I know, here I am going through it, at the beginning, just happy that I figured out a box had to have "5 6 7 8 or 9" and by the end I'm like "Well this is seen by 3 digits so let's see, oh yea, it can only be a 7"
i love following your logic but i also love how these videos are so wholesome, you're genuinely excited to complete the puzzles and it's amazing to see how much you appreciate, respect and admire the puzzle makers as well. wonderful content, i'm happy i found out about this channel
@@dragonborne3277 I spotted the 4s being rotationally symmetric when he got the third 4 at about the 15:00 mark. Thanks for alerting us to the other symmetries.
Its curious how the each of the final boxes are translations of each other. Every box has 3 rows (3 5 9, 1 7 4 and 8 2 6) every box has 3 columns (3 1 8, 5 7 2 and 9 4 6) every box is like this just shifted around slightly. If this a consequence of the diagonal constraint or the kropki rules or both, I have no idea.
I noticed this pattern too, but that's where it ended for me. Don't know the exact answer to that. But it looks like the diagonal constraint is needed to get a relation (constraint) between the middle boxes 4 5 6 and both the upper boxes 1 2 3 and the bottom boxes 7 8 9.
I recall a puzzle Mark did a while ago which ended up with a similar outcome. Can't recall the puzzle, but there is some form of restraint that does cause this result.
@@ritchards Mark asked if it was always the case for a sudoku with a non-consecutive constraint. It's not - see my comment under the video you are recalling: ruclips.net/video/ZV1PS5xnb8s/видео.html&lc=Ugx2rzttdovfPDHPZfx4AaABAg which gives this counter-example: 264 951 837 597 384 261 831 627 594 153 849 726 486 172 953 729 536 418 942 713 586 375 968 241 618 425 793
I literally just solved this puzzle at 44:17 and it is my first Phistomefel solve as well. Love being able to go back to earlier vids and solve the puzzles without having to wait for the next days puzzles to be posted.
Hi, I just wanted to come on here and say thank you to both Simon and Mark, for putting out daily videos. We had a few devastating earthquakes this last few days in Croatia, and it has been a pleasure to solve a sudoku before sleep. It really does put a stop to dark thoughts and worries. Of course Simons and Marks commentarry, while solving, it is a cherry on top with a dash of giggles. Thank you!
This a pretty cool constraint! One cool thing I noticed is that when a 4 is in the center of a 3x3 square, it simulates a knights move constraint. The corners are forced to be digits that 4 cannot be next to (2,3,5,8). Thus the digits next to them cannot be 4's either. Simulating the knight constraint. What's cool is that this is only possible with a 4. As it is has 4 other digits that it restricts. (all other digits only restrict 3)
@@nendwr I missed the easier logic around 14:45 and started restricting 4's from the corner 4x4 blocks using the Phistomefel ring. I made a meal of the solve but felt good about doing it that way in the end.
My first solve without help of a Phistomefel puzzle! And in only 90 minutes! A new milestone for me! Thanks for all the great entertainment and education Simon and Mark!
Took me an hour and a half, and I needed a prompt from Simon a couple of times to find the constraint I missed. I'm happiest that I managed to get the bulk of the middle boxes done without any help at all. Just getting started on a Phistomefel puzzle is an accomplishment as far as I'm concerned.
Phistomefel is a legend. Extra content for the channel idea, I would love maybe a skype interview type with puzzle creators, or any behind the scenes insights into the constructor brain and methods. It's incredible to me someone can come up with these amazing puzzles
It’s so satisfying watching you solve and how your mind works! When the viewer sees something before you notice it’s such a nuisance but then when you find it all is good and you even recognize that it may have been more obvious. Keep it up with these challenging puzzles!
@@AlRoderick im so tired of people just pasting the same tired joke template everywhere "blah blah blah?" "yes" sometimes even at the cost of the original joke template making any sense.
@@wren4077 "sometimes even at the cost of the original joke template making any sense." 'What is the minimum number of dots needed a kropki puzzle?' is such a dumb question. The answer is 0. A sudoku is a dotless kropki.
THIS.... This is a classic example of why Phistomefel is such a good constructor. Takes a concept, makes a puzzle, but it's NOT all the effort onto an impossibly hard break-in, instead, I was lead through a 36 minute and 24 second journey to satisfaction, at the end of which I was amazingly happy with myself for being able to solve it. At no point were some stupidly difficult mental aerobics required, just good, sound logic, each step of the way. Beautiful.
I love how Simon gets so excited, and immediately after becomes so puzzled, saying something like “now what does that mean??” It gets me every time! 😂👌🏼
Love the Miracle Sudoku App so this is right up my alley! Finished in just about an hour! Phistomefel's puzzles are usually way too hard for me...so I'm pretty pumped I was able to finish this!
