THIS Makes The Miracle Sudoku Look Easy!

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  • čas přidán 25. 09. 2020
  • Today we feature a new puzzle by the man behind The Miracle Sudoku, Mitchell Lee. Be warned... this is one of the hardest sudokus we've ever featured and this video is something of a miracle! See how Simon fares and do give the puzzle a try at the link below:
    cracking-the-cryptic.web.app/...
    Rules:
    Normal sudoku rules apply. Along thermometers, the digits must increase starting from the bulb.
    ************************************************************************
    Miracle Sudoku, our new app, is OUT on Android, Steam and App Store.
    Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/13...
    App Store: apps.apple.com/us/app/id15273...
    Android: play.google.com/store/apps/de...
    **************************************************************
    Our Patreon page has lots of extra content! Our solve of Cosmology by Bobuardo Da Vinci is just out and we've just released our Tour De France September video! Coming soon (1 October) is a new puzzle hunt (which includes sudoku) by Scott Strosahl.
    / crackingthecryptic
    *************************************************************
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    ▶ OUR BACK CATALOGUE - ALL CATEGORISED WITH LINKS!◀
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    ▶ OUR NEW THERMO SUDOKU APP IS OUT!◀
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    Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/13...
    ▶ NEW CRACKING THE CRYPTIC MERCHANDISE◀
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    ▶ OUR CHESS SUDOKU APP IS NOW OUT!◀
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    ▶TRY OUR CLASSIC SUDOKU APP◀
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    Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/11...
    Android: play.google.com/store/apps/de...
    ▶TRY OUR SANDWICH SUDOKU APP◀
    AppStore: apps.apple.com/us/app/sandwic...
    Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/11...
    Android: play.google.com/store/apps/de...
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    ▶SOFTWARE◀
    Play the puzzle in the video by clicking the link under the video (above). We are building a website which will allow you to enter your own sudoku puzzles into the software and this is coming soon!
    ▶Logo Design◀
    Melvyn Mainini
    ▶ABOUT US◀
    Hi! We're Simon Anthony and Mark Goodliffe, two of the UK's most enthusiastic puzzle solvers. We have both represented the UK at the World Sudoku Championships and the World Puzzle Championships. We're also "cryptic crossword" aficionados. Mark is the twelve-time winner of The Times championship and Simon is the former record holder for most consecutive correct solutions to The Listener crossword. We hope we can help your puzzle solving while also introducing you to some of the world's best puzzles.
    Thank you for watching!
    Simon and Mark

Komentáře • 592

  • @SWebster10
    @SWebster10 Před 3 lety +1278

    How I watch Cracking The Cryptic:
    1 Open puzzle
    2 Stare at puzzle blankly for 10 mins
    3 Watch video until Simon spots some clever logic
    4 Copy said logic into my solve
    5 Repeat steps 2 - 4 as required
    6 Tell myself *I* solved the puzzle.

    • @nightwishlover8913
      @nightwishlover8913 Před 3 lety +26

      Yeah - been there, done that...

    • @alibabapirce9782
      @alibabapirce9782 Před 3 lety +5

      realy? i dont watch videa until i solve puzzle. and i watch it only to check how much faster i did it and if he maby found some logic that if i used i might done it even faster

    • @yashasvikalra3224
      @yashasvikalra3224 Před 3 lety +6

      Totally relatable 😂

    • @prahas777
      @prahas777 Před 3 lety +45

      LOL. How I watch: If total video time is less than 20 minutes, basically do what you said. If greater, pop open a beer, sit back, and watch with awe.

    • @peterhowitt3861
      @peterhowitt3861 Před 3 lety +6

      @@alibabapirce9782 Me too - Simon is so sluggish at times finding the bleeding obvious... (😏)

  • @sykesmason2325
    @sykesmason2325 Před 3 lety +423

    For once Simon and I were at the exact same point after 25 minutes: no digits in the grid.

  • @th484953
    @th484953 Před 3 lety +303

    45:25
    Simon: It's a 4,5, or 7 and I can't see how any of those are ruled out!
    Me: The 5 in the column! Man, Simon is dense!
    Also me: stares at puzzle for hours and can't put a digit in without Simon's help

    • @Bombsuitsandkilts
      @Bombsuitsandkilts Před 3 lety +27

      That sums up every puzzle for me, feeling so smart for seeing the thing Simon doesn't but also being crushed by the reality of how hard these are every time I start a puzzle.

