Just recently stumbled upon this puzzle so still might not understand something. Regularly I find myself in the situation when I cannot deduct concrete number anywhere on the field and, as a result, I just guess some number and continue to solve the puzzle looking if everything is ok or I move to dead-end. If dead-end then I return to the position before guessing and make another guessing.

It isn’t fun.

Am I doing something wrong or guessing is indeed a part of the puzzle solving?

  • CuriousRefugee@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    ·
    23 hours ago

    Handmade puzzles, i.e., puzzles crafted intentionally by a real person almost never require guessing. However, a lot of “extreme” difficulty puzzles (or similar difficulty terms) in apps, newspapers, puzzle books, etc. are not handmade by a real person, but computer generated. There’s probably a logic chain that’s like 15 steps long that humans couldn’t reasonably follow, but a guess is likely faster and more enjoyable.

    Someone else recommended Cracking the Cryptic on YouTube, which is a great source - the daily puzzles are nice because you can follow along in the video if you’re stuck, but they also have lots of apps with Sudokus that never require guessing. Another good source is Logic Masters Germany, which has lots of handmade Sudoku and other puzzles: https://logic-masters.de/