Wow. This is definitely one for the books. Gorgeously simple ruleset, each step of the solve really approachable but still challenging enough, and just so much elegance all along the path. I loved it.
16:32 this is where I'm stuck as well! I've been having terrible anxiety (I've called into work, had to get DRs notes) and this channel has helped to not worry about things as much. Enjoying doing these puzzels with you. So I'll go back and forth between doing the puzzle, and following along. I'm also a content creator @Wanna be a pro wrestler? Me too! I'm regularly busy with that style of content, I sub'd but if I never see you guys again, I want you to know you made a difference in my life today on May 19th, 2021. Thank you.
This puzzle is an even greater miracle than the original miracle sudoku in that it is more sophisticated. Managed to solve a Phistomefel puzzle with no video hints - a good way to end 2020. Took about an hour (with interruptions) with a very linear solving path - some difficult eliminations about half way through. Happy New Year to Simon and Mark and all CTC fans!
What took me two hours to get through, Simon did in 10 minutes. And I stopped once I realized I made a mistake somewhere. You're amazing, Simon, and I feel I've improved so much (and yet still have so far to go) after watching you for a few weeks.
What a beautiful setting! The idea that in every box there are 3 possible rows (1-4-7, 2-6-8 and 3-5-9) and 3 possible columns (1-3-8, 2-5-7 and 4-6-9) is what gives this puzzle its elegance. I guess it's necessary to make this constraint work.
Solved this phenomenally elegant phistomofel puzzle constantly wondering how on earth did he come up with these set of numbers in these positions. Thanks Simon and Mark for this channel.
16:46 i just noticed all the groupings in the rows are the same. I was curious in the beginning when you read the rules of that would be the case. Here's to seeing if I'm right in the end.
What a really nice puzzle for the ending of the year!!! Ths phistomefel. 28 minuts smiling with the nice logic of the sudoku :-) Really tks to him and to you CTC
Right now, I'm still playing this channel pretty much constantly. Even though I've seen 95% of it already. After 11 months of lockdown, I've seen/heard the whole of the internet that interests me now. If I'm going to watch replays of anything it's going to CtC. I actually decided to brush up on some programming skills today. But even that was inspired by a problem that came up here.
Completing a Phistomefel in 76 minutes without any help from Simon while being distracted by a chat group on my phone and Joe Bonamassa Live at Royal Albert on the other monitor and in my ears. A nice way to spend the penultimate night of the year. I'll take it. Odds are that I will not be able to reenact it tomorrow night. Wishes for a Happy New Year to Mark, Simon, Phistomefel, and every one else. May 2020 disappear in our rear view mirrors rapidly and 2021 be at least normal, if not spectacular. Cheers!!
Yessss, my first phistomephel puzzle I solved. I needed a little help, but that's by far the best I ever made on one of his puzzle. Sudoku wise the best possible way to end the year
What an elegant puzzle! I love how minimal the clues are, and the rules just resolve themselves. Finished in 23:26. What helped a lot was determining at 20:07 that the 6 can only go in columns 7 or 8 in row 3, which prevents R3C7 from being a 5. That helps resolve a good number of cells without the need for the 19 pair that Simon found.
A couple weeks ago, I tried to create my first-ever Sudoku. I bit off more than I could chew: I tried to create a 'discrete sets' Sudoku that had as few Kropki dots as I could allow. I also had as 'given' every digit from 1 to 9, in all the 'center' cells of the boxes. Suffice to say, I made a mess of things and ended up breaking my own puzzle about two-thirds of the way through. The experience certainly helps me appreciate the genius of those like Phistomefel who create such works of art. That said, my experience may have helped me solve this one. My time of 23:26 is (I think) the best I've ever had for a Phistomefel puzzle. Wonderful puzzle!
I loved to see this solve. I love this channel anyway. It has given me a new view of sudokus and its incredible. If you look closly at the end you see always 3-5-9 triples, 1-4-7 triples and 2-6-8 triples in the boxes. It is fascinating. Greetings from germany, I hope you apologize my bad english skills :D
I feel like I watch these videos not because I like sudoku, but because it is absolutely mesmerizing to watch someone so intelligent and knowledgeable on the subject work and explain his reasoning. I feel like he could show me a video of how to mix paint to get a precise color and I would still love it if he took the same intelligent, knowledgeable approach while including explanations for the layman.
