dailysudoku.com

[immpy]

Hello all, enjoy the puzzle. A bit more difficult than just one (+).

[dongrave]

Thanks for the puzzle immp! A 'bit' more difficult? Ha!

This was the grid that I ended up with after basics:

[immpy]

Well dongrave, I always face a bit of uncertainty when I try to grade the difficulty of my submitted puzzles. Some folks solve these things in a manner that makes them seem not much more difficult than a VH or VH+, and then again other path finders run head on into a pretty difficult puzzle. That's where this one seemed to fit in. Should I designate it simply VH+ or go much stronger with Diabolical or even Extreme? My path took multiple steps (too many to list) and it took me a while to solve it in this manner. To me it was a fairly tough puzzle. But look at you, you solved it in one step with a chain, albeit a lengthy one. In my final assessment I settled on VH++ as a pseudo grade to bridge the gap from VH+ to the other designations.

cheers, and You're welcome...immp

[immpy]

I am quoting storm_norm from a much earlier post:

I don't think there needs to be more than 4 classifications of puzzles when it comes to this forum and the regulars who read it.
following Keiths lead...

A. basics alone
B. A plus x,xy,xyz-wing solves it.
C. A and B plus Type 1,2,3,4 UR, w-wing, remote pair, m-wing, multicoloring (kite, skyscraper, 2-string kite, turbot fish)
D. A and B and C don't solve it...


With this in mind, this puzzle is surely a "D". I may start adopting this form of classification going forward. One hates to designate inaccurately. What is somewhat easier for one solver, might be impossible for another only because that person is not familiar with a technique required to solve the particular puzzle. The "D" category may seem broad, but that is as it should be given the variability of solvers' skills and knowledge.

[immpy]

So, I will try to implement these in this manner: VH will remain just what is has always been on this site. That is the "B" category. Most of my VH+ puzzles will likely now be noted as VH C. And all the rest would be VH D. Unless of course this causes more confusion and uncertainty among peers here. We shall see.

cheers...immp

[dongrave]

Oh no! Please reconsider immp! I like your VH, VH+, and VH++ ratings!

(Edit:) immp! After giving this just a little more thought I realized that there's really no difference between your current rating system and what you're proposing.

A. = Basics only (Can be solved using basics so you'd never post them anyway.)
B. = VH (Can be solved using basics and X, XY, and/or XYZ wings).
C. = VH+ (Requires an advanced method but won't give you a headache.)
D. = VH++ (Requires a lot more than usual and is sure to give you a headache!)

[immpy]

Fair enough dongrave. Thanks for the suggestion. I will continue with the + or ++ designations. This even leaves room for another level, the truly evil, diabolical, or extreme. I like your thoughts on the matter dongrave.

cheers...immp

[immpy]

And I only rarely submit puzzles of the extreme nature. Every once in a while at most.

cheers...immp

[storm_norm22]

this puzzle is hard.
I am finding a fish and an xy-wing to start
then from there you have some pretty difficult chains to make any progress