Just like for my previous test ‘Shapes and Sizes’, I have gathered a few links to more practise material. The following puzzles appeared either in the puzzle portal of Logic Masters Germany or in a German Sudoku Championship.
If you have any question about one of these puzzles or regarding ‘Copy Paste’, please do not hesitate to ask; I’ll be happy to answer.

A) IB German sudoku championship 2011
Relevant puzzles:
6 Pünktchen (Consecutive)
7 Maxi (Maximin)
8 Position
9 Pfeile (Arrow)

B) Online finals German sudoku championship 2011
Relevant puzzles:
7 Pfeile (Arrow)
10 Position
12 Maxi (Maximin)
16 Pünktchen (Consecutive)

C) IB German sudoku championship 2012
Relevant puzzles:
7 Maxi (Maximin)
8 Pfeile (Arrow)
11 Renban
14 Scattered
16 Chaos Diagonal
17 Position
19 Pünktchen (Consecutive)

D) Qualification German sudoku championship 2012
Relevant puzzles:
1 Pünktchen (Consecutive)
5 Position
7 Pfeile (Arrow)
8 Maxi (Maximin)
10 Renban
16 Scattered

E) Puzzles from the puzzle-portal of Logic Masters Germany:
1 Consecutive easy easy
2 Maximin medium hard
3 Arrow easy
4 Scattered easy
5 Chaos Diagonal hard
6 Minimax medium
7 Equal medium medium
8 Ascending easy
9 Ascending Nonconsecutive medium

After completing the Copy-Paste test, I had a few unused puzzles. I have posted them in the puzzle portal of Logic Masters Germany yesterday. Here are the links to the leftovers:

Arrow
Sum 100
Ascending
Consecutive
Minimax
Maximin

With exception of the Arrow sudoku, all of the puzzles above are a bit harder then the ones of the same type in the real test.

Please look at my comment at the Arrow sudoku in the puzzle portal, explaining why I use a different lay out then the international standard. I hope my puzzle doesn't lead to too much confusion.

Does the ascending nonconsecutive grid in the IB have a unique solution?

Yes, and that is same the solution given at the end.






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ASCENDINGNC.png (38KB - 0 downloads)

The numbers 1,4,7 in C7 and C9 in R2,R6 and R9 can be interchanged to form another valid solution. Plus, there are three more valid solutions (most probably).

In that case the 1 comes direct under the 2 in row 9, which is not allowed.

I'm not sure, but 4 can't be at R2C7, and neither at R9C7 because of the non-consecutive constraint.

Exactly. The 4 is given in R9, so swapping digits is limited.

The puzzle has definitely a unique solution.

OK. Somehow, I initially thought (wrongly) that the non consecutive constraint only applies on the gray bold lines.

No problem.

It's good that IB's appear and that forum threads are opened before a test is hold.

Copy Paste from here

It is easy to figure out that both SudoClones and Copy Paste have similar themes. It is interesting that Richard and Sylvain came up with similar ideas with few weeks apart (much before Clone round in BIST). Thats when we decided to schedule these 2 tests one week apart and to publish the IBs at the same time.

Luckily, the variations in these 2 tests are very different and I'm sure players will enjoy these tests like every other LMI tests.

Has anyone tried the consecutive from unused puzzles, not able to crack it





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Consecutive.gif (24KB - 3 downloads)

At a glance you can get the entire middle column using the fact that the upper part cannot be 4-3-2 and has to be 4-5-6. If you hadn't done that already, maybe that helps.

Edited by prasanna16391 2012-06-24 11:53 PM

The upper right block provides very much information if you take a close look at it.

During solving this one, I had the feeling that it was not the first time I solved it. Just for my curiosity: is it an already published puzzle (perhaps from a previous year IB of DSM?), or have I dreamed it?

Fred

Haha ! you really like this configuration !

Well, yes and no. The nonconsecutive ascending puzzles where among the hardest to make for this test, at least smoothly solving ones. So I wanted to use my older puzzle from the puzzle portal Germany first. (You solved it a few months ago.) This one. But it turned out to be a bit too hard, even for the IB. Since I liked the constellation of the puzzle very much, with the long line in the middle, I tried to reuse the idea and make an easier puzzle out of it. I think the one that is in the IB now is much more suitable than the earlier one would have been.

So your feeling is correct and you are well awake!

Yep! I will be honest, it is one of my favorite configurations. I used it here for the first time. Only problem with it is that as soon as it is known by the puzzlers community, the power of it is gone. So it is definitely suitable for the IB, not for the real test.
Consecutives are (next to irregulars) my favorite sudoku variant for a really loooong time, so this variant was the first one to put on my list for Copy Paste.

Edited by Richard 2012-06-25 12:41 AM

Thanks Fred,
But gettin stuck in top, right box, 5nos connected L, and 8,9 deduced from box 6 are two clues not matching , would be helpful, if that box 3 placements be given for my understanding , thanks

Edited by utkaarsh 2012-06-25 1:38 AM

For the die hard fans of consecutives, here are a few more links:

1 2 3 4 5

But beware: most of these puzzles are too hard for a timed test! But they are fun to solve.

I haven't solved it yet, but I recognise the right top nonet from earlier consecutive puzzles Richard has made. So that is very likely a starting point.

[Edit]
Ah, I hadn't noticed there was a second page to the thread, and I see Richard has confirmed my suspicions.

Edited by Para 2012-06-25 3:24 AM

Some people asked me about the order of the puzzles; in the set of leftover-puzzles, there are other combinations than in the IB. For example: 'Minimax' has the same given digits as 'Maximin' in the leftover puzzles, but in the IB 'Minimax' has the same givens as 'Chaos Diagonal' and 'Maximin' has the same givens as 'Consecutive'.

The combination of puzzles in the real test will be the same as in the IB. They also will be in the same order as in the IB.

About Equal Sudoku : do you have more practice materials?
I don't remember seeing this type anywhere.

Since this is indeed a new type (as far as I know) AND it is the puzzle with the most points, I decided to make one other practise puzzle. I published it in the puzzle portal of Logic Masters Germany. You can find it here: Equal III

Of course there are the two ohter Equal puzzles from an earlier message in this thread: In message
#7556 there is a large list of practise material where you can find under E)
7 Equal medium medium

These three puzzles should give solvers the opportunity to get used to the type.