Awesome symmetry in another awesome Phistomefel puzzle. Very happy to actually solve one of his (or hers?) without wanting to stop solving sudokus forever.
had to try all of the row 4 and row 7 combinations (not just the X) before I found the 4s, Simon casually spots it straight away and cuts an hour off my solve time. still happy to complete this one
Awhile ago, I tried my hand at setting something similar, but combining XV and Kropki, but with no XV clues at all, and no Kropki clues that aren't adjacent to a 4, and with every four being completely surrounded by Kropki dots. There are actually a surprising number of grids meeting those constraints, but I wasn't able to formulate any into an aesthetically pleasing puzzle. I'm glad to see that Phistomefel was able to apply the extreme negative constraint nicely.
I can’t believe i’m 26 minutes into this video and simon hasn’t pointed out how this gorgeous sudoku is reflecting itself all over the place... there is a very clear pattern in boxes 345 and it’s beautiful
Nice pair of puzzles yesterday: 2 Kropki, Mark's with no negative constraint and Simon's with nothing else but negative constraint. Almost like Mark and Simon are talking to each other :-)
I just bought the classic sudoku app. Only 2 levels in, already I'm getting what is probably a similar rush to what you get with the advanced puzzles. And I only found this channel yesterday, then thought "Yeah, that looks like fun."
Absolutely fascinating to watch Simon plouw through the puzzle using logic without giving any attention to the pattern of triplets that appeared after solving the center boxes.
Another stunning puzzle from the master. I love the knack Phistomefel has of taking an idea and honing it to perfection. Not too difficult this one, but a really enjoyable solve.
The first puzzle here I managed to solve myself, I'm so proud! I also noticed a lovely piece of logic that I would like to mention. I did like Simon, filled the three middle rows (apart from the 35-pair) and started looking along the diagonals. R3C7 could only be 5 or 6, and I realised that those very digits immediately got ruled out of all adjacent cells, because it would either be consecutive or the same. This left me only two options for the cell to the right of it, and it was pretty smooth sailing from there on.
This guy is way better at looking at the diagonals than I am. I did this puzzle and it took like two hours of scrutinizing over every digit's every possible combination because I kept not paying enough attention to them. I thought about them when removing possibilities from boxes, but I didn't have the intuition to look at what options on the diagonals were.
That was a genuinely beautiful puzzle that had me cooing with appreciation several times, much to the amusement of my partner across the room. 62:08 is a lot faster than I thought I'd solve a Phistomefel puzzle.
57:35 gosh Phistomefel, glad Simon and Mark teach us how to face your puzzles Looking to the completed grid, in the rows we have sets of 147, 268 and 359; and in the columns we have sets of 138, 257 and 469 all over the grid in different combinations
This puzzle is so gorgeous. I had the grid exactly as Simon at 15:00 and instead of going for box 6, i instead looked at the two possibilties for 6 in box 4 and asked myself "what if 6 is in column 2" which turned out to be impossible (because it puts 8 on row 3, leaving 3 5 and 7 with only 2 available squares not adjacent to the 6), and instead putting 6 in column 1 disambiguates the entire box without needing the 9 in box 6 that simon got
I'd love if Simon put up a map behind him and we could all comment where we are watching from and he could put us on his map. A scratchoff map would be perfect.
Looking at the final solution, you can see three sets of numbers in each row in different orders: 147, 268, 359. The same can be said for the columns: 138, 257, 469. Each transition from one box to another has a mirror of its set. Beautiful and interesting :)
"Miracle" is right. Not only did I actually manage to complete a Phistomefel puzzle for once, I did it in less than two hours (98m), _and_ I did it while half-drunk on wine. What a way to start the new year!
59:54!! This was the first one I’ve given an honest shot to and I was so excited to be able to finish it… now to see all the ways Simon shortcut the brute force ‘logic’ I used
@@dooby78 I know, still even without the X-rule to complete 3 complete boxes with just 3 givens is already something I wouldn't have thought to be possible.
48:38 is my time. Simon, there was some logic that was even more beautiful that you missed. When you put the 4's in row 3 and 7, you had noted at the beginning what digits could be adjacent to a 4, ie. 1679. If you look on the diagonal next to those 4's, you would have noticed a quadruple of 1679's. Now, that's not the beautiful part though that is quite nice. The two cells that are not on the diagonal will be reduced to 17. Now, they can't both be the same digit because that would remove that digit completely from the diagonal. That means 1 and 7 can be eliminated from the squares that see both of those cells. You can eventually do the same thing on the two remaining cells on the diagonal that can be a 7. This is how I got the 2 in the corner on the diagonal.
I would very much like to see some videos where someone like Simon talks their way through the process of setting a puzzle of this nature. I struggle just to fill a grid with digits that satisfy the basic sudoku constraints, let alone something like this.
