Sudoku

Timing TBLR Sudoku, 6/4/10-6/17/10

I’m not showing the period from 5/21/10 to 6/3/10, because even though I did some of the puzzles, I lost my notepad in which I was keeping the times. My children mocked me to scorn about my notepad, saying things like “Oh, it’s your little diary, it’s so cute!” But they’re just going to have to deal with it. But I digress.

For those who are just tuning in, this is the eleventh of a series of posts normally (but not this time) occuring once every two weeks. In these posts, I show how long it takes for me to do a Sudoku puzzle with the additional restriction of having to fill in the numbers in top-to-bottom, left-to-right order. Hence the name TBLR Sudoku.

I was contemplating using the loss of my notepad as an excuse to end this series of posts. But I’ve been attaining new personal bests recently. I haven’t gotten to the point where I don’t think I’ll be able to improve upon my times. You’ll know when I get there, because that will be the last post in this series.

Of course, some clever person might be able to improve on my times. Any competition would be interesting.

Here are the times for the last two weeks, shown with the difference between the time and my personal best for that level of difficulty. I don’t remember if I had a new personal best during the previous two-week period

6/17/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
6/16/10 – 3-Star, 19:10, 8:16 improvement on previous personal best, 31% improvement. I was pleasantly shocked by this.
6/15/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
6/14/10 – 1-Star, 24:24, 6:11 slower than my personal best (PB+6:11), and 33% slower than my personal best (PB+33%)
6/13/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
6/12/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
6/11/10 – 5-Star, 1:01:45, PB+30:07, PB+95%
6/10/10 – 4-Star, Fail
6/09/10 – 3-Star, 36:28, PB+9:02, PB+32%
6/08/10 – 2-Star, 32:49, PB+17:42, PB+117%
6/07/10 – 1-Star, 20:40, PB+2:27, PB+13%
6/06/10 – Unknown
6/05/10 – Unknown
6/04/10 – Unknown

1-Star: 18:13, 11/23/09
2-Star: 15:07, 4/27/10
3-Star: 19:10, 6/16/10
4-Star: 28:52, 2/18/10
5-Star: 31:38, 3/19/10
6-Star: 45:09, 2/13/10

Technorati: Sudoku

Timing TBLR Sudoku, 4/9/10-4/22/10

It has been emerging in my thinking to not only look for pairs of numbers that fit in two squares, but for triples of numbers that fit in there squares. This has made the solution go a little faster on easier puzzles.

For those who are just tuning in, this is the eighth of a series of posts occuring once every two weeks. In these posts, I show how long it takes for me to do a Sudoku puzzle with the additional restriction of having to fill in the numbers in top-to-bottom, left-to-right order. Hence the name TBLR Sudoku.

Here are the times for the last two weeks, shown with the difference between the time and my personal best for that level of difficulty.

4/22/10 – 4-Star Sudoku in the Star-Tribune, top-to-bottom, left-to-right, Fail
4/21/10 – 3-Star, 39:24, 11:58 slower than my personal best (PB+11:58)
4/20/10 – 2-Star, 26:13, PB+5:49
4/19/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
4/18/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
4/17/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
4/16/10 – 5-Star, 45:02, PB+13:24
4/15/10 – 4-Star, Fail
4/14/10 – 3-Star, Fail
4/13/10 – 2-Star, 26:19, PB+5:55
4/12/10 – 1-Star, 31:44, PB+13:31
4/11/10 – 5-Star, 56:08, PB+24:30
4/10/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
4/09/10 – 5-Star, 38:46, PB+7:08

The personal bests haven’t changed from the last post. This is the first time in eight weeks that I’ve gone for 2 weeks without a new personal best.

1-Star: 18:13, 11/23/09
2-Star: 20:24, 1/12/10
3-Star: 27:26, 3/24/10
4-Star: 28:52, 2/18/10
5-Star: 31:38, 3/19/10
6-Star: 45:09, 2/13/10

Technorati: Sudoku

Timing TBLR Sudoku, 3/26/10-4/8/10

When doing a Sudoku puzzle that’s relatively difficult, I sooner or later get to a place where I have to see if one of two alternatives leads to a contradiction. It raises the question of what constitutes a “lucky” guess. If I pick the alternative that is the correct one, I will solve the puzzle eventually, but I won’t find a contradiction. I may fill in quite a few numbers before realizing “Oh, this is the answer, isn’t it?” So a lucky guess from the standpoint of solving the puzzle eventually, isn’t necessarily a lucky guess from the standpoint of solving the puzzle quickly. Got that?

For those who are just tuning in, this is the seventh of a series of posts occuring once every two weeks. In these posts, I show how long it takes for me to do a Sudoku puzzle with the additional restriction of having to fill in the numbers in top-to-bottom, left-to-right order. Hence the name TBLR Sudoku.

