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		| Korky 
 
 
 Joined: 29 Mar 2006
 Posts: 13
 Location: Sheffield, UK
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 10:36 am    Post subject: Graded "Too Hard" by Daily Sudoku |   |  
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				| Can anyone give me a clue? All I can see is that R2C1 can't reduce to 89 (deadly pattern) so must contain either a 3 or 4 
  	  | Code: |  	  | +--------------+----------+----------+
 | 1    2    5  | 8 9   7  | 6  3   4 |
 | 3489 3489 89 | 5 234 6  | 12 129 7 |
 | 6    349  7  | 1 234 34 | 5  29  8 |
 +--------------+----------+----------+
 | 48   478  2  | 6 1   45 | 9  57  3 |
 | 5    34   6  | 7 34  9  | 18 18  2 |
 | 39   379  1  | 2 8   35 | 4  57  6 |
 +--------------+----------+----------+
 | 2    1    4  | 9 7   8  | 3  6   5 |
 | 7    5    3  | 4 6   1  | 28 28  9 |
 | 89   6    89 | 3 5   2  | 7  4   1 |
 +--------------+----------+----------+
 
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 Play this puzzle online at the Daily Sudoku site
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		| keith 
 
 
 Joined: 19 Sep 2005
 Posts: 3355
 Location: near Detroit, Michigan, USA
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:06 am    Post subject: |   |  
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				| Right, so take out <89> from R2C1. 
 Then, you will find two finned X-wings on <3>, and a finned X-wing on <4> that solve it.  All of the eliminations are in boxes 1 and 2.
 
 I suspect the UR reduction is not needed, and after one or two of the finned X-wings, there is an XY-wing I did not use.
 
 Keith
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		| Korky 
 
 
 Joined: 29 Mar 2006
 Posts: 13
 Location: Sheffield, UK
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:11 am    Post subject: |   |  
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				| Thanks Keith. I'm working on it. |  | 
	
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		| Korky 
 
 
 Joined: 29 Mar 2006
 Posts: 13
 Location: Sheffield, UK
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:04 pm    Post subject: |   |  
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				| Keith, following your clues, one finned x-wing on 3 and another on 4 eliminated both from R2C5 and the puzzle collapsed. Thanks again!
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		| Steve R 
 
 
 Joined: 24 Oct 2005
 Posts: 289
 Location: Birmingham, England
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:19 pm    Post subject: |   |  
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				| If you are prepared to assume that the puzzle has a unique solution, there is a quicker way. 
 9 may be placed  in r2c8 using the unique six r258c78.
 
 Steve
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		| Mogulmeister 
 
 
 Joined: 03 May 2007
 Posts: 1151
 
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 12:33 pm    Post subject: |   |  
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				| A uniqueness triple - first time I've seen that. 
 Similar to the finned x-wings but maybe easier to spot because they're simple strong links:
 
 
   
 
 Eliminates 3&4 from r3c2.
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		| Korky 
 
 
 Joined: 29 Mar 2006
 Posts: 13
 Location: Sheffield, UK
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 2:19 pm    Post subject: |   |  
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				| I think the unique six is very neat. I'll look for it in future. |  | 
	
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		| Marty R. 
 
 
 Joined: 12 Feb 2006
 Posts: 5770
 Location: Rochester, NY, USA
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:37 pm    Post subject: |   |  
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				|  	  | Steve R wrote: |  	  | If you are prepared to assume that the puzzle has a unique solution, there is a quicker way. 
 9 may be placed  in r2c8 using the unique six r258c78.
 
