Tuesday, 17 November 2009

Times Sudoku Number 2863

Nick Drew reckons this Sudoku puzzle has two possible solutions, and that somewhere you can swap round 6's and 9's. The yellow squares are the numbers provided and the rest is my suggested solution. Can anybody work out which 6's and which 9's?

11 comments:

Nick Drew said...

humility corner ...

before anyone wastes an entire afternoon I need to weaken my claim

not 2 solutions to the puzzle as set; but a switcheroo possibility does indeed exist within the completed square, as per Mark's solution

(it was your yellow that highlighted this - in the original black-n-red I'd missed it)

the search continues

*creeps away furtively*

Mark Wadsworth said...

Yup, row 7 & 9, columns 3 & 7. Only two of the 6's were already in place (which I didn't notice until I'd coloured them yellow, to be fair).

Nick Drew said...

actually I was looking at rows 2 & 5, cols 8 & 9 ! (and only one of these 4 numbers was already in place)

Mark Wadsworth said...

ND, right, I think we've both learned a valuable lesson: doing a Sudoku post is something you usually end up regretting, a bit like clicking "Reply all" on an email.

James Higham said...

Head's spinning already.

MTG said...

I didn't read the comments first and went straight to times online for the original grid (not that I mistrust any sudoku gubbins on this blog).

Yes, I agree with the solution.

Mark Wadsworth said...

MTG, I did a Sudoko post recently on one I had messed up (without even realising I'd messed it up, for shame), so I'm heartily relieved that you did your own solution and came to the same one as I did.

Anonymous said...

all 6's and 9' can be switched around

MTG said...

Dear Anon @ 14:51

There is but one solution to this sudoku.

All numbers, including the 6's and 9's, are fixed by virtue of those given in the original grid.

Mark Wadsworth said...

MTG, maybe Anon meant you could turn it umop ap!sdn - that would swap all the 6's and 9's round.

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No just better at Sudoku - at the moment! There are lots of ways of being 'smart' - there are people who are brilliant scientists but can't tie their own shoelaces, and superb sportsmen who can barely string two words together when they speak.