting the 'tough' category. Its really tough. I have been trying and still got stuck on the puzzle dated May 01, 2010. I could only fill in the digits 1,5 n 9 in the top left block.
Appreciate your advice on the steps to be taken to solve this puzzle.

Cheers

Daniel
13/May/10 2:46 PM
   Dorthea  From San Francisco
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What happened to my supporting membership?
17/Jun/10 12:03 AM
lenon  From sarawak
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is there any easy way to play this sudoku or any other related rules for play
12/Oct/10 3:35 PM
Paquette  From Oregon (USA)
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I'm new to this site and working through Arnold Snyder's Sudoku Formula 2 but had to skip #8 when I got stuck. I've gone back many times, but just can't see the way to finish it without trying a guess and working it through. Here's where I'm stuck row by row from the top: - - - 2 7 - 8 - -; 2 9 - - 1 3 7 - 6; - 4 7 9 - - 2 - 1; - - - 6 - 8 4 - -; - - - - - 1 - - -; - - 6 7 - 9 - - -; 5 6 4 1 9 2 3 8 7; 7 - 1 5 - - - 2 -; 9 - 2 - - 7 - - - Any help to see where the next logical step lies would be appreciated.
17/Dec/10 8:11 AM
Paquette  From Oregon (USA)
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Someone asked for the original puzzle, and I was unable to send a private reply via my uncooperative computer. The numbers sent in the preceeding post included the original ones and the ones I was able to deduce. These were all correct according to the answers in the back of Snyder's book. Here's the original puzzle starting top left: - - -, 2 - -, 8 - -; - 9 -, - - 3, 7 - 6; - 4 7, - - -, - - 1; - - -, 6 - 8, 4 - -; - - -, - - -, - - -; - - 6, 7 - 9, - - -; 5 - -, - 9 -, 3 8 -; 7 - 1, 5 - -, - 2 -; - - 2, - - 7, - - -
18/Dec/10 4:53 AM
   Dorthea  From San Francisco    Supporting Member
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Gath - It took five attempts to sign in this morning. I didn't sign out yesterday. The computer has been on for several day. This is the third day in a row. Help!!!
29/Dec/10 1:03 AM
Paquette  From Oregon (USA)
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When I add "possibilities" to the grid on the puzzles for the day, the grid expands and overlaps the line for choosing the numbers. It is then hard to see what's going on. I noticed someone asked about this early in this thread, but I didn't see an answer. I am using a Mac with a Safari browser. Is there a way to fix this so the grid doesn't expand or so the next lines move down to accommodate the expansion without overlapping?
16/Feb/11 2:30 PM
cloez2  From Sophia
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hi i coped the wrong thing n was wondering if u could help me out sumhow thanx
24/Aug/11 10:03 AM
twasack  From from
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whats the best sudoku solver program. i vote Chewdoku
20/Apr/12 12:31 AM
Neil  From UK-Hertfordshire    Supporting Member
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This is a note to bring this page onto the main pages.
15/May/12 12:17 AM
youkidme  From southern highlands
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Garth, Can you tell me why I still show as a Free Member ? I posted a cheque some time back to become a supporting Member.
19/Jul/12 6:14 PM
kath  From Victoria, Australia
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Gath, can you tell me why sudoku says it is not working, please.
23/Oct/12 7:08 PM
Neil  From UK-Hertfordshire    Supporting Member
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Hi Gath,

has Steve retired - he hasn't posted anything on his blog for quite a long time.
05/Nov/12 11:20 PM
   HalT  From S Carolina
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Gath, I have a rather unusual (I think) problem. I can send PMs and the recipient will receive the message with the subject line intact but a blank window where the message should be.
I can recieve messages with no problems.
Do you have any idea what might be causing this?
25/Jan/13 1:25 PM
Neil  From UK-Hertfordshire    Supporting Member
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Hi Gath,

