@@tezza7 The global difference of 3 was the starting point, but also, three wishes often come with three rules, and the puzzle has three rules (as long as you don't count "normal sudoku rules apply" as one of the rules). The mod3 also pointed me to a '3' theme.
This is the first puzzle shared on this channel I've actually solved myself! Took me a longer time to complete than I am willing to share... but very pleased to have cracked it as I am pretty new to sudoku 😊
Anyone else think that it would be hilarious if you made this a fog of war puzzle? You could add in extra rules like kropki dots or renban lines, and just not have them in the grid 😊
Completed in just under 20 minutes, think it's the first time I've ever solved a puzzle faster than Simon. It wasn't totally easy but I never felt stuck, just kept looking for middle digits on boundaries and knowing their neighbour could only be an extreme digit, and other such logic. And then noticed the roping and started making good use of that. This really is a true Miracle Sudoku, extremely elegant rule set and doesn't even use a knight's move constraint?? Very impressive and I absolutely loved it.
I made a careless assumption about the center squares that turned out to be correct, but cheapened my success. I have the same gripe with fog of war: I wish the software knew *why* I was placing a digit, so it could silently reject it if my rationale was incorrect.
My thought was "I bet that means the centers are going to be 1 through 9" and even though I was right, I shouldn't have been as direct in my thought process.
Although not stated in the rules, the puzzle also obeys the disjoint subset rule, and there is perfect roping both horizontally and vertically. It's fascinating that the same result could be achieved with different rules about each set of 3 horizontal cells in a column are from the same mod 3 set. It is wonderful numerically speaking.
In the final grid, there's roping on 147, 258, and 369 in every row. There's also roping on the columns, but curiously, each set of three columns has a different roping pattern.
@@darreljones8645The columns are actually identical in sequence, each starting with a different number. I wonder if it's the only possible sequence either with or without the center cell constraint. Doubtful but some sequences can work for one row (or column) while at the same time not leaving a possible sequence for a neighbouring row.
Considering the inflation of cleverness in this community, this puzzle is no doubt 1-star difficulty. And among all the easy puzzles, this one is just outstanding and mesmerizing!
Simon tended to focus on the vertical relationships and forgot about the horizontal restrictions. For example, at 20:38, the two cells in positions 2 and 8 in box 1 had to be a 56 pair, 789 wasn't a possibility due to the 789 in positions 3 and 9... that would have led to resolving all of boxes 1, 2, and 3
True. Once you finished (or almost) row 2 you could get rows 1 and 3 to form couples, then an inspection of row 4 would resolve all the couples and you could go on and pretty much fill it all in row by row with the rules + sudoku.
Wow, this one was of the utmost brilliance. I believe it was possible to solve the top 3 rows before looking at columns, but Simon's solve shows us even more beauty in the structure of the grid.
This is the first CtC puzzle I have solved (with only a little help from Simon)! What an amazing feeling that was when I saw “Yey, Congrats!”. I couldn’t have done it without a few tricks I learnt from watching this channel. Thanks, Simon. And thanks, Matt. How good!
I'm normally quite dismissive of easy puzzles but this is such a clever idea and such an elegant implementation that i loved it totally. The setter should take a bow!
Wow, that's interesting. I hadn't noticed, but I did realize there is a disjoint set constraint. I wonder why that is. (Both why those features exist in the puzzle and how I couldn't notice the roping...)
I'm an absolute novice but this is the first video on the channel where I felt inspired to have a proper crack at the puzzle before watching and found I could actually solve it! I found this a really enjoyable and satisfying puzzle, I knew where to start and I very quickly got my head thinking the way the puzzle does! Thanks for the inspiration Simon :)
00:29:51 was my time. This is the first Sudoku on this Channel I actually attempted AND finished without a break or giving up halfway through. I loved the simple set of rules and the moment it finally clicked for me was when the 789 triple in Box 5 fell into place, after that it was a very smooth ride. 😊
I needed Simon to point me towards the pressure of middle of region columns in row 4 but I'm very pleased with myself that once I got there I solved it really quickly (for me).