I recommend to everyone to colour the 257, 469 and 138 triples when you're done, it reveals a beautiful pattern! edit: IT'S ALSO A TILE!! EXTENDS INFINITELY!! THIS IS SUPER NEAT!
Funnily enough, I did once think of dotless kropki as an idea... which I quickly rejected as too hard to set. XD Congrats to Phistomefel for once again putting his wizardry to good use.
Really awesome puzzle! I was so proud that i solved box 4-6, but got soooooo stuck after that. Needed 1-2 hints and thoughts from Simon, but solved it (mostly) on my own after almost 99 minutes.
Nice one, thank you! Noticed some very helpful patterns: 4 is the key number... Orthogonal cells around 4 can only be 1,6,7,9 Rows and columns have the same combinations: 147, 268, 359 / 469, 138, 257
Find someone that looks at you the same way Simon looks at a Phistomepfel puzzle
Find someone that believes in you the way Simon believes in his corner marks
Find someone who appreciates with you the way Simon appreciates a naked single
@@shashipancholi 😂
find someone who calls you absolutely beautiful the way Simon calls good puzzles
Find someone who adds colour to your life like Simon colours a grid (although admittedly he didn't need to do that with this one).
Phistomefel: I made a Kropki sudoku
Simon: You forgot the dots
Phistomefel: No, I didn't
AHHA !
Now do a killer sudoku with no killer clues!
@@buzzly108 i think simon already made one of those in the past few days. :P
@@buzzly108 Simon posted one like that yesterday ("The Sudoku With Absolutely NO Digits"):
ruclips.net/video/PaRzV3EAa44/видео.html
@@nomore6167 I mean a killer with no killer clues. I... it was a joke... never mind.
First minute of the solve: it's amazing that this is solvable.
Last minute of the solve: what's actually amazing is that this isn't over-constrained.
I know, here I am going through it, at the beginning, just happy that I figured out a box had to have "5 6 7 8 or 9" and by the end I'm like "Well this is seen by 3 digits so let's see, oh yea, it can only be a 7"
"How much negative constraint do you want to put in your puzzle?"
Phistomefel: *"Yes."*
It was a Miracle, but I finally solved a Phistomefel puzzle.
First one for me too, took an hour lol
Same here, without any prompting from the video at all!
I'm so happy I managed to solve it on my own.
57 minutes; first Phistomefel too!
@@chrismaglione642 Me as well, but I usually double Simon's time so thinking that's ok:)
i love following your logic but i also love how these videos are so wholesome, you're genuinely excited to complete the puzzles and it's amazing to see how much you appreciate, respect and admire the puzzle makers as well. wonderful content, i'm happy i found out about this channel
Simon. You didn't look at the symmetries after you've finished the puzzle. You should. There's a lot.
About 20 min in, I noticed it was rotational symmetric. 4's mirroring themselves, 1's to 7's, 3's to 2's, etc.
@@dragonborne3277
I spotted the 4s being rotationally symmetric when he got the third 4 at about the 15:00 mark. Thanks for alerting us to the other symmetries.
There's also the, i think is it called disjoint sets thing?, where a number doesnt appear on the same position in different boxes
There is another way to look at the symmetries: as permutations of triplets of digits. In a separate comment I shared some analysis.
@@amoswittenbergsmusings yep
I totally count myself as a 'wizard' after solving each of the Phistomefel puzzles in the app - each solve in under one week! Bask in my genius. :P
This was one of the very few Phistomefel puzzles I could solve, but I cheated with spotting the rotational symmetry and used it.
Fun fact: the constraints are not broken even if the rows and columns were to reach around and connect the first digit with the last! So beautiful
It is in fact a torus!
The pure joy Simon experiences at a well thought out sudoku is all I desire in life
Its curious how the each of the final boxes are translations of each other.
Every box has 3 rows (3 5 9, 1 7 4 and 8 2 6)
every box has 3 columns (3 1 8, 5 7 2 and 9 4 6)
every box is like this just shifted around slightly.
If this a consequence of the diagonal constraint or the kropki rules or both, I have no idea.
I noticed this pattern too, but that's where it ended for me. Don't know the exact answer to that. But it looks like the diagonal constraint is needed to get a relation (constraint) between the middle boxes 4 5 6 and both the upper boxes 1 2 3 and the bottom boxes 7 8 9.
I recall a puzzle Mark did a while ago which ended up with a similar outcome. Can't recall the puzzle, but there is some form of restraint that does cause this result.
