Su Doku

[Gemini Cricket]

There may have been a thread about this already, but here goes anyway.
Everyone on the Subway is playing this game (they print one a day in the Metro newspaper).
Su Doku.
If you haven't tried it, try it. It's fun.
It's addictive.
You've been warned.

http://www.sudoku.com/

[Matterhorn Fan]

I didn't care for it. It makes me feel like I'm in 4th grade math class.

I'm glad 4th grade math class is over. I don't want to go back.

But feel free to enjoy your sudoku puzzles. I'll stick with the crossword. Or, I would, if I bought a paper.

[Gemini Cricket]

Actually, it doesn't have anything to do with math. Unless counting to 9 is math...
:D

[Ghoulish Delight]

I used to love them. It was one of the few puzzles in my mom's puzzle magazines that I could do when I was a kid. But since I've learned how to tackle a wider variety of puzzles, Sudoku doesn't do it for me any more. I think it's because it's so...static. The same 81 squares every time.

I'd recommend my usual puzzle site if you like Sudoku. It's got Sudoku and a bunch of similar puzzles that you might also enjoy. I would recommend it...but it's shutting down in just over a week. :(

[Gemini Cricket]

I would recommend it...but it's shutting down in just over a week. :(
I hear it's being replaced by a Starbucks site.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I hear it's being replaced by a Starbucks site.
Grrrr, damn starbucks.

Oh well, for what it's worth (and for the umpteenth time), http://www.puzzle.jp/index-e.html

Also, anticipating a future post. Steph likes this site...
http://www.conceptispuzzles.com/

[Matterhorn Fan]

I know it has nothing to do with math, and that the numbers could easily be replaced with letters or symbols or colors. I still prefer the crossword.

And the two ladies I saw sitting by the pool at Wilderness Lodge with their noses buried in Sudoku books--I'll never understand them. It's one thing to pass the time on the subway, but to immerse yourself in the world of Sudoku while on vacation at Disney World? That's very confusing to me.

Sudoku must be a drug. Just Say No!!

[Gemini Cricket]

At Disney World? That's so wrong! :D

I hear crossword puzzles are gateway puzzles that lead to worse mind bending games...

[Alex]

Lani has recently caught the bug a bit but it just hasn't appealed to me. Like GD said above each puzzle is too similar to the others and once you've worked out the basic tools there really isn't much of interest, just iterating through them over and over again until you're done.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Lani has recently caught the bug a bit but it just hasn't appealed to me. Like GD said above each puzzle is too similar to the others and once you've worked out the basic tools there really isn't much of interest, just iterating through them over and over again until you're done.
That's the weird thing for me. The other puzzles I'm addicted to are the same way. Once you've figured out the logic, each puzzle works out in the same fashion. But there's something appealing to me about the visual variety of the other types of puzzles, despite the repetetiveness of the logic.

[Brigitte]

I do sudokus all the time too. I use the books to pass the time in the van when I am waiting for kids at schools, or do them while sitting with the kids at naptime waiting for them to all drop off to sleep. I've even got my daughter started on them, though she doesn't do them as often (she's 9 and going into 4th grade math) and she has a harder time with the 9s, she prefers the 4s and 6s. I like that conceptis site as well because not all of the weekly puzzles are 9s, there are some variations.

[Stan4dSteph]

Also, anticipating a future post. Steph likes this site...
http://www.conceptispuzzles.com/Yep!

[lindyhop]

I'm completely addicted. I usually do the LA Times puzzle every day. Generally it's in bed and I fall asleep before I finish. It's the same numbers in those same little squares every single time but totally satisfying, even when I don't finish.

[lashbear]

Oh, thank you sooooooo much !!

I downloaded the sudoku game and now I'm going to have to register it, cos just 28 days trial isn't enough ! :D

[keith - SuPeR K!]

websudoku.com (http://websudoku.com) and sudokucombat.com (http://sudokucombat.com/) are the 2 i play all the time... both free, both offer pencilmarks, and both are super fun :)

[Chernabog]

I highly recommend the websudoku site that K listed above -- the only problem is that the notations are hard to make online, especially when you have a lot of options in one square initially. However, you can print them in LARGE format, which makes it much nicer to solve.

The other site which has a REALLY nice java sudoku is on www.dailynews.com/coffeebreak (http://www.dailynews.com/coffeebreak). It is easy to make notations pressing the shift button, and it tells you when you are putting in an accidental duplicate number in the same square/row/column. The Monday-Thursday listings are usually easy, and the Fri-Sun listings are usually in the harder categories.

They are logic puzzles, there is absolutely no math required.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I'm not sure why these silly things are addictive but they are. Good way to pass the time when I've got it to kill.

[Gemini Cricket]

I found the awesomest Su Doku strategy site. If you want to learn a cool way to play... Click me (http://www.instructables.com/id/EJLUBKN48JEPD7QXGR/?ALLSTEPS).
:)

[Alex]

I just assumed that everybody did it roughly that way until Lani started doing them. She says it isn't fun to do it my way.

To me the challenge of Sudoku is not logic but record keeping. That is, the logical calculations are easy, it is just difficult to accurately track what you know about the puzzle. Solve the record-keeping problem and most of the puzzles I've done are relatively easy with the time requirement coming from the endless iterations of the same two or three logical calcuations.

The problem is that many of the online Sudoku sites don't easily allow you to do such notekeeping on the computer screen. The Sudoku puzzles at ConceptisPuzzles (linked above as Steph's preserred site) do allow it though the interface is a little clunky.

[scaeagles]

Damn this thread!

I had never bothered to take up sudoku, but after reading this thread I did.

The evil level (on websudoku) is challenging enough to keep me interested, but if I make one clerical error it kills me and really pisses me off when I can't do it fast enough.

I can't do them online - I have to print them out.

[Gemini Cricket]

scadoku?