    • @matushorvath
      @matushorvath Před 3 lety +24

      This is a good example why pair programming works. I could not even start this puzzle, not even if I had a week, but there were times now and then where I found a way forward way faster than Simon, just because I looked at different things. Two people together solve problems much faster than two people each on their own. The 9 in box 8 for example, I am very proud about finding that quickly. In fact I think I am just as proud about that as Simon is about solving the whole puzzle :D

    • @rewrose2838
      @rewrose2838 Před 3 lety +1

      @@matushorvath Yeah so true 😂

  • @Crocodile_Appreciator
    @Crocodile_Appreciator Před 3 lety +390

    Love how this is humbly named "Thermo Sudoku." As if it's not one of the most genius puzzle constructions we've seen.

    • @CanadaJarod
      @CanadaJarod Před 3 lety +1

      It's a good name though

    • @megatennepster3833
      @megatennepster3833 Před 3 lety +8

      It kind of reminds me of how one of the strongest characters in Tekken 6 is just a fat guy named Bob

    • @erikbreathes
      @erikbreathes Před 3 lety +3

      Its like Beethovens 5th being known as merely "Symphony No. 5"

  • @charlie9761
    @charlie9761 Před 3 lety +172

    “Ta daaa🤷🏻‍♂️ that’s absolutely useless but it is quite interesting” 😂

    • @Eisgod
      @Eisgod Před 2 lety +11

      My parents when I was born

    • @idklol3333
      @idklol3333 Před 2 lety

      @@Eisgod same brother

  • @ZachGatesHere
    @ZachGatesHere Před 3 lety +261

    Me after staring at this puzzle for half an hour: "Those thermometers all look like open staples :V "

  • @thethug1946
    @thethug1946 Před 3 lety +193

    I'm hearing that the break-in logic for Mitchell Lee's next puzzle requires the calculation of the eigenvalues of the 9x9 matrix

    • @BigAsciiHappyStar
      @BigAsciiHappyStar Před 3 lety +26

      I heard that Mitchell Lee's next puzzle hunt requires knowledge of cryptographic hash functions to convert a solved sudoku into given digits for the next puzzle in the chain

    • @Thebiggestgordon
      @Thebiggestgordon Před 3 lety +17

      I heard that to solve the puzzle he’s making after that involves proving for the non trivial zero values of the topological analytical continuation of the Riemann Zeta function over the complex plane. Sounds fun

    • @BigAsciiHappyStar
      @BigAsciiHappyStar Před 3 lety +9

      At least we know that 45 is always an eigenvalue of any Sudoku with corresponding eigenvector of [1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1]^T :)

    • @Thebiggestgordon
      @Thebiggestgordon Před 3 lety +7

      @@zhg4485 *“I’ve solved a famous last theorem that has baffled mathematicians for decades!”* _proceeds to die before writing it down_

    • @minastaros
      @minastaros Před 3 lety +2

      I just heard that Chuck Norris has solved all those puzzles while he was jumping the parachute.

  • @FF_Fanatic
    @FF_Fanatic Před 3 lety +314

    What the hell is this break-in. That is the most insane break-in on the channel by far despite being like half the length of the "Movie" puzzle.

    • @pfote65
      @pfote65 Před 3 lety +8

      it bothers me to admit that i dont get the break-in. This minimum/maximum difference - two times seven is 14 - "i got it, I got it, this must be 1 and 9" is beyond me