Has Steve retired - he hasn't posted anything for a long time.
03/Mar/13 1:40 AM
young.da  From United States
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It seems, to a point, there's a certain logic to solving sukoko. But in the difficult or very difficult games it becomes a matter of sticking a number in continuing on until a number won't fit. Then backing out and sticking another number in and seeing if it will be correct. Now maybe I'm wrong and have just reached my 'logic limit'. I don't really like the guessing game. I like the difficult games but I want to solve them logically. Thank you
28/Mar/13 6:27 AM
Brewster  From Mosman, NSW    Supporting Member
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I have put a Sudoku (Supporting)shortcut on my Windows 7 desktop and it always asks for my details every login. Anyway I can 'memorise' this?
Also the heavy lines are on each column not every third column. It has changed since I became a supporting member.
18/Apr/13 11:09 AM
Given  From Des Moines, Iowa
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NEED HELP SOLVING....

418932.7.
9528..314
..3...8..
.2..8...3
...7.9...
89..4..5.
..9..82.1
185....6 .
2..6.1...

After i got stuck...i used a solver...it then gave me a XYZ-Wing to narrow down some possibles in the last 3 lows...but then when i asked it to solve the puzzle...it said it did not use LOGIC to do so. HOW to i solve this on my own???....Please Help
11/Jul/13 12:24 PM
Bev  From Carstairs, Alberta
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Mine is not a Sudoku question but a jigsaw question. For the past several weeks the jigsaw that comes up for the 'Easy' Sudoku has pieces that are too large to fit in the square so it has not been possible to complete them. I've commented on the 'Easy' Sudoku page a couple of times and on one occasion at least it was fixed but the next day it's back to the too large pieces again. That is true of all three levels of difficulty.
23/Jul/13 12:48 AM
Neil  From UK-Hertfordshire
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Hi Gath, Is Steve still around to help solve difficult sudokus?
07/Mar/14 10:45 PM
irishud  From USA    Supporting Member
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Why can't I load tough
13/Jan/17 12:28 PM
   uno hu  From uno where
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My first guess would be that Gath has run out of 'Tough' puzzles to post due to there being less numbers to start the puzzle therefore cutting down on the number of possible games.
Or, it could be that there is a problem with the site and Gath has yet to fix it. As you can see from his Blog he is a very busy guy, ''Living off internet income since 2004, drinking all my income since the 80s''.
I would suggest if you need your 'Tough' puzzle fix then go back into 'Archives' and do previous ones. That's assuming you haven't already done every single 'Tough' puzzle on the site!
13/Jan/17 1:04 PM
Abdellah Machmoum  From Casablanca
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Download Sudoku from google play store
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Labogames.Sudoku
12/Jun/19 10:59 AM
Awill  From SPb
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Hello!
Can not solve quite difficult sudoku for couple days. I've made two screenshots for my last solving state and full possible variations and upload them to free hosting there -
https://freeimage.host/i/2DxHWN
https://freeimage.host/i/2DxJsI

Please give me a link to description of right technique to solve it.
14/Oct/20 9:29 PM
   DotCom  From Boca Raton, FL
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I somehow got two login identities by mistake. How do I get rid of one?
22/Oct/20 4:14 AM
Grotski  From Ukraine
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What online sudoku can you recommend that is suitable for both beginners and professionals?
For my part, I recommend the free online game SudokuPro https://sudokupro.app/.
I learned to play for a long time, but it was worth it =)
Now I have something to do at work XD
18/May/22 3:16 AM
mkj00n  From California
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Hello. I just found this forum. First comment here. I'm stuck on a sudoku puzzle. Can I post a screenshot of it here to get help from others? If so, how? I don't see an upload image option.
Thanks!
25/Jul/22 7:01 AM
Brewster  From Maitland, NSW    Supporting Member
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Several times I have been half-way through a 'tough' puzzle and the puzzle disappears and a blank page presents in its place. Any suggestions?
18/Jun/23 11:23 AM
sudokurockbraveheart  From USA
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Any underrated techniques you know?
24/Jun/23 7:41 AM
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