@@ritchards Mark asked if it was always the case for a sudoku with a non-consecutive constraint. It's not - see my comment under the video you are recalling: ruclips.net/video/ZV1PS5xnb8s/видео.html&lc=Ugx2rzttdovfPDHPZfx4AaABAg which gives this counter-example:
264 951 837
597 384 261
831 627 594
153 849 726
486 172 953
729 536 418
942 713 586
375 968 241
618 425 793
I was about to say this, and I'm only halfway into the solve. I think this arrangement (same 3x1 sets of numbers in all 9 boxes) has come up before?
It is based on the middle number
44:19, a bit slow but the first time I've completed a Phistomefel without hints from Simon so still feels like a success :-)
This was my first Phistomel with no hints either! It took a little bit I got it eventually. In so proud!
NICE!
I literally just solved this puzzle at 44:17 and it is my first Phistomefel solve as well. Love being able to go back to earlier vids and solve the puzzles without having to wait for the next days puzzles to be posted.
It took me about 80 minutes to solve it but I dont usually play sudoku
My first Phistomefel without hints either.. took me ~56 minutes.
Thanks for the shout out! Tracking the Cryptid was a pleasure to solve! Huge props to Akash and Stephane for the excellent puzzle.
Hi, I just wanted to come on here and say thank you to both Simon and Mark, for putting out daily videos. We had a few devastating earthquakes this last few days in Croatia, and it has been a pleasure to solve a sudoku before sleep. It really does put a stop to dark thoughts and worries. Of course Simons and Marks commentarry, while solving, it is a cherry on top with a dash of giggles. Thank you!
This a pretty cool constraint!
One cool thing I noticed is that when a 4 is in the center of a 3x3 square, it simulates a knights move constraint.
The corners are forced to be digits that 4 cannot be next to (2,3,5,8). Thus the digits next to them cannot be 4's either. Simulating the knight constraint.
What's cool is that this is only possible with a 4. As it is has 4 other digits that it restricts. (all other digits only restrict 3)
The odd digits only restrict the consecutive rule not 2:1 so two other digits, the evens other than 4 restrict 3 others with one 2:1 relationship
And combined with the diagonals, that means the given 4 eliminates 4s from the Phistomefel ring entirely from the start.
brad fooks 3 is an exception among the odd digits since it also restricts 6.
That's a very astute observation.
@@nendwr I missed the easier logic around 14:45 and started restricting 4's from the corner 4x4 blocks using the Phistomefel ring. I made a meal of the solve but felt good about doing it that way in the end.
I never thought Sudoku would have me on the edge of my seat
My first solve without help of a Phistomefel puzzle! And in only 90 minutes! A new milestone for me! Thanks for all the great entertainment and education Simon and Mark!
Took me an hour and a half, and I needed a prompt from Simon a couple of times to find the constraint I missed. I'm happiest that I managed to get the bulk of the middle boxes done without any help at all. Just getting started on a Phistomefel puzzle is an accomplishment as far as I'm concerned.
52:59 as my first ever solve from the channel - a little proud of my self
your first solve and it's by phistomefel. amazing!!!!
Congratz on the solve.
However it’s kinda sad your first solved puzzle is one by Phistomefel because it doesn’t get better than this
My first solve on the channel as well 90 mins 52 seconds... I'm not even good at sudoku, but I do like puzzles.
Beat me by an hour and a half.
My first solve as well!
Phistomefel is a legend. Extra content for the channel idea, I would love maybe a skype interview type with puzzle creators, or any behind the scenes insights into the constructor brain and methods.
It's incredible to me someone can come up with these amazing puzzles
It’s so satisfying watching you solve and how your mind works! When the viewer sees something before you notice it’s such a nuisance but then when you find it all is good and you even recognize that it may have been more obvious. Keep it up with these challenging puzzles!
Happy 1000th video, Simon!
really, 1000!?
I have watched dozens of these videos. Among many things I enjoy, Simon's enthusiasm is major. Thanks for all of this!
Roundabout at 28:00 I noticed that the edges of the 3x3 cages are always the same numbers in a different order! In every box! This is just gorgeous!
This was "easy" by Phistomefel standards. First one of theirs I actually managed to solve!
29:05 his curser was right on top of the 4 that would fix the 8... needless to say, I was internally screaming
30:46 It’s okay, apology accepted 👉👈
What is the minimum dots needed in a Kropki puzzle?
Phistomefel: "Yes."
I think in this case it's "no".
@@AlRoderick im so tired of people just pasting the same tired joke template everywhere
"blah blah blah?"
"yes"
sometimes even at the cost of the original joke template making any sense.
@@wren4077 "sometimes even at the cost of the original joke template making any sense."
'What is the minimum number of dots needed a kropki puzzle?' is such a dumb question. The answer is 0. A sudoku is a dotless kropki.