This really gives an insight into how Simon scans. There were so many comparisons in one direction without looking at the continuation. Like, look at a cell in C3 and then look at the same row to C4 without looking back at C2 or looking at the row below it until after he has moved on and then came back to it.
Comment section: Simon never uses sudoku when it's the simpler option. 27:36 Simon: "Hold my wine." Also, roping is one thing. That slowest diagonally looping continuous slow thermo though! Seeing this solve further increased the high appreciation I had after having solved it.
Certainly fun to watch. I started solving it on my own and could see that it would be very doable. I'll finish tomorrow, but tonight I just wanted to watch. Thanks, Simon (and thanks for the guitar intro).
I finished in 20:59 minutes. These blank Sudoku miracles are some of the coolest and most beautiful Sudokus. This one is especially nice since the rules are so clean. As always, it feels good to beat Simon's time. Great Puzzle!
This is an absolutely amazing construction/discovery. While I was _pretty_ sure early on how things were going to end up, it wasn't at all obvious that it was forced.
It actually _has_ to be, otherwise it wouldn't be a unique solution. (The rules are symmetrical; rotate the puzzle 180° and take 10 minus each digit, and it will be a solution.)
I love the miracle sudoku puzzles. I actually attempted this one (first CtC puzzle I've tried). I managed to solve it in just over 23 minutes. I also guessed that it would be 1-9 in the centers, but I waited until logic plopped them on in there instead of assuming. Watching the video after, the same logic path as Simon for the most part. Wonderful puzzle.
10:47. It's quite easy if you work out the connections between the central digits in the boxes in the first row, then how they connect to the central digits in the second row.
9:45 Realised it must be the sets of entropic digits and if each box did not contain its exact number centrally the roping wouldn't work. Genius setting to discover that and add the 4 difference between boxes.
Took about 15 minutes for me, feeling good about this one. Watched a bit of the the start of the solve, and was pleased that I was solving it along the same path as Simon. Didn't require anything complicated, I just forgot the difference between regions was 4, not 3! . . . Possibly a spoiler, but did anyone else notice a peculiar pattern along one of the diagonals at the end?
Observe the resultant: Every number is 4 more than the one above it. Every number is 3 more than the one left of it, or 4 more across a box border. And every center is .. as noted.
Patterns like this usually make me want to prove that this is the only possible option but in this case, there's no need to prove anything since the lack of given digits make this the only sudoku satisfying the constraints. I wonder if a non-constructive mathematical proof is how this puzzle was found.
Finished in 14:48 without making any assumptions, and without noticing the roping at all (again!!). Everything flowed pretty easily, just by looking at whittling down the options
Many people say that they noticed the roping during the solve. I didn´t, but I did notice early on that every digit was exactly the one on the same position of the previous box plus 1 (except that 1 follows 9), and so it kept being until the end. Isn’t that often a feature of miracle sudokus? Really fun puzzle!
when i solved this, i got row 2 fairly quickly, but the entire thing. then i got vertical pairs in each column of the first r3 boxes. the breakout was moving into box 4 via column 2, when then fed back into the first 3 rows, solving all 27 squares there. from there i was able to go row by row solving. quite a beautiful puzzle
The whole puzzle is rotationally symmetric around r5c5, and there is roping everywhere with horizontal ropes being modular sets. Also, the grid fulfills disjoint rules, and within a disjoint set, every vertical stripe is also a valid modular set.
