Sudoku Puzzles

Solution since I don't usually do these on the weekends I am here 1 day early:na
1. H1=9, h5=7, b5=4, b1=7, b9=3, h9=5, h7=3, h8=8
2. Looking at 2,6 in Bh8, 59 in Bb2, eliminate possibilities
3. Looking at 2,4 in row 2, eliminate possibilities
4. Looking at 7,9 in Col e, eliminate possibilities, d8=3

5. Looking at 5’s in Be7, eliminate some possibilities
6. Looking at e6=1/6, e3=4. Proof: if e6=6, e3=4. If e6=1, a1=1, c3=6, e3=4
7. E4=2, g5=2, g8=6, h8=2, d4=4, i6=6, e6=1, e7=6
8. Looking at 68 in Be5, c5=1, c3=6,a1=1, a9=6

9. Looking at 79 in Be2, remove possibilities
10. F3=3, f2=8,f1=2, d1=6, d5=8
11. If e2=9 or e8=9, i9=4. Proof e2=9, d3=7, i3=1, i9=4. If e8=9, f9=1, i9=4
12. Simple to end

Well done Mike. May I add that this one is same as dec 2d, up to minor changes?

9:43 First try no guesses

Morning all... will we hear from Andre today??

Arrggh, once more my evil plan of being first has been stopped. Next time, Next time.

9:10 and that sponge cake again.
It's 10:45pm here so 'goodnight' everyone.

Great job, Mike from Sugarland. Still no guess at all.

What fun it is to discover and grasp logic that has formerly escaped my notice! Sometimes, the obvious is hidden in plain sight. I learn something new every time I play this awesome game! I like to warm up my thinking with the easy puzzle and then do the tough one. It struck me that this isn't much More...

Too long to admit to!
That cake is awfully tempting.

Hi Mike, unless you're far from here for the weekend,

in your step 4, 'h8=2' is probably a typo for 'i8=2.

in your step 10, I don't get f1=2 by evidence (I have possibles 26 in f1...). Did I miss something?

To gb:
I went through Mike's footsteps as well. You are right i8=2 in step 7 (not 4) since h8=8 (obvious)before starting.
In step 10, I get f1=2 by evidence since the step before is f5=6 (not mentioned by Mike) by evidence (coming from f2=8).

4th puzzle, they get easier every time...8 mins, mistakes included...i guess the goal is to get to 8 mins no mistakes! fun fun fun

You're right Valy for Mike's step 10 !
For anyone who cares, my steps :
1) easy to 28 filled.
2) looking at 5 in Be8, at 26 in i8g8, at 59 in b2b3, eliminate some possibles.
3) looking at 24 in a2c2, at 79 in e2e9, eliminate some possibles.
4) looking at 1 in R5, eliminate e3=6. Now More...

4:20 No thank you. Not before lunch.

15:01! Yeah. Very good for me because I didn't guess at any. I used logic now that I know more rules to apply!

00:19:16, with possibilities and no guesses. tried the tough one for the first time earlier this week, so have to say, this isn't a bad time at all! didn't even make any mistakes..

MIKE FROM TX - I live in Summerfield (Somerfield?), right behind Pheasant Creek. The Sudoku World is a small one indeed.

That cake would have looked better if it had strawberries on it! :)

cakes like this should come with recipes. :)

then we might be tempted JO to make it and eat it too yummmy

11:01, finally got one. By the way, how are these lettered and numbered?

Hi all, it's freezing and wet here, will be back at the tough ones tomorrow

tom from minnesota - a-i are columns from left to right and rows are numbered 1-9 from bottom to top (chess carry over). GATH, how about you mark the grid with these?
ps - Boxes referenced by their middle cell e.g Bb8 = top left box.

rather a dificult one!

16:17 Worst time yet I think, found this one very tough.

14:06

I thought I was starting to understand after reading Jimmy's explanation but when I went back to Mike's steps, I got confused again. He's got:
1. H1=9, h5=7, b5=4, b1=7, b9=3, h9=5, h7=3, h8=8
but, for instance, I see a 9 in i3 so h1 can't be a 9 (Bh2), and there's a 9 in c9 so b9 can't be a 9 (Bb8).
Am I seeing a different puzzle? Help!

08:13

incidentally murali happens to be the son-in-law of the land 0f sachin the great.
murali=muthya muralidharan
sachin=sachintendulkar

I generally get there in the end! gb- I had to use your step 4)'looking at 1 in R5 eliminate e3=6'- it's so obvious when you follow it- is there any secret for finding these chains or is it trial and error or intuition- I suppose you will say some of each! Any suggestions as to how to start looking??

Just gained 5 lbs. looking at the picture!!!

ok. hard one...

To Peter from Carterton:

Hi Peter: You usually find a chain with only 2 possibilities anywhere in the grid but same number very often (here 16/46/16/...) and it is like a polygon. The result is always whatever the possibilities in one cell is (here 1 or 6), the result somewhere remains the More...

Hi Peter,
Valy told you the idea. In order to find those polygons I use to take paper and pencil and write down a catalog of links (ie pairs of possibles with at least one true) until luck and patience make some of them close into an oddagon.
On your example, the links were More...

Many thanks Valy and gb. Yes,I've read all about FCs- and followed your reasoning gb on the example given. I just need to follow through your latest advice and keep practising finding them!!

Still that sickly looking sponge cake. the cream must have gone sour on it by now!!