THIS.... This is a classic example of why Phistomefel is such a good constructor. Takes a concept, makes a puzzle, but it's NOT all the effort onto an impossibly hard break-in, instead, I was lead through a 36 minute and 24 second journey to satisfaction, at the end of which I was amazingly happy with myself for being able to solve it. At no point were some stupidly difficult mental aerobics required, just good, sound logic, each step of the way.
Beautiful.
I love how Simon gets so excited, and immediately after becomes so puzzled, saying something like “now what does that mean??” It gets me every time! 😂👌🏼
Not the most difficult from Phistomefel but definitively one of the most beautifully surprising when solving. Gorgeous.
Love the Miracle Sudoku App so this is right up my alley! Finished in just about an hour! Phistomefel's puzzles are usually way too hard for me...so I'm pretty pumped I was able to finish this!
Wow. This is definitely one for the books. Gorgeously simple ruleset, each step of the solve really approachable but still challenging enough, and just so much elegance all along the path. I loved it.
Love how happy you are doing these puzzles, and that has got me into doing them aswell, which I would normally only do when on holiday xD
The only thing more beautiful than the elegance of this puzzle is the joy with which Simon works his way through it
16:32 this is where I'm stuck as well!
I've been having terrible anxiety (I've called into work, had to get DRs notes) and this channel has helped to not worry about things as much. Enjoying doing these puzzels with you. So I'll go back and forth between doing the puzzle, and following along.
I'm also a content creator @Wanna be a pro wrestler? Me too! I'm regularly busy with that style of content, I sub'd but if I never see you guys again, I want you to know you made a difference in my life today on May 19th, 2021.
Thank you.
This puzzle is an even greater miracle than the original miracle sudoku in that it is more sophisticated. Managed to solve a Phistomefel puzzle with no video hints - a good way to end 2020. Took about an hour (with interruptions) with a very linear solving path - some difficult eliminations about half way through.
Happy New Year to Simon and Mark and all CTC fans!
What took me two hours to get through, Simon did in 10 minutes. And I stopped once I realized I made a mistake somewhere. You're amazing, Simon, and I feel I've improved so much (and yet still have so far to go) after watching you for a few weeks.
What a beautiful setting! The idea that in every box there are 3 possible rows (1-4-7, 2-6-8 and 3-5-9) and 3 possible columns (1-3-8, 2-5-7 and 4-6-9) is what gives this puzzle its elegance. I guess it's necessary to make this constraint work.
Great setting as always by Phistomefel, thank you for the amazing time spent to solve it!
Does anyone else wonder how quickly Simon wears out his keyboard with all those extra keystrokes?
Not just all the keystrokes, but it sounds like he pounds on them pretty hard too.
I love this type of puzzle, so interesting and complex without making me feel like an idiot. Outstanding, really, what a masterpiece!!
Solved this phenomenally elegant phistomofel puzzle constantly wondering how on earth did he come up with these set of numbers in these positions. Thanks Simon and Mark for this channel.
Phistomefel is the true goat. He is by far the number 1 puzzle setter on this channel.
16:46 i just noticed all the groupings in the rows are the same. I was curious in the beginning when you read the rules of that would be the case. Here's to seeing if I'm right in the end.
What a really nice puzzle for the ending of the year!!! Ths phistomefel. 28 minuts smiling with the nice logic of the sudoku :-)
Really tks to him and to you CTC
I actually saw the central grid thing right away, which blew my mind (as well as showing just what a wonderful time sink CtC has been since March!) :)
I wait by RUclips for your video everyday! Love seeing how your brain works
Right now, I'm still playing this channel pretty much constantly. Even though I've seen 95% of it already.
After 11 months of lockdown, I've seen/heard the whole of the internet that interests me now. If I'm going to watch replays of anything it's going to CtC.
I actually decided to brush up on some programming skills today. But even that was inspired by a problem that came up here.
Completing a Phistomefel in 76 minutes without any help from Simon while being distracted by a chat group on my phone and Joe Bonamassa Live at Royal Albert on the other monitor and in my ears. A nice way to spend the penultimate night of the year. I'll take it.
Odds are that I will not be able to reenact it tomorrow night.
Wishes for a Happy New Year to Mark, Simon, Phistomefel, and every one else. May 2020 disappear in our rear view mirrors rapidly and 2021 be at least normal, if not spectacular.
Cheers!!
Yessss, my first phistomephel puzzle I solved. I needed a little help, but that's by far the best I ever made on one of his puzzle. Sudoku wise the best possible way to end the year
What an elegant puzzle! I love how minimal the clues are, and the rules just resolve themselves. Finished in 23:26. What helped a lot was determining at 20:07 that the 6 can only go in columns 7 or 8 in row 3, which prevents R3C7 from being a 5. That helps resolve a good number of cells without the need for the 19 pair that Simon found.