Rules: 01:53 Let's Get Cracking: 06:06 Simon's time: 24m53s Puzzle Solved: 30:59 What about this video's Top Tier Simarkisms?! Three In the Corner: 2x (14:03, 27:05) Bobbins: 1x (17:40) And how about this video's Simarkisms?! Pencil Mark/mark: 11x (07:14, 07:18, 07:21, 08:09, 10:28, 10:31, 14:44, 15:00, 20:40, 27:25, 30:45) By Sudoku: 7x (06:37, 06:43, 06:59, 08:53, 17:50, 27:49, 30:37) Ah: 7x (06:46, 08:05, 12:19, 21:19, 22:52, 24:58, 28:44) Sorry: 4x (11:08, 12:09, 21:11, 22:08) Brilliant: 4x (16:36, 16:36, 26:40, 31:37) In Fact: 3x (01:49, 06:23, 06:27) Obviously: 3x (16:52, 21:47, 26:03) Incredible: 2x (03:44, 31:13) Ridiculous: 2x (30:58, 31:01) Shouting: 2x (05:19, 05:32) Weird: 2x (30:11, 30:14) Good Grief: 1x (31:05) The Answer is: 1x (21:47) In the Spotlight: 1x (27:07) Lovely: 1x (17:33) Going Mad: 1x (07:28) Take a Bow: 1x (31:37) Approachable: 1x (03:40) Famous Last Words: 1x (22:55) Wow: 1x (21:24) Cake!: 1x (05:12) Unique: 1x (01:00) Most popular number(>9), digit and colour this video: Ten (3 mentions) Four (80 mentions) Green (2 mentions) Antithesis Battles: Low (7) - High (3) Even (3) - Odd (0) Lower (9) - Higher (4) Row (12) - Column (7) FAQ: Q1: You missed something! A1: That could very well be the case! Human speech can be hard to understand for computers like me! Point out the ones that I missed and maybe I'll learn! Q2: Can you do this for another channel? A2: I've been thinking about that and wrote some code to make that possible. Let me know which channel you think would be a good fit!
14:17 finish. There was a very nice flow to this puzzle, like a wave that pushed out from the top to the bottom, and then your choice of left to right or right to left. Fun fun fun!
I managed to pull this off in 16:19, which is a fair bit better than I usually do. I found the puzzle flowed quite nicely, avoiding those head scratching moments where I try to figure out what I need to do next. When I did my solve, I generally worked from the top down, filling in most of rows 1-3 before moving to 4-6. I also spotted the roping while working in the middle rows, but didn't really do much with it.
I have an oddball suggestion. If you occasionally play a series of simple original (non variant) Sudoku puzzles at the highest speed you can solve them, your brain/eye learns to spot numbers that may be leftover in pencil marks or already solved. I find it does sometimes helps me cut down on getting stuck, when an obvious clue is right in front of me. I think of it as Sudoku speed reading. I can run through several simple puzzles at about 2 to 3 minutes each. I suspect you would be much faster!
The way that Simon's brain switches between utilizing the most complex sudoku logic and the most complex number-difference logic while ignoring the most obvious deductions from both is astonishing; it really says something about his brilliance and the level of complexity that he is used to operate at!
all the collections of cells in the same position within their boxes form disjoint sets, and each of those are filled sequentially corresponding with the box numbers. that's pretty neat. e.g top left cornes go 3-4-5- etc. and so on for each position.
Once the first three rows were penciled in, you could see that the 234 in column 2 had to be spread out to rows 579. Filling in the top boxes and then the left boxes quickly followed. I rarely have a smoother solve than Simon.
What a beautiful puzzle! I worked down the columns but simply from left to right. In fact column 2 was very productive. And very quickly roping became obvious so the grid gets filled in very quickly then just apply the rule. Lovely.
Loved this puzzle as a casual miracle. 12.01 for me because it just clicked and flowed nicely. Will now watch the video and see if the approach was the same!
There is a symmetry against the x and Y axis. Digits on opposite sides of the axis are always the "opposite" digit from each other, 1 is opposite 9, 2 is opposite 8 and so on.
This one was a lot of fun! Got it in 11:26, using sudokupad's conflict checker pretty heavily but it was really neat to see how easily the rules made this one emerge.
