The Simple Trick For Hard Sudokus

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▶Today's Puzzle◀

Today's sudoku has been suggested by Kevin Morford. Mark tested it and his verdict was that it was VERY challenging. Give the puzzle a try at the link below and let us know what you think!

Rules:
Normal sudoku rules apply. ie fill each row, column and 3x3 box with the digits 1 to 9, exactly once each.

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Our competition to solve Sam Cappleman-Lynes puzzle is over. The puzzle can be played below and a video on how to solve it is available NOW on our patreon page.

We will announce the winners of the merch shortly!

Rules:
Normal sudoku rules apply. In cages digits sum to the small clue in the top left corner of the cage. Digits cannot repeat in a cage. Clues outside the grid give the sum of the cells on the indicated diagonal. Digits may repeat along the diagonal.

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▶SOFTWARE◀
Play the puzzle in the video by clicking the link under the video (above). We are building a website which will allow you to enter your own sudoku puzzles into the software and this is coming soon!

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Melvyn Mainini

▶ABOUT US◀
Hi! We're Simon Anthony and Mark Goodliffe, two of the UK's most enthusiastic puzzle solvers. We have both represented the UK at the World Sudoku Championships and the World Puzzle Championships. We're also "cryptic crossword" aficionados. Mark is the twelve-time winner of The Times championship and Simon is the former record holder for most consecutive correct solutions to The Listener crossword. We hope we can help your puzzle solving while also introducing you to some of the world's best puzzles.

Thank you for watching!
Simon and Mark

[DonnyTheNerdfighter]

Before watching this puzzle I'd never figured out how to find hidden pairs. I genuinely learned something in today's puzzle. This video should be flagged as essential sudoku learning material.

[BozoTheBear]

"When you see extremely intelligent people talk about difficult things, the fluency with which they do it is so impressive."

Pretty much sums up your videos, Simon!!

[boman]

Solved it! Used 2 pencils, a blowtorch, a couple eyes of newt, a rebuilt Flux Capacitor, beef jerky, and a realization that "there is no spoon." Once the owl bobbinsed out of the radio and we filled the tires with pie, we discovered my and the hidden pairs leapt out like dark from night. Easy peasy.
Well done Simon, brilliant as always. Marking this for re-watch to learn how to spot those hidden pairs in less than 13 days with a reverse time loop.

[Kuzim]

I absolutely adore those rare and short moments between "sorry, this is not going well" and "oh, this is interesting". Applies to almost every "classic sudoku" type of puzzle being solved by Simon. My most recent hobby, thanks Simon!

[anandkulkarni]

His pattern recognition skills amaze me. I would have never been able to solve this sudoku without those big hints of hidden pairs. Kudos to Simon.

[lukostello]

His pattern finding skills are off the charts

[molaeiali]

First digit after 16 minutes, whole video is 22 😅 what a key to the puzzle

[katecrawford]

I just LOVE how polite and kind Simon is - a pleasure to watch you solve!

[stevepinard]

A Paper Tiger. Never seen a puzzle with such a difficult break-in collapse so quickly and completely. Sadly, I wasn't in the mood for a difficult start, so I let Simon do the hard work.

[Keldorn]

My time was 36:46 on this one, and I've got Cracking the Cryptic to thank for that. A year ago I knew precisely zero sudoku techniques, not even naked singles, and now I'm spotting two swordfishes leading to a hidden triple <3 You guys have my undying gratitude and utmost respect. Still, despite solving it, I'm glad I watched the video, that two hidden pairs was new and amazing to me. My pathway was already described by other people in the comments, I did the swordfishes on 2's and 7's, which allows you to spot a 1/5/6 triple in row 8. That btw, interestingly enough, creates a naked single seven in box 9, so my first digit was r8c9=7. Simon's first digit in r8c1=4 came much later for me quite intriguingly :D

[steviedmrbk]

*Looks at the video length* ..."hmm, 21 minutes, I'm havin' a go of this..."
4 minutes later..."nope, nothing!" 🤗🤗

[MartsGarage]

15 minutes in. Not a single digit placed. Time to see how Simon does it. Edit: Wow. It seems so simple but I wouldn't have spotted it in a million years. Thanks Simon. Oh yeah, nice intro.

[Fabroskii]

At 13 minutes I was questioning whether this was part 1 of a multi-part series lol

Well done Simon !

[DaRaginGamer]

This video unlocked a part of my brain that I didn’t know could be possible. I’m now solving every sodoku in under 10 minutes

[guanyin]

This was definitely a puzzle to highlight the importance of hidden pairs. There are also a couple of swordfishes on 2's and 7's in rows and columns 1, 5, and 9. However, the puzzle is more quickly solvable by spotting and using the hidden pairs instead.

[RasperHelpdesk]

Nice to have a puzzle that doesn't require solving a system of equations to start ;)

[rweisele]

Finding the hidden pairs has been a key that I discovered some time back, and though I do it a little differently, it is still the key that unlocks some of these classic puzzles. Without using the technique of finding 'hidden pair' you are really in the dark trying to solve some of these!! Thanks, Simon, for reassuring me that I am a true Sudoku solver, and I love watching you do the really tough 1, 2 and 3 digit starters!!

[dvkprod]

I love the bassy sound of your keyboard, it really adds to the incredibly emotionally soothing experience of your videos, which in some weird way cohabitates with and even enchances the intellectual side of the subject at hand.

[grenvillephillips]

I loved that one. It was like seeing a lock being picked.

[SandyS.]

There is instruction in this video. For a SLOW player such as myself, the thinking-out-loud really helps. Definitely will watch the beginning of this tutorial again.