A couple weeks ago, I tried to create my first-ever Sudoku. I bit off more than I could chew: I tried to create a 'discrete sets' Sudoku that had as few Kropki dots as I could allow. I also had as 'given' every digit from 1 to 9, in all the 'center' cells of the boxes. Suffice to say, I made a mess of things and ended up breaking my own puzzle about two-thirds of the way through. The experience certainly helps me appreciate the genius of those like Phistomefel who create such works of art.
That said, my experience may have helped me solve this one. My time of 23:26 is (I think) the best I've ever had for a Phistomefel puzzle. Wonderful puzzle!
I loved to see this solve. I love this channel anyway. It has given me a new view of sudokus and its incredible. If you look closly at the end you see always 3-5-9 triples, 1-4-7 triples and 2-6-8 triples in the boxes. It is fascinating. Greetings from germany, I hope you apologize my bad english skills :D
the pure joy and energy coming out of my screen as i watch him solve these is amazing. keep it up
I feel like I watch these videos not because I like sudoku, but because it is absolutely mesmerizing to watch someone so intelligent and knowledgeable on the subject work and explain his reasoning. I feel like he could show me a video of how to mix paint to get a precise color and I would still love it if he took the same intelligent, knowledgeable approach while including explanations for the layman.
Awesome symmetry in another awesome Phistomefel puzzle. Very happy to actually solve one of his (or hers?) without wanting to stop solving sudokus forever.
had to try all of the row 4 and row 7 combinations (not just the X) before I found the 4s, Simon casually spots it straight away and cuts an hour off my solve time. still happy to complete this one
Awhile ago, I tried my hand at setting something similar, but combining XV and Kropki, but with no XV clues at all, and no Kropki clues that aren't adjacent to a 4, and with every four being completely surrounded by Kropki dots. There are actually a surprising number of grids meeting those constraints, but I wasn't able to formulate any into an aesthetically pleasing puzzle. I'm glad to see that Phistomefel was able to apply the extreme negative constraint nicely.
Finally i was able to solve a phistomefel puzzle :') took me about 50min , i enjoyed it a lot !!! Thanks for featuring it
Congratulations on the miracle of your 1000th video!
I can’t believe i’m 26 minutes into this video and simon hasn’t pointed out how this gorgeous sudoku is reflecting itself all over the place... there is a very clear pattern in boxes 345 and it’s beautiful
Nice pair of puzzles yesterday: 2 Kropki, Mark's with no negative constraint and Simon's with nothing else but negative constraint. Almost like Mark and Simon are talking to each other :-)
I just bought the classic sudoku app. Only 2 levels in, already I'm getting what is probably a similar rush to what you get with the advanced puzzles.
And I only found this channel yesterday, then thought "Yeah, that looks like fun."
Absolutely fascinating to watch Simon plouw through the puzzle using logic without giving any attention to the pattern of triplets that appeared after solving the center boxes.
Yay! My second Phistomefel puzzle solved. Brilliant work as always! :)
This may be my new fav! The flow was absolutely spectacular!
Another stunning puzzle from the master. I love the knack Phistomefel has of taking an idea and honing it to perfection. Not too difficult this one, but a really enjoyable solve.
Brilliant! Maybe do a doc about makers and how these sudoku’s are designed?
you might wanna head to the discord. many setters share their progress there!
*3:55** **_Rules_*
*5:15** **_Let's get cracking!_*
Never liked sudokus but seeing someone this passionate about them really peaks my interest, fantastic content.
The first puzzle here I managed to solve myself, I'm so proud!
I also noticed a lovely piece of logic that I would like to mention. I did like Simon, filled the three middle rows (apart from the 35-pair) and started looking along the diagonals. R3C7 could only be 5 or 6, and I realised that those very digits immediately got ruled out of all adjacent cells, because it would either be consecutive or the same. This left me only two options for the cell to the right of it, and it was pretty smooth sailing from there on.
This guy is way better at looking at the diagonals than I am. I did this puzzle and it took like two hours of scrutinizing over every digit's every possible combination because I kept not paying enough attention to them. I thought about them when removing possibilities from boxes, but I didn't have the intuition to look at what options on the diagonals were.
32:23 solved it! Going back in time. This one was a great puzzle. Incredible how they make these rules work.
Stunningly good puzzle! Well done, yet again!!!
That was a genuinely beautiful puzzle that had me cooing with appreciation several times, much to the amusement of my partner across the room. 62:08 is a lot faster than I thought I'd solve a Phistomefel puzzle.