    • @FF_Fanatic
      @FF_Fanatic Před 3 lety +37

      @@pfote65 Given that the purple and blue squares must total to the same number, the pattern he finds is forced. Only boxes 1 and 9 have purples that are bigger than blues while the other seven boxes have blues that are bigger than purples. This is because the bulb is less than the second cell on the thermo and the third cell is less than the end. In order to have them all equal out, the two boxes with purple>blue must have purple be MUCH bigger than blue and the seven boxes with blue>purple must have blue be BARELY less than purple.
      What he showed is that if you make boxes 1 and 9 as big of a purple>blue difference as possible and the blue>purple differences as small as possible, it barely works, with no wiggle room.
      To make the purple>blue difference as big as possible, you have 1 on the blue bulb and 9 on the purple end. The other two cells are blue>purple, so you make that difference a minimum (1) because they're working against your goal. Altogether, that leaves the purples in boxes 1 and 9 being 7 more than blues per box, times 2 boxes is 14, and that's the biggest possible purple>blue difference you can get for the whole puzzle because none of the other boxes allow for purple>blue.
      To make the blue>purple difference as small as possible, you make each blue in those boxes be only 1 bigger than the purple before it. That's a total difference of 2 per box, times 7 boxes, which is also 14 across the entire puzzle.
      Remember blue and purple need to equal out. If you make the purple>blue difference any smaller, the blues will total higher than the purples no matter what. If you make the blue>purple difference any bigger, the blues will total higher than the purples. Feel free to try it out until you see why it can't be done because there's nowhere to make up the extra difference. You can't make the purple>blue any bigger because we just found that 7 per box is the best you can do. You can't make the blue>purple any smaller because we just found 2 per box is the smallest you can get.
      Putting the two together, purple = blue + 14 for boxes 1 and 9 is the biggest you can get and blue = purple + 14 for boxes 2-8 is the smallest you can get. Any smaller or bigger respectively and you can't make purple and blue equal overall. But because 14 both ways leaves no wiggle room, it MUST be 14. And to achieve that 14, you need 1 and 9 on the ends in boxes 1 and 9 with the other two being 1 apart, while you need the (1,2) and (3,4) thermo pairs to be 1 apart in boxes 2-8, so that's what he works with for the rest of the puzzle.

    • @pfote65
      @pfote65 Před 3 lety +6

      FF Fanatic now i got it, thank you VERY mich

    • @nathanokerlund9063
      @nathanokerlund9063 Před 3 lety +3

      Q: How is Simon like Catwoman? A: They specialize in "impossible" break-ins.

    • @confusedSoulof2010
      @confusedSoulof2010 Před 3 lety +4

      @@FF_Fanatic jesus christ that's a thought process. Thank you for explaining it in language I could understand!

  • @arturslunga3415
    @arturslunga3415 Před 3 lety +242

    Simon: I am so stupid!
    Me: That's where you're wrong, kiddo.

    • @Coldheart322
      @Coldheart322 Před 3 lety +8

      He is stupid, he doesn't realise how smart he is...
      Can you be smart and stupid at the same time? Sorry, I'm not smart enough to work that out :-p

    • @andrewnelson2525
      @andrewnelson2525 Před 3 lety +10

      Can't tell you how many times I've had to explain that people who go around saying "I'm smart, I'm very smart" are NOT. And how smart people are constantly feeling stupid because they're so used to seeing the answers that when they miss something, they think or say "I'm stupid".

    • @conexant51
      @conexant51 Před 3 lety +4

      @@andrewnelson2525 Reading that first sentence, funnily one particular individual who likes to use social media a lot springs to mind.

    • @Thebiggestgordon
      @Thebiggestgordon Před 3 lety +5

      @@Coldheart322 I think that’s called the dunning Kruger effect, he has such a grasp of logic puzzles that really hard things seem super intuitive to him, so he subconsciously assumes that everyone could do it and therefore feels less confident about himself.

  • @2011z4
    @2011z4 Před 3 lety +140

    After the break-in, there's a trick that helps speed up the rest of the solve. Once you know there are two blue 1s then you know there are two purple 1s. But each of these must be followed by a _blue_ 2 on the thermo. Therefore, there are two _purple_ 2s, and each must be followed by a blue 3. So, there are two purple 3s. Etc. Since there are 18 blue and 18 purple squares, they must consist of exactly two of each digit, which provides a bit of a restriction. More importantly, this means that the nine _green_ squares contain each digit exactly once.

    • @RichSmith77
      @RichSmith77 Před 3 lety +11

      I don't think there has to be a 3 after every 2? The thermos don't have to be consecutively increasing.
      Edit: ok, I see now you were correct and I was mistaken. Although the whole thermos are not consecutively increasing, the blue cells are always consecutive to the purple cells. Good spot!