Here are the times for the last two weeks, shown with the difference between the time and my personal best for that level of difficulty.

4/08/10 – 4-Star Sudoku in the Star-Tribune, top-to-bottom, left-to-right, 43:57, 15:05 slower than my personal best (PB+15:05).
4/07/10 – 3-Star, 36:55, PB+9:29
4/06/10 – 2-Star, 18:42, 1:42 improvement on my personal best (for a 2-Star) from 1/12/10
4/05/10 – 1-Star, 19:16, PB+1:03
4/04/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
4/03/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
4/02/10 – 5-Star, 45:46, PB+14:08
4/01/10 – 4-Star, 33:48, PB+4:56
3/31/10 – 3-Star, Fail
3/30/10 – 2-Star, 29:57, PB+9:33
3/29/10 – 1-Star, Fail
3/28/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
3/27/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
3/26/10 – 5-Star, Fail

Here are the updated personal bests:

1-Star: 18:13, 11/23/09
2-Star: 20:24, 1/12/10
3-Star: 27:26, 3/24/10
4-Star: 28:52, 2/18/10
5-Star: 31:38, 3/19/10
6-Star: 45:09, 2/13/10

Technorati: Sudoku

Timing TBLR Sudoku, 3/12/10-3/25/10

Part of doing Sudoku puzzles on a timed basis is the ability to move on quickly from a situation where one can’t make any further progress without finding more restrictions, or more squares in other places. At least for me, anyway.

For those who are just tuning in, this is the seventh of a series of posts occuring once every two weeks. In these posts, I show how long it takes for me to do a Sudoku puzzle with the additional restriction of having to fill in the numbers in top-to-bottom, left-to-right order. Hence the name TBLR Sudoku.

Here are the times for the last two weeks, shown with the difference between the time and my personal best for that level of difficulty.

3/25/10 – 4-Star Sudoku in the Star-Tribune, top-to-bottom, left-to-right, Fail.
3/24/10 – 3-Star, 27:26, 2:57 improvement on my personal best (for a 3-Star) from 3/10/10
3/23/10 – 2-Star, 21:27, 1:03 slower than my personal best (PB+1:03)
3/22/10 – 1-Star, Fail. Trying altogether too hard, evidently.
3/21/10 – 5-Star, Fail.
3/20/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
3/19/10 – 5-Star, 31:38, 3:35 improvement on PB from 2/26/10
3/18/10 – 4-Star, 32:49, PB+3:57
3/17/10 – 3-Star, 32:29, PB+2:06
3/16/10 – 2-Star, 24:09, PB+3:45
3/15/10 – 1-Star, 30:00, PB+11:47
3/14/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
3/13/10 – 6-Star, 53:24, PB+8:15
3/12/10 – 5-Star, 38:21, PB+3:08

Here are the updated personal bests:

1-Star: 18:13, 11/23/09
2-Star: 20:24, 1/12/10
3-Star: 27:26, 3/24/10
4-Star: 28:52, 2/18/10
5-Star: 31:38, 3/19/10
6-Star: 45:09, 2/13/10

Technorati: Sudoku

Timing TBLR Sudoku, 2/26/10-3/11/10

The more Sudoku puzzles I do, the less shocking certain situations become. For example, it’s getting less surprising that I may have to search for a contradiction or tautology by making a choice for a square that has gotten down to two possibilities.

For those who are just tuning in, this is the sixth of a series of posts occuring once every two weeks. In these posts, I show how long it takes for me to do a Sudoku puzzle with the additional restriction of having to fill in the numbers in top-to-bottom, left-to-right order. Hence the name TBLR Sudoku.

Here are the times for the last two weeks, shown with the difference between the time and my personal best for that level of difficulty.

3/11/10 – 4-Star Sudoku in the Star-Tribune, top-to-bottom, left-to-right, 45:58, 17:06 slower than my personal best (PB+17:06)
3/10/10 – 3-Star, 30:23, 1:23 improvement over previous PB, 1/20/10
3/09/10 – 2-Star, 33:29, PB+13:05
3/08/10 – 1-Star, Fail. Again, not really sure what that was about.
3/07/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
3/06/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
3/05/10 – 5-Star, 40:22, PB+2:43
3/04/10 – 4-Star, 46:16, PB+17:24
3/03/10 – 3-Star, 46:09, PB+14:24
3/02/10 – 2-Star, 27:13, PB+8:49
3/01/10 – 1-Star, 28:06, PB+9:53
2/28/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
2/27/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
2/26/10 – 5-Star, 35:13, 2:26 improvement over previous PB, 2/12/10

Here are the updated personal bests:

1-Star: 18:13, 11/23/09
2-Star: 20:24, 1/12/10
3-Star: 30:23, 3/10/10
4-Star: 28:52, 2/18/10
5-Star: 35:13, 2/26/10
6-Star: 45:09, 2/13/10

Technorati: Sudoku

Timing TBLR Sudoku, 2/12/10-2/25/10

I wondered to myself how long I will continue this series of posts, and I’m currently thinking that if I go three periods of two weeks without a new personal best, that I will quit writing these posts.