Very nice puzzle! Apart from all the roping (both horizontally and vertically) the solution also obeys a disjoint subset constraint. Moreover, those disjoint subsets contain the digits in their natural order. What a discovery!
Took longer than I care to admit for it to “click” that this was basically just the non-consecutive rule on steroids, but once it did the rest of my solve went very quickly and smoothly, indeed. Very enjoyable!
(Miraculously) 9.10 for me, this is one of the most creative sudoku idea i have ever seen for a while, love it. Wish the best to simon and the creator of the puzzle ❤🎉
I was so proud of myself in finishing this 10 minutes quicker than the length of Simon's solve (from "Let's get cracking" to the end of the video). Then once I started watching it I realised my presuming that all 9 central digits could be filled in was completely wrong, and I just got very lucky... 😂
Its incredible how Simon is blind for the '3-difference' and '4-difference' rules all the time, absolutely refusing to look at the four neighbours of a square he just deduced. Of course that's probably a result of being used to far more complex puzzles that don't unravel as easily as this one, but it's fun to see even a great Solver like Simon has his ''blind spots'', and makes us mere mortals imagine we can come close :)
Lovely puzzle! Nice solve Simon. But I feel like you forgot a bit about the 4 difference across the border rule, would have made a lot of digits easier to fill in.
The digits in the columns, in each box, are always in the same order, but never in the same column. You can just place the digits in the last 3 rows by knowing that. For example 3,7,2 6,1,5 9,4,8. It's actually amazing
Similar. I checked afterwards. I did complete row 2 first, just, but then went rows 1,3,4,5,6. (I then switched to filling in the bottom three boxes by going column 1 through 9. (Well, almost. Went 1,3,2,4-9))
I don't generally do the puzzles myself, as I don't have a lot of time, but this one looked pretty easy and fun. Finished in 15:16. Great puzzle. If I had just "trusted my gut" instead of logically following every step, I probably would have finished in about 7 minutes, when I noticed that roping looked like it was forced both horizontally and vertically, but I couldn't convince myself I was right, so I logically followed every cell through the puzzle.
I didn't figured it out yet, but I guess there is a perfectly logical (maybe mathematical as well) reason for all this roping, like in each box, each line is a set of digits with the same mod3 modularity. I think the reason Simon didn't find it easy at all is that he didn't find that logic during his solve. This logic might be the key point of this. Adding the rule of the central digit finishing to find each order and place of each little set. Quite remarkable puzzle, quite good solve as well. Thanks Matt!
So funny to see you solve this just the day when I sent you an e-mail about it. But yes, I would've hoped a lot a of people recommended it. It was a fun discovery! Thanks for sharing your reactions and your way of solving!
I think SImon was overthinking this one qute a bit. I found it pretty easy to go from row 3 to row 4 just using the two given constraints, and then similarly down through rows 5 and 6, and then quickly wrapping it up in boxes 7. 8, 9 by using the remaining triplets in each column. Perhaps my solution was a bit plodding, but it was smooth, straightforward, and involved no actual sukoku per se. BTW, this was featured by the wonderful "SUDOKU SLEUTH"" three days ago, under the title "Three WIshes (Miracle)".
Definitely agree. The biggest thing that led to overthinking IMO was that he didn't notice the way (and need) to break the symmetry around r2. He had so many pencil marks in r1 and r3 before he considered the relation between r2c2 and r5c2 (the centers of boxes 1,4). Doing that earlier makes it much easier to actually place digitts rather than just a litany of pencil marks.
Finished in 12:14. Pretty approachable, you just have to keep the differences straight between the regions and within regions. Fun puzzle and a wonderful miracle sudoku!
Truly beautiful puzzle. Very approachable although it took a bit to get going. Finished in 18:33. Although puzzles like this one aren't particularly hard they are some of my favorites because of how beautifully they unfold.