    • @ljcapsicum
      @ljcapsicum Před 3 lety +6

      Dayum, cudos for spotting that. This entire puzzle is just blowing my mind, even after knowing the intro this is still genius!

    • @renedekker9806
      @renedekker9806 Před 3 lety +1

      Yes, noticed that as well. It feels like you are doing kind of a reduced sudoku with just the blue and purple cells.

    • @facemash
      @facemash Před 3 lety +7

      As soon as he highlighted those 9 green squares I wondered if they would form their own set of 1-9 but I had no idea how I would come to the conclusion.

    • @stefaniadjelebova
      @stefaniadjelebova Před 3 lety

      Also in all boxes besides one and nine the sum of the start and the end number equals the sum of the middle numbers. For example in box 2, 5+3=6+2=8

  • @KlyeTan
    @KlyeTan Před 3 lety +400

    A 6 column restriction? Surely that has to be called a hex-wing?
    ...I'll see myself out >.

    • @gameglitcher
      @gameglitcher Před 3 lety +2

      oof

    • @nightwishlover8913
      @nightwishlover8913 Před 3 lety +9

      There's probably a reason it hasn't got a name - who in their right mind would use something like that? Apparently not even Mitchell Lee!

    • @sunriselg
      @sunriselg Před 3 lety +16

      The reason why it has no name, is because you can just look at the vertical swordfish instead. 5/6/7-fish are irrelevant, because there's always a perpendicular smaller fish to find.

    • @paulcook2961
      @paulcook2961 Před 3 lety +6

      @@sunriselg Yes I painfully realised something equivalent to this earlier this year. Looking for a 5-way "fish" only to eventually realise that if there is one then there must be a 4-way "fish" too and that would have been easier to find.
      I just googled the names: Xwing (2x2) Swordfish (3x3) Jellyfish (4x4) and the 5x5 is called "Squirm-bag" (even though its existence implies a jellyfish and thus perhaps isn't needed). I guess it's possible you might spot a squirm-bag first and then use the implied jellyfish. Not found any name for the 6x6 equivalent.

    • @remigregoire2219
      @remigregoire2219 Před 3 lety

      @@paulcook2961 That's called a douche bag.

  • @bbkobudo
    @bbkobudo Před 3 lety +33

    Most times I watch and think... "I can do that". Not this time... not this time. Truly well done!

  • @Chimppy
    @Chimppy Před 3 lety +33

    Simon’s pure giddiness after completing this puzzle gave me second hand pride. Just watching this brought my pulse to 120 as we were hitting the home stretch.

  • @andrewbieny4564
    @andrewbieny4564 Před 3 lety +39

    That might be my favourite video this channel has put out. Hard to think of yourself, yet easy to follow when explained. The puzzle looks like modern art and solves in a purposeful, linear path. Nothing here was solved before Mitchell Lee wanted you to solve it.

  • @Jodawo
    @Jodawo Před 3 lety +35

    After seeing him solve this, I would be curious to see the puzzles that never seen the light of day because the video could not be made. I wonder if they keep the footage it might be good to see a blooper reel.

  • @benjamin_lee
    @benjamin_lee Před 3 lety +76

    The level of smarts that some people can reach is disgusting.

    • @ervins775
      @ervins775 Před 3 lety +12

      That shit made me burst out laughing. The most disrespectful compliment ive ever witnessed

  • @stevieinselby
    @stevieinselby Před 3 lety +64

    Wow, there's no way that I would ever have found that!
    But just a point about the new software - the thermos and the bulb circles are too dark, and make it really hard to see pencil marks. Could they please go back to the old grey before it's released?

    • @Rubrickety
      @Rubrickety Před 3 lety +6

      I also really liked that the old ones actually looked like thermometers, as a nice reminder of their function.

    • @bibliopolist
      @bibliopolist Před 3 lety +2

      Yes, the numbers are unreadable on my TV screen.

  • @thesundancekid123
    @thesundancekid123 Před 3 lety +85

    A thumbs up for the intro

    • @hai-mel6815
      @hai-mel6815 Před 3 lety

      What is it?