For those who are just tuning in, this is the fifth of a series of posts occuring once every two weeks. In these posts, I show how long it takes for me to do a Sudoku puzzle with the additional restriction of having to fill in the numbers in top-to-bottom, left-to-right order. Hence the name TBLR Sudoku.

2/25/10 – 4-Star Sudoku in the Star-Tribune, top-to-bottom, left-to-right, 52:37
2/24/10 – 3-Star, 34:17, Personal Best +2:31
2/23/10 – 2-Star, Fail. Not really sure what that was about.
2/22/10 – 1-Star, 25:06, PB +6:53
2/21/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
2/20/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
2/19/10 – 5-Star, 40:02, PB +0:04
2/18/10 – 4-Star, 28:52, 5:05 improvement on previous PB
2/17/10 – 3-Star, 44:13, PB +11:27
2/16/10 – 2-Star, 37:31, PB +17:07
2/15/10 – 1-Star, 25:46, PB +7:33
2/14/10 – 5-Star, Fail
2/13/10 – 6-Star, 45:09, 8:29 improvement on previous PB
2/12/10 – 5-Star, 37:39, 2:19 improvement on previous PB

Here are the updated personal bests:

1-Star: 18:13, 11/23/09
2-Star: 20:24, 1/12/10
3-Star: 31:46, 1/20/10
4-Star: 28:52, 2/18/10
5-Star: 37:39, 2/12/10
6-Star: 45:09, 2/13/10

I do these puzzles to build up my skill for contemplating the puzzle of my existence.

Technorati: Sudoku

Timing TBLR Sudoku, 1/29/10-2/11/10

I’ve modified my strategy to scan the rows, columns and 3 X 3 boxes to see if there are any with six or more numbers in them. If there aren’t any, then I just start my usual scan. Drew Brees said that the Saints took what the Colts gave them. It’s generally a good thing to take what the puzzle gives you.

For those who are just tuning in, this is one of a series of posts where I show how long it takes for me to do a Sudoku puzzle with the additional restriction of having to fill in the numbers in top-to-bottom, left-to-right order. Hence the name TBLR Sudoku.

Here are the times from the past two weeks.

2/11/10 – 4-Star Sudoku in the Star-Tribune, done filling in the numbers top-to-bottom, left-to-right, in 46:06, nowhere near my personal best, but any completion is good.
2/10/10 – 3-Star, Fail. I got some numbers switched around in my mind.
2/09/10 – 2-Star, 35:29
2/08/10 – 1-Star, 26:07
2/07/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle, was preoccupied with the Super Bowl
2/06/10 – 6-Star, completed the puzzle but didn’t time it. It just didn’t seem right to tell a hungry child “Can’t you see I’m working on this puzzle, and timing it?”
2/05/10 – 5-Star, Fail. It had something to do with getting alternative possibilities mixed up in my head.
2/04/10 – 4-Star, Fail. My previous fail before this one was on January 15, so I had a nice run of puzzle success.
2/03/10 – 3-Star, 1:09:20. At many times the opportunity to just make a choice and see if it works presented itself, but I resisted temptation.
2/02/10 – 2-Star, 29:57
2/01/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle, not really sure why. I believe I did it, but somehow didn’t record my time.
1/31/10 – 5-Star, 57:21
1/30/10 – 6-Star, 1:05:00
1/29/10 – 5-Star, 51:50

There were no new personal bests this week, so the personal bests are unchanged from the last post.

1-Star: 18:13, 11/23/09
2-Star: 20:24, 1/12/10
3-Star: 31:46, 1/20/10
4-Star: 33:37, 1/28/10
5-Star: 39:58, 12/11/09
6-Star: 53:38, 1/23/10

I’m hoping that someone will read these posts, and realize that I’m occasionally capable of a certain degree of concentration.

Technorati: Sudoku

Timing TBLR Sudoku, 1/15/2010 – 1/28/2010

It seems to be working out to write one of these posts every two weeks, instead of once a week as originally planned.

For those who are just tuning in, this is one of a series of posts where I show how long it takes for me to do a Sudoku puzzle with the additional restriction of having to fill in the numbers in top-to-bottom, left-to-right order. Hence the name TBLR Sudoku.