 Steve
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 Steve, could you explain the logic for those of us (i.e., me) who are too dense to see it?
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		| keith 
 
 
 Joined: 19 Sep 2005
 Posts: 3355
 Location: near Detroit, Michigan, USA
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:31 pm    Post subject: |   |  
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				| Marty, 
 This pattern:
 
  	  | Code: |  	  | +----------+----------+----------+ |  .  .  . |  12 .  12|  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  .  . |  23 .  23|  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  13 .  13|  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 | 
 
 is not unique.  Try it.  Pick <1> in R1C4.  Then pick <2>.  Both lead to a solution.
 The complete situation would have to be something like:
 
  	  | Code: |  	  | +----------+----------+----------+ |  .  .  . |  12 .  12|  .  3  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  3  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  .  . |  23 .  23|  .  1  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  1  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  13 .  13|  .  2  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  2  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 | 
 
 so it is indeed true you can interchange the solutions and still have a single 1,2,3 in each row, column and block.
 
 
 Something I have seen before:
 
  	  | Code: |  	  | +----------+----------+----------+ |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  12 . |  12 .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  12 . |  .  .  12|  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  12 .  12|  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 | 
 
 
 Is the following possible?  I don't know.
 
  	  | Code: |  	  | +----------+----------+----------+ |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  12 . |  23 .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  12 . |  .  .  23|  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  13 .  13|  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 | 
 
 Best wishes,
 Keith
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		| Steve R 
 
 
 Joined: 24 Oct 2005
 Posts: 289
 Location: Birmingham, England
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 6:06 pm    Post subject: |   |  
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				| I don’t think Keith’s last pattern has any bearing on the number of solutions. As far as I know there are just three patterns of six cells. One is aligned (in two columns or rows) as in the original puzzle; one is bent (i.e. goes round a corner) as in Keith’s penultimate example. The third (skew) is even less useful than the other two: 
 
  	  | Code: |  	  | +----------+------------+----------+ |  .  .  . |  .   .  .  |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  12  12  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .   .  .  |  .  .  . |
 +----------+------------+----------+
 |  .  .  . |  .   .  .  |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .   .  .  |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .   12 12 |  .  .  . |
 +----------+------------+----------+
 |  .  .  . |  .   .  .  |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  12  .  12 |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .   .  .  |  .  .  . |
 +----------+------------+----------+
 | 
 The bent version is not restricted to six cells even in a 9 x 9 grid. If he had wished, and started in the first box rather than the fourth, Keith could have gone round the board with it.
 
 Regards
 
 Steve
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		| Marty R. 
 
 
 Joined: 12 Feb 2006
 Posts: 5770
 Location: Rochester, NY, USA
 
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				|  Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 9:10 pm    Post subject: |   |  
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				| Thanks guys. |  | 
	
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		| jLo 
 
 
 Joined: 30 Apr 2007
 Posts: 55
 
 
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				|  Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 5:19 am    Post subject: |   |  
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				| What about using the W-wing right from the beginning? |  | 
	
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		| TKiel 
 
 
 Joined: 22 Feb 2006
 Posts: 292
 Location: Kalamazoo, MI
 
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				|  Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2007 11:10 pm    Post subject: |   |  
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				| Coloring on <3>and coloring on <4> leaves 9 as the only possibility in r3c2. 
 It occurred to me after I posted that my coloring on 3 & 4 was the same as jLo's W-wing and it turns out that it was.  Also turns out the (3,4) pairs in r3c6 & r5c2 are connected by strong links on both 3 and 4.
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		| ravel 
 
 
 Joined: 21 Apr 2006
 Posts: 536
 
 
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				|  Posted: Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:38 am    Post subject: |   |  
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				| Yes, the 2's or 3's in boxes 2, 4, 6 or 8 could "fix" it to one solution. This is deadly: 	  | keith wrote: |  	  | Is the following possible?  I don't know.
 
  	  | Code: |  	  | +----------+----------+----------+ |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  12 . |  23 .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  12 . |  .  .  23|  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  13 .  13|  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
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 | 
 
  	  | Code: |  	  | +----------+----------+----------+ |  .  .  . |  12 .  12|  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  12 . |  23 .  . |  .  13 . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  12 . |  .  .  23|  .  13 . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  13 .  13|  .  .  . |
 |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |  .  .  . |
 +----------+----------+----------+
 
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