    • @efa666
      @efa666 Před 3 lety +8

      @@hai-mel6815 it's usually called Spanish Romance or Romance D'Amour

    • @hai-mel6815
      @hai-mel6815 Před 3 lety +1

      @@efa666 Thank you!

    • @odin-eliottodinson7330
      @odin-eliottodinson7330 Před 3 lety +1

      @@hai-mel6815 I think that piece is called "Romanza". A beautiful classical piece of spanish origin. Simon's playing it really well.

    • @smylesg
      @smylesg Před 2 lety

      @@efa666 That may be, but I only know it from the arcade game Phoenix.

  • @chiarabookworm4482
    @chiarabookworm4482 Před 3 lety +20

    I love just how excited he gets when he makes progress. Like a kid on Christmas 🎄

  • @crzyltlman
    @crzyltlman Před 3 lety +54

    I like when there is a new concept discovered, like Phistomefel’s theorem and its variations, because the master setters then go back and combine it with all of the previous tricks to create whole new sudoku “chemical compounds” which have a new set of magical logical properties.

  • @biggiemac42
    @biggiemac42 Před 3 lety +3

    It is truly remarkable how the very common rule of thermo sudoku, can be paired with such an elegant construction which naturally appears symmetric in the way you would expect from a "cute" setting, to lead to this. A parity restriction that perfectly min/maxes adjacent pairs, leading to a new puzzle on these sort of diagonal dominos. A masterpiece, thank you Mitchell for the setting and good work Simon on making the video!

  • @matushorvath
    @matushorvath Před 3 lety +6

    This was really two masterpieces in one. The puzzle and the solve both.

  • @RaimbetteLB
    @RaimbetteLB Před 3 lety +49

    I was looking at the grid at the start, wondering what king of restriction we would need to solve this. Now I know it's a normal thermo sudoku. My reaction : Is that a joke ?

  • @azpcox
    @azpcox Před 3 lety +3

    I love unwrapping the logic presents with Simon along the way, occasionally catching a digit just slightly before he does. Thoroughly enjoyed this solve and the incredible logic behind it!

  • @MattGriffiths81
    @MattGriffiths81 Před 3 lety +5

    I'm so happy I managed to solve this from "What if I try colouring in only these 9 squares". Admittedly that's a massive hint to start, but I'm proud nonetheless. So happy to see Simon's elation when he realised he was going to do it.

  • @backpacking_trombonist
    @backpacking_trombonist Před 2 lety +1

    A year later and I just keep coming back to this masterpiece of a puzzle. I maintain that this is the most elegant break-in of any puzzle Simon or Mark have ever done on this channel. How often does a break-in provide you with an extra unwritten restriction needed to solve a grid? Here's to hoping Mitchell Lee has another puzzle for CTC to tackle sometime soon.

  • @laurv8370
    @laurv8370 Před 3 lety +2

    Taking the hat off and bowing, for both the puzzle designer and the solver! This was indeed a brilliant puzzle!

  • @calebtadlock5956
    @calebtadlock5956 Před 3 lety +2

    Absolutely phenomenal solve for an equally superb puzzle. I am beyond impressed at both Simon and the setter.

  • @smrqunofficial
    @smrqunofficial Před 3 lety +5

    I did it!! I solved it in under an hour!! (With 16 seconds to spare, lol) I felt like I had a bit of an advantage in this puzzle because a month ago I set a thermo sudoku with a lot of the same initial ideas: (nearly) all 4-length or shorter thermos, which are disambiguated by a variant Phistomefel arrangement. So as soon as I saw all the short thermos, that was the first thing I thought of! That puzzle got sort of ignored on Discord-- I think it was probably too hard, and certainly nothing like this puzzle in minimalism and elegance. So I have to say I am more than a little jealous of how that idea, which I thought was so clever at the time, is only just the *start* of Mitchell's total idea with forcing adjacent pairs to be one apart. It's really incredible how he practically forces a new variant rule just by pure geometry.

  • @mceajc
    @mceajc Před 3 lety +2

    I broke into applause at the end. That start is mind-bending.

