In the 9x9 Average Sudoku of the IB no cell is marked by horizontal or vertical lines

The rules state that "All possible lines are marked " .So if there are no lines it means that there are no such occurences of numbers which are average of their horizontal or vertical neighbours.

Kishore is right. This particular example was selected intentionally to show that such puzzles can be made without any "circles" / "bars" / "lines", and are often part of championships.

Here goes some Tips and Tricks to crack some of the types in this test and bunch of links for practice puzzles.
http://swaroopg92.blogspot.com/2015/03/sudoku-mahabharat-episode-7-...
Have fun :)
Good luck to all :)

Edited by swaroop2011 2015-03-13 8:45 PM

Since "The Sudoku booklet will look exactly like next 8 pages in this instruction booklet.", do we safely assume that there will be no horizontal or vertical "lines" in the PB too (for Average Sudoku)...

If you safely assume that, you can also assume that the "bars" / "dots" / "circles" in the Sudoku booklet will be same as in the IB for ALL puzzles. May be the digit clues will also be same.

then it is classic sudoku ? isn't it ?

Classic sudoku with additional constraint that no cell is the average of its two vertical or horizontal neighbours. This is the "converse" rule for average.

Adding to that ,in due course of time,you will understand that the converse rule too plays a pivotal rule in many sudokus.At times,you will reach a stage where there won't be any progress attained by using the normal classic rules of sudoku but using the converse rule and realizing that a certain number won't be in a particular cell will help you make progress.

ok...thank you

Are the points distribution for converse out ?

It's not out yet.
But it will be out soon.

A practice puzzle Consecutive: http://swaroopg92.blogspot.com/2015/03/puzzle-no-129-consecutive-su... by me.
Also Rajesh, posted a average sudoku: http://www.funwithpuzzles.com/2015/03/average-sudoku-daily-sudoku-l...

Can I please get Hints to get started with kropki sudoku?

Try to find a series of two or three black dots in succession within a row/column/box. They can be 124 or 248 (for 2 black dots) and 1248 (for three black dots). Normally you will get a contradiction with some of the possibilities and be able to proceed. Also, 5/7/9 cannot occupy a cell with a black dot. If there is no series of two or three dots, you may have to go ahead with pencilmarking of the cells containing black dots first, and proceed. In general, the starting hints are hidden in or around the cells with black dots. Also, if there is a long series of white dots in succession, they can also help start.

You can also look through the following discussions:

http://rohanrao.blogspot.in/2008/11/rules-of-kropki.html

http://www.sudokuxtra.com/forum/read.php?2,1138

With less than a hour left,
I would like to wish all participants BEST OF LUCK !
It's your last chance to come back and make it to finals.
I strongly recommend for all beginners to go through tricks and practice puzzles from the links shared in earlier posts.
Good Luck ! :)

Edited by swaroop2011 2015-03-21 4:54 AM

Link to score page : http://logicmastersindia.com/SM/201503/score.asp

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Fairly Nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Many puzzles were worth too much or too little

Thanks a lot!!

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Too many hard puzzles
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

There were a lot of good variants in this test. I especially liked the average sudoku, which I had never seen before. Nice job with this, Swaroop.

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

I am not able to solve online the puzzles. a message of submission not allowed is displayed.

You might have cleaned your cache after starting the test.
Option 1) Open a new tab and submit there. (Don't close the old tab - you can copy the solution from the old tab)
Option 2) Submit using the text boxes (type the 2 rows in the text boxes), if that works.

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

This test, I think, is a good way for beginners to join and start solving sudoku. Everything came out well and easily. Well done!

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

Nice puzzles Swaroop. I liked the mini Average Sudoku the most and this the Sudoku which took maximum time for me to solve. At the beginning, I was not getting any opening in this Sudoku and then once I found out the 6 cannot be on line then it went through and ending of this puzzle was interesting. It again took me time to use converse rule and put 1 and 3 at end.
Great puzzles and great job Swaroop, looking forward for more such tests from your side.

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

Great puzzles... Thanks a lot, Swaroop!

Thank you all for all comments so far, I am glad and happy that you all enjoyed the test.

@ghirsch -- Yes average sudoku is not so commonly used but is a nice variant for Converse type.

@rajesh -- Thanks, I suppose if you would have the read the tips and tricks i have shared; you wouldn't have spent time on thinking for it. I also look forward to create more tests in future. :)

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Fairly Nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

That was a fitting finale to the series of Sudoku Mahabharat episodes.All the sudokus were neatly crafted and had lovely logical solve paths.I got broken in the Anti-Knight(11) which slowed down my solve considerably towards the end.I enjoyed solving the Consecutive(13)and the Sudoku XV(10)the most.These stand out as my favourites from the whole lot.

The password for the test couldn't have been more apt and the test just couldn't have been any better .I am satisfied with my show through all the episodes .I am a little disappointed that there wouldn't be any more episodes to look forward to from such a great crop of Indian authors and utterly dejected even more for a different reason..............