57:35 gosh Phistomefel, glad Simon and Mark teach us how to face your puzzles
Looking to the completed grid, in the rows we have sets of 147, 268 and 359; and in the columns we have sets of 138, 257 and 469 all over the grid in different combinations
That's one beautiful puzzle. Doesn't look extremely difficult, but so elegantly constructed.
This puzzle is so gorgeous. I had the grid exactly as Simon at 15:00 and instead of going for box 6, i instead looked at the two possibilties for 6 in box 4 and asked myself "what if 6 is in column 2" which turned out to be impossible (because it puts 8 on row 3, leaving 3 5 and 7 with only 2 available squares not adjacent to the 6), and instead putting 6 in column 1 disambiguates the entire box without needing the 9 in box 6 that simon got
I'm proud I solved a Phistomefel puzzle without getting hints from Simon's solve.
I'd love if Simon put up a map behind him and we could all comment where we are watching from and he could put us on his map. A scratchoff map would be perfect.
Looking at the final solution, you can see three sets of numbers in each row in different orders: 147, 268, 359. The same can be said for the columns: 138, 257, 469. Each transition from one box to another has a mirror of its set. Beautiful and interesting :)
"Miracle" is right. Not only did I actually manage to complete a Phistomefel puzzle for once, I did it in less than two hours (98m), _and_ I did it while half-drunk on wine. What a way to start the new year!
59:54!! This was the first one I’ve given an honest shot to and I was so excited to be able to finish it… now to see all the ways Simon shortcut the brute force ‘logic’ I used
That was awesome! Would love to see more of these as part of the next edition of the miracle sudoku app!
The beauty of the symmetry of the three sets of numbers 147, 359, 268 is stunning. As in awe with Simon. Put this on a tshirt
WOOOOOW, this is just beautiful. Can't believe how extremely powerful kropki's reverse constraint alone is.
Phistomefel, what a legend!
There's a diagonal constraint as well :) But point taken.
@@dooby78 I know, still even without the X-rule to complete 3 complete boxes with just 3 givens is already something I wouldn't have thought to be possible.
Prior to watching these solves, i attributed all to my ability to solve sudoku, but after watching him, i have a new appreciation for the setters
48:38 is my time. Simon, there was some logic that was even more beautiful that you missed. When you put the 4's in row 3 and 7, you had noted at the beginning what digits could be adjacent to a 4, ie. 1679. If you look on the diagonal next to those 4's, you would have noticed a quadruple of 1679's. Now, that's not the beautiful part though that is quite nice. The two cells that are not on the diagonal will be reduced to 17. Now, they can't both be the same digit because that would remove that digit completely from the diagonal. That means 1 and 7 can be eliminated from the squares that see both of those cells. You can eventually do the same thing on the two remaining cells on the diagonal that can be a 7. This is how I got the 2 in the corner on the diagonal.
I would very much like to see some videos where someone like Simon talks their way through the process of setting a puzzle of this nature. I struggle just to fill a grid with digits that satisfy the basic sudoku constraints, let alone something like this.
Simon's boyish excitement while solving keeps me motivated to keep solving better.
Beautiful puzzle. Phistomefel never disappoints.
I believe this is the first Phistomefel puzzle featured here that I managed to solve! Really proud, took me some 45 minutes.
I really enjoy these videos. And I find myself using a British accent in my head when I’m working on sudoku puzzles now.
I recommend to everyone to colour the 257, 469 and 138 triples when you're done, it reveals a beautiful pattern!
edit: IT'S ALSO A TILE!! EXTENDS INFINITELY!! THIS IS SUPER NEAT!
Interesting that we get both vertical and horizontal roping through the whole puzzle. Is that forced by the dotlessness?
Funnily enough, I did once think of dotless kropki as an idea... which I quickly rejected as too hard to set. XD Congrats to Phistomefel for once again putting his wizardry to good use.
Really awesome puzzle! I was so proud that i solved box 4-6, but got soooooo stuck after that. Needed 1-2 hints and thoughts from Simon, but solved it (mostly) on my own after almost 99 minutes.
Nice one, thank you! Noticed some very helpful patterns:
4 is the key number... Orthogonal cells around 4 can only be 1,6,7,9
Rows and columns have the same combinations: 147, 268, 359 / 469, 138, 257
51:54, this is the first time I can actually solve a puzzle without watching the video for help :D loved this puzzle
That was a fun variant. I was surprised Simon didn't comment on the repeating triplets. The symmetry of this puzzle was remarkable.
So happy that I managed this with no additional info other than the rules!!!