  • @Vivo-cp2rb
    @Vivo-cp2rb Před 2 lety +1

    26:24 the joy when you are onto something AND the numbers "magically" match your theory. i love this moment

  • @ColonelRPG
    @ColonelRPG Před 3 lety +22

    There's no way in heaven I'd ever be able to solve this thing, what a headwrecker!

  • @nimbletim
    @nimbletim Před 3 lety +10

    the breakthrough logic was beyond amazing xD

  • @jeremybatterbee3613
    @jeremybatterbee3613 Před 3 lety +3

    Simon, you are a brilliant solver. I hope to one day be able to spot such bits of logic as you. The only critique I have of you is your row and column scanning, which is something I have heard you acknowledge yourself.
    Your channel has inspired me to try and focus my attention on sudoku puzzles to excerise my ability to stay focused, pay attention to details, and get better at logic. I have downloaded two of the sudoku apps, and strive to solve all of the puzzles. Thank you for your contribution to my mental health!

  • @markayzenshtadt7200
    @markayzenshtadt7200 Před rokem

    What a brilliant idea! I skipped the first 25 minutes trying to go limit some of the choices myself, but when I got back and saw Simon trying to figuring out the pattern, the logic was almost obvious! A real genius of a puzzle.

  • @glennmelven3414
    @glennmelven3414 Před 3 lety +25

    Simon says now the Sudoku gods are going to be mad at me. Then he proceeds to rule the Sudoku gods.

  • @boman2000
    @boman2000 Před 3 lety +1

    Waking up after passing out from utter brain exhaustion to see Simon solve such a seriously seditious sudoku, giddilly. Completely fabulous. You have raised the bar once again sir. My hat is truly off to you.

  • @xevron
    @xevron Před 3 lety +2

    After banging my head on this one for like an hour and half it's somewhat satisfying to see Simon 15 minutes in and going down the same paths I did.

  • @Kuraudo_VII
    @Kuraudo_VII Před 3 lety +1

    That initial break in is amazing. Never thought about it that way. Once you pointed that out, the rest became so easy. Amazing puzzle.

  • @RichSmith77
    @RichSmith77 Před 3 lety

    I tried for 20 minutes, realised I was getting nowhere and had no ideas. Gave up. Watched the video up to 21:30, where Simon colours the three columns and rows. Paused the video. Managed to solve it from there. Pretty pleased with that, but I don't think I would have ever thought of that break-in by myself. Genius. 👏 👏 👏

  • @Marius5
    @Marius5 Před 3 lety +2

    That was a fantastic puzzle and a great solve, hats off to both Mitchell Lee and Simon

  • @DavidNayer
    @DavidNayer Před 3 lety +1

    Well done Simon! I am inspired by your seeing the equality of the total of differences. Spectacular. There are three lemmata there you compressed to one intuition.

  • @britlion
    @britlion Před 2 lety

    Simon, watching a genius at work on something like this is wonderful. As someone who can take hours on a GAS puzzle (while accusing the creators of lies!), you vastly outclass me. But it's awesome to see the maestro solve something that appears impossible. Well done Mitchell Lee for dreaming this up!

  • @victormanjarinsala2253
    @victormanjarinsala2253 Před 3 lety +18

    I don't think there are words in any language that suffice to describe this gorgeous monstrosity, so I'll just say HOLY F.

  • @slashclaw14
    @slashclaw14 Před 3 lety +1

    Love how happy you were solving this! Absolutely crazy break-in. Mitchell does it again!

  • @DubioserKerl
    @DubioserKerl Před 3 lety +1

    This is a truly marvellously constructed puzzle!

  • @danparsons1423
    @danparsons1423 Před rokem

    Ive only watching these for a few weeks but this is the most impressive solve Ive seen yet, simply genius.

  • @kimberlypreston6204
    @kimberlypreston6204 Před 3 lety

    I always liked puzzles. Simon, your channel turned me into a puzzler! I actually was excited watching the whole hour. So happy you made it through.

  • @jaldinsicon
    @jaldinsicon Před 3 lety +1

    i love that to have this type of symmetry between the purple and the blue, it forces the green to have all the numbers 1-9 also

  • @Piatato
    @Piatato Před 3 lety +1

    Wow! I love this idea! It's obviously insanely hard to spot, yet it's very clear and understandable once you know about it. Such elegance and beauty!