Thanks to all the Indian authors and to Swaroop for concluding this SM series in a great way!After seeing so many new names in the Indian contestants contingent,I am sure the main prerogative of this whole SM Idea which is to attract more new Indians into sudoku and to give a chance for the lesser known solvers to compete in an offline final modelled similar to a WSC has certainly been achieved .

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Too many medium difficult puzzles
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

Thank you :)
Glad you enjoyed the test.
Indeed password was specifically selected :)

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

First time I tried solving all the puzzles online and, I am quite satisfied.
Overall a great effort by Swaroop to end the SM series with nice set of puzzles with nice solving path. Thanks a lot swaroop.
I would also like to thank, the SM series idea originators, all the authors and all the participants for making this series successful.
This has given us the wonderful platform to perform, which otherwise was not quite there for years.
Wish all the participants all the best to make it for finals and for the finals.

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

Amazing puzzles.. finally managed to attempt all and complete.
Thanks for the tips and help to go about solving these variations...it helped a lot....:)

Very very nice puzzles! Thanks a lot Swaroop.

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Too many medium difficult puzzles
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Fairly Nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed the set. :)

Thank you. Very nice performance. Congratulations on completing all.



Thank you

Edited by swaroop2011 2015-03-24 12:45 AM

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	representation could have been better
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

Converse is over now. Password has been removed, and solutions appended to the pdf (Sudoku Booklet).

Congratulations to jaku111, kwaka and Kota for taking the Top 3 spots.

Thank you for all the participants to make this test a grand success.
Congratulations to jaku111, kwaka and Kota for overall Top 3 spots.
Congratulations to kishy72, amitsowani and rakesh_rai for grabbing top 3 spots on Indian line up.
In quick,
I wholeheartedly want to thank you to LMI for giving opportunity to author this round. Also big thanks to Rohan and Deb for testing, feedback and everything for helping out, to make this round flow neatly. Congratulations to all Top 50 who have made it to the finals.
I will be posting detailed feedback and summary on this round tomorrow.

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

How well did the variants represent the theme of the test ?	variations represented the theme well
What was your opinion of the distribution of easy/hard puzzles?	Just right
What did you think about the puzzle quality of the test?	Very nice
Of the puzzles you solved/attempted, how well did the point values reflect the difficulty?	Most puzzles were worth the right amount

Detailed post,
Firstly being converse round, types were pretty much fixed with consecutive, kropki, no knight step, XV which are known to everyone and Average Sudoku being one of the unusual types.
I had thought, that need to keep all puzzles logical and easy for all the beginners/new comers and so after i created the set which was 1st version, I test solved myself almost 3 times and kept making changes. After I was satisfied, i gave the set to LMI and was requested only one change to make the consecutive a Non- Consecutive. And then set was complete. So the Consecutive which i posted as practice puzzle was earlier part of actual set. So this ends the whole process of creation.

Theme: Most of them were themed as 1-9, with special touch to average being alternate dashes in middle 3 columns. Then Kropki if you notice the center box 5*5 there are no kropki clues (so idea was center 5*5 inverse rule and boundaries - normal rules).

Interesting facts: 1) No knight Step Sudoku was actually Diagonal No knight step Sudoku so even diagonals contain 1-9 :)
2) Kropki Sudoku big is unique and logically solvable even if you remove clues r9c9 and r9c1.
3) Sudoku XV big is also unique and logically solvable without clues at r2c2 and r8c8.

My favourite puzzles which i really enjoyed most while creating: Average Small, big and Kropki Big

Stats:
Top 4 rated puzzles in order - Average big, Average Small, XV big, consecutive big
328 people participated and 297 Nonzero scores.
XV Small was submitted by highest number of solvers (288) and closely placed was standard small 1st (284) - seems people like XV
Highest accuracy of submission was standard small 2nd (98.87) and close to it was Kropki big (98.61)
Overall top finisher with impressive performance for this round - jaku111 in 33:32 min (Interestingly he stood first in last 3 SM rounds as well) (So this makes 4 in a row :p )
Indian top finisher with impressive performance for this round - kishy72 in 76:05 min

I once again congratulate to all the winners and thank you to everyone who participated and made this test a success.

So final SM top 5: Kishore kumar (with impressive lead), Rakesh Rai, Jayant Ameta, Amit Sowani, Prakhar Gupta
I wish all the top 50 qualifying people congrats and best of luck for the finale on May 10th.

It's bit hard to believe that there will be no more SM rounds, it has been an interesting journey throughout SM. But I guess that's how it goes and I await such more interesting things come up on LMI in future. Now that SM is ended, I am sure more interesting facts and stats are on the way to come to analyze All rounds of SM together.

Last but not the least, Anyone stuck anywhere in any of the Sudoku please feel to post here and it will sure likely be answered at the quickest.
Thank you.

Final rankings which includes all participants is now available here.

Final rankings for the eligible SM participants is here.

Thank you for the puzzles

Thank you flk :)