Killer Samurai

DJApe created a life-ending samurai killer sudoku!

I haven't finished it yet......

Trying the Japanese Solver, AGAIN

OK, ever since the history of time I have known about this one Japanese solver here:

http://homepage3.nifty.com/funahashi/game/game676eng.html

It didn't seem to work, but that may be because I tried to use it with useless-ass Internet Explorer. (Dear Bill Gates: I hate you.) It also uses Javascript. But now I'm going to try it with Firefox -- and test it with Miyuki's worst killer sudoku. Ha ha ha!

The simple instructions are:

1) Click on a cage button (like the one labelled "se01"). An asterisk will identify the active cage.

2) Fill in the cage value to the right of the button. Then, select the squares that make up the cage by clicking on the underscore in each square. (You can do this in any order, and even edit the cage value later.)

3) To start a new cage, click the next cage button (i.e., "se02") or click the "set next area" button.

4) Once you have all the data entered, you press "Solver" and pray that it's doing something.

And I've learned, it can't handle cages with more than 9 squares, and it can't handle non-contiguous cages. So it didn't work. I'll just have to try it again on a more normal samunamupure. When I'm less tired....

A working killer sudoku solver!

Teostress mentions a killer sudoku solver previously unknown to me. Three strikes against it: it's in Java, it's in Spanish, and it's in Beta. But it does work -- on Firefox, at least. (I had troubles using it on Explorer.) Yay!

Here is my (highly improved) translation of the instructions:

"Right-click the squares that make up each of the Killer Sudoku's groups. (You can only click a black "0", not a grey one.) When you click on a square, an "Abrir Grupo" (Open Group) menu will ask you for two pieces of data: (1) the number of squares that make up the group, and (2) the sum total of the squares in that group. To add a neighboring square to the open group, right-click on the square and select "Anadir al Grupo" (Add to Group). When you run out of squares to add to the group, the solver will put you in a new spot to open a new group. Once you've taken care of all 81 squares, press "Resuelve" (Solve). Solving a killer sudoku takes more time than a normal Sudoku, but only by a matter of seconds. On a Pentium II 300 Mhz, this applet solved a killer sudoku in 40 seconds."

It takes FOREVER to fill in. Don't make a mistake, either, because if you do, you will have to erase everything and do it all over. (And it's pretty easy to make mistakes because you want to put in the total first, not the number of squares!) But it solved my samunamupure in less than 2 seconds!

One thing I've learned: do samunamupures that have answer keys available. Because using these solvers is a pain in the butt.

DJApe's solution tip discussion

I realize that I have a thing against DJApe. Maybe it's the name, or his comment spam all over the universe to promote his over-automated sudoku maker, or whatever. Or perhaps it's just the utter hideousness of his website.

But there are some complicated discussions of solving tips, which may be helpful to you. Have fun!

Link

Allora -- Killer Sudoku in italiano!

For the "appassionati" of killer sudokus in Italy, I present you:

killersudoku.it

It's an Italian-language site with a blog (which it will be hoped, will be better maintained than my own), instructions, solving tips, and pasta recipes. Eh, maybe not the last one -- my Italian, she's not so good.

Grazie mille, Teostress!

Weekly samunamupure source

A place to get free weekly killer sudokus. They're generally too easy, but they print well.

Derrr - the Times has them too!

Print out the Times' daily sudoku -- it now includes one killer per day. They are on #63 today! They actually seem to be easier than DJ Ape's -- perhaps because they are made by a meticulous Japanese woman, while DJ Ape's are obviously created by some random computer. The November 17th puzzle, however, is really hard. Haven't finished it yet, even though it is merely rated "Tough."

Miyuki's Sudokus and Solving Techniques

The incredible, indefatigable Miyuki Misawa created a few killer sudokus with possible solving methods! Which is helpful to compare/contrast techniques. Plus, at the end of the page, a horrifying one (pictured), with a large area of missing cages, and which I haven't managed to solve yet even though she gives you some help. And in the solutions section, there is a helpful chart listing all possible sums that I use practically everyday.

By the way, Miyuki is the one who did all the samunamupures for the Times' Killer Sudoku Book.

And speaking of the Times, they have more solving tips.