My strategy has given higher priority to looking for six numbers in every row, column and 3 x 3 box before I start my regular scan. Furthermore, whenever I get six numbers in a row, column, or 3 x 3 box, I interrupt my scan and see if I can finish that row, column or box. If I can’t, then it’s a sign I need to do more scanning.

Here are the times from the last two weeks:

1/28/10 – 4-Star Sudoku in the Star-Tribune, done filling in the numbers top-to-bottom, left-to-right, in 33:47, a new personal best for a 4-Star, an improvement of almost 5 minutes on the previous personal best.
1/27/10 – 3-Star, 41:25
1/26/10 – 2-Star, 27:19
1/25/10 – 1-Star, I was interrupted by some friends, and I didn’t want to say “Can’t you see I’m doing a puzzle?!?” No time recorded for this day.
1/24/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
1/23/10 – 6-Star, 53:38, a new personal best for a 6-Star, an improvement of over 8 minutes on the previous personal best
1/22/10 – 5-Star, 40:08
1/21/10 – 4-Star, 1:00:44
1/20/10 – 3-Star, 31:46, a new personal best for a 3-Star, an improvement of almost 10 minutes on the previous personal best
1/19/10 – 2-Star, 26:34
1/18/10 – 1-Star, 26:48
1/17/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
1/16/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
1/15/10 – 5-Star, Fail after 90 minutes

The personal bests are as follows:

1-Star: 18:13, 11/23/09
2-Star: 20:24, 1/12/10
3-Star: 31:46, 1/20/10
4-Star: 33:37, 1/28/10
5-Star: 39:58, 12/11/09
6-Star: 53:38, 1/23/10

The interesting thing about doing these puzzles this way is learning how to not suffer when I don’t have enough information to fill in a square, to realize I need to just keep looking.

Technorati: Sudoku

Timing TBLR Sudoku, 1/1/10 – 1/14/10

I’m noticing that as I do more Sudoku puzzles, I’m developing a greater ability to know what three numbers are missing, when given a sequence of six numbers. For example, if I look at 2 8 4 6 9 5, I can quickly see that 1 3 7 is what’s missing. At this point, you are supposed to say “You have a lot of time on your hands, don’t you?”

Here are the times for the last two weeks

1/14/10 – I solved the 4-star Sudoku in the Star-Tribune, top to bottom and left to right (TBLR), but as I started to do the puzzle, I realized I had not put on my watch that morning, and so was unable to time it.
1/13/10 – 3-star, 41 minutes and 6 seconds. New personal best for a 3-star
1/12/10 – 2-star, 20:24. New personal best for a 2-star
1/11/10 – 1-star, 25:15. My best recorded time on a 1-star is 18:13
1/10/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
1/09/10 – 6-star, 1:04:00. First time ever to solve a 6-star TBLR, a new personal best
1/08/10 – 5-star, TBLR Fail. I then tried doing it the normal way, and Failed again.
1/07/10 – 4-star, 57:36. My best recorded time on a 4-star is 38:31
1/06/10 – 3-star, TBLR Fail. I did the puzzle successfully the regular way.
1/05/10 – 2-star, 27:27 First time to solve a 2-star TBLR, a new personal best
1/04/10 – 1-star, TBLR Fail. I got impatient and made a guess, which turned out to be wrong
1/03/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
1/02/10 – Didn’t do the puzzle
1/01/10 – 5-star, 47:32. My best recorded time on a 5-star is 39:58

I’d like to think I’m getting better at this, but I’m not really what the point is, besides being more focused in using my imagination.

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Timing TBLR Sudoku, Since The Last Post, Whenever That Was

So much for doing one post each week showing my TBLR (Top-to-Bottom, Left-to-Right) Sudoku times. But I will give you the last week-or-so’s worth of times.

12/31/09 – 4-Star Sudoku, (Star-Tribune) 38:31
12/30/09 – 3-Star Sudoku, 50:31. Don’t really know why it took so long.
12/29/09 – Silver Janrick Sudoku (Pioneer-Press) 28:27. I did the Janrick Sudoku in the Pioneer-Press because I stupidly put 50 cents in the Star-Tribune news rack in front of the Ford Parkway Bakers Square, only to discover that it was sold out. I was clearly not paying attention.
12/28/09 – Bronze Janrick Sudoku 16:something-something. I did the Janrick Sudoku because I did the 2-star Sudoku with the gentleman in Lund’s who does the Sudoku puzzles entirely in his mind. We didn’t do this one in our minds.
12/25/09 – 5-Star Sudoku, Fail.
12/24/09 – 4-Star Sudoku, Fail.

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