[Chefelf]

You Suck at Sudoku

On my way to work yesterday I was standing by a man who was reading the The New York Post or The New York Daily News or one of New York's other equally horrible tabloids masquerading in newspapers' clothes.

The man had found the sudoku page. Let it be known that I have never done a sudoku puzzle. I've also never been tempted to do a sodoku puzzle because just thinking about sudoku makes me come close to dying of boredom. That being said, I understand how sudoku works and how to solve the puzzle. However, much the same way I understand the rules and moves in chess, I would rather attach rabid squirrels to my nipples than actually play it.

Another thing I hate about sudoku is that I can never remember if it's spelled S-U-D-O-K-U or S-O-D-U-K-U.

So this guy sitting down was trying to solve a soduku puzzle and it was pretty easy to see that he was the world's worst sudoku player. Here are some quick facts about the moves he made:

• He had entered four numbers so far.
• Every single one of the numbers he'd entered were already either in the box or line he entered them, which as I understand it, is the exact opposite of what you're trying to do in sudoku.
• Every single one of the numbers he entered was the number 6.
• One of the lines contained two sixes, along with a 6 that was already present in that line!

I can't really imagine a worse start to a game of sudoku. The only explanation I can think of was that maybe he'd tried inventing his own rules to create a new game called sixdoku which he thought may catch on with the mental-midget-subway-rider niche audience.

Just a thought.

[Heccubus]

I used to think sudoku was stupid too. Now I am addicted to it.


I cannot explain this phenomenon.

[David-kyo]

I like sudoku, good way to pass the time between two classes.

[Spoon Poetic]

I used to suck at it too, because I could never find the rules to it, just the books full of puzzles completely lacking any rules or guides. Someone finally told me I had to fill it up so that all the numbers 1-9 were in each row and in each column, without repeating. I couldn't do it and couldn't do it and probably was as bad as that dude. THEN someone told me the thing that the box of 9 also would have the numbers 1-9 with no repetition in it, and everything clicked. I rock Sudoku now (though I don't really enjoy it all that much). Maybe dude just needed to be told the rules.

[Heccubus]

I just learned by using this handy online version. That website has gotten me through so many boring lectures at school.

[TheOrator]

I refuse to try sudoku, I don't want to be addicted, and I'm sure it's only popular because the majority of people doing probably think their doing something with math.


Now Kakuro, there's some thinking. A little more fun, but nothing compared to these puzzles I read about in the New York Times last year. Something with black and white circles and 90 degree turns that sounded positively epic.

But when it comes to puzzles to while away the hours, I've always loved cryptograms.

[mireaux7]

theres a great sudoku game engine on msnbc.com thats free to play.
just to go www.msnbc.com & its right there on the main page, scroll down and its on the far left side of the screen

i like it cause unlike trying to do sudoku in a newspaper (which is far more difficult), the engine assists you in small ways during your gaming progress

[Heccubus]

i like it cause unlike trying to do sudoku in a newspaper (which is far more difficult), the engine assists you in small ways during your gaming progress

The entire point of the game is that it's supposed to help develop problem solving and stimulate the brain. If you have something that's holding your hand and helping you along, you pretty much defeat the purpose of playing it to begin with.

[J m HofMarN]

... You call it Su dooku?

Good god, ep2 broke Chef's brain.