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Difference between guessing and solving a sudoku logically3 posts • Page 1 of 1 • 1
@ 2013-03-31 4:27 PM (#10478) (#10478) Top

purzelbaumfan



Posts: 13

Country : Germany

purzelbaumfan posted @ 2013-03-31 4:27 PM

I have been wondering at which point the solving turns into guessing, for example if you're using chain strategies and eliminate numbers by that. I always feel like this is also kind of guessing. When do you think is the border between guessing and using a strategy?
@ 2013-04-01 4:06 PM (#10491 - in reply to #10478) (#10491) Top

prasanna16391



Posts: 1763
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Country : India

prasanna16391 posted @ 2013-04-01 4:06 PM

I think this topic's a little subjective. There's certain techniques that come easier to some solvers than others. I agree with Thomas' basic explanation here - http://www.gmpuzzles.com/blog/2013/03/ask-dr-sudoku-12-the-line-mus... (coincidentally posted around the same time as this query). In that explanation he's given the most practical reasoning. Anything a solver can see in his mind without having to put some digits in to reach a contradiction can be called logic. Its just that different solvers may not be able to see the same amount of steps/information as other solvers.

Whether a puzzle is logically solvable and whether a specific person can solve it logically are two different things IMO. As a solver, many times I've had some logic pointed out to me that I missed even after hours of staring. Similarly, as an author I've sometimes had to point out to solvers where/what the logic is to my puzzles too.
@ 2013-04-01 11:55 PM (#10497 - in reply to #10478) (#10497) Top

purzelbaumfan



Posts: 13

Country : Germany

purzelbaumfan posted @ 2013-04-01 11:55 PM

Thank you very much. I hadn't seen this post yet. It helped me very much, although I think it's not that easy to solve the puzzle without guesswork if you're imagination isn't the best and you constantly forget which number you picked to try out.
Difference between guessing and solving a sudoku logically3 posts • Page 1 of 1 • 1
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