  • @kdziolak
    @kdziolak Před 3 lety +5

    Amazing puzzle, personally my favorite so far, and I think I've seen everything on this channel. Just stunning.
    Fun fact:
    Every purple is followed by a blue that is 1 greater, which holds true even in the two inverted boxes (modulo 9). Also the purple and blue sets are equal, which can only be true if every number (1-9) in the final solve appears in two purple and two blue cells. Consequently green cells need to be unique.
    This observation, available as soon as the nature of thermoses was discovered, would be marginally useful in trimming some of the branches down.

  • @vakilian
    @vakilian Před 3 lety +1

    I've watched a lot of CTC videos with great admiration.. Simon, this is your best ever solve.

  • @williamnathanael412
    @williamnathanael412 Před 3 lety +10

    11:12 Simon says that there's no place to put a 1 in box 5, but isn't the orange boxes where the 1's are supposed to be?

    • @tzampini
      @tzampini Před 8 měsíci

      Yes, you’re right. there are 4 places to put a 1 in box 5.

  • @wombatbreath
    @wombatbreath Před 3 lety +16

    wow - took me 93 minutes and not even embarassed - that was tough.

    • @pmarmite947
      @pmarmite947 Před 3 lety +6

      How did you break in? Same as Simon?

    • @specialk6984
      @specialk6984 Před 3 lety +2

      Well done mate that was hard. I only finished it after cheating the first few numbers from Simon.

  • @ljcapsicum
    @ljcapsicum Před 3 lety +2

    I love solving these but this, this is by far the craziest opening to a puzzle I've ever seen

  • @danielepicone1480
    @danielepicone1480 Před 3 lety

    What a fantastic puzzle. One of the very best, if not the best I saw on this channel.

  • @skyepotter9912
    @skyepotter9912 Před 3 lety

    Well done Simon, glad you got to finish this one... The logic in it was wonderful to watch

  • @Arvendui1
    @Arvendui1 Před 3 lety

    I love this channel, and they feature some incredible puzzles, but this today might be the greatest of them all. Absolutely beautiful construction and explanation, and well beyond my pitiful capabilities. Stunning.

  • @omardengel4498
    @omardengel4498 Před 3 lety

    I just love your enthusiasm sooo much

  • @karissajohnson7961
    @karissajohnson7961 Před 3 lety

    What a stunning puzzle and one of your most entertaining solves, Simon. I almost teared up anticipating your "YES" at the end. {And I actually understood the logic straight away and the whole way through!}

  • @AlonAltman
    @AlonAltman Před 3 lety +82

    The initial deduction with box 5 seems wrong because clearly the 1 in that box could still be in the orange cells in box 5. That means you can't deduce the 1s must be in the bulbs in box 1 and/or box 9

    • @eduellery
      @eduellery Před 3 lety +1

      Same doubt here...

    • @john_reese
      @john_reese Před 3 lety

      This needs to be upvoted.

    • @crowdsourcedlife
      @crowdsourcedlife Před 3 lety +19

      The placement of 1's and 9's in Box's 1 and 9 is based on the math he did to get the +14 in purple that is recovered in blue +2 per box. then comes the restriction based on row 5 based on placed 1's and the fact that any 1 in a purple bulb has to be followed by a 2.

    • @AFastidiousCuber
      @AFastidiousCuber Před 3 lety

      Yeah, I was just about to comment the same thing.

    • @AlonAltman
      @AlonAltman Před 3 lety +9

      @@crowdsourcedlife yes he did correctly later, I'm referring to the initial attempt to figure out where 1s go, which was bad logic even though it ended up being correct.

  • @genevieve4679
    @genevieve4679 Před 3 lety

    Wow! This was absolutely brilliant!! Watching this solve is a great way to start a day.

  • @itsonlyjoe42
    @itsonlyjoe42 Před 3 lety +1

    Mitchell Lee, this is incredible! Incredible sudoku! I wish I had thought to use that theorem (but even then I don't think I would have had a hope of solving it). Beautiful puzzle and well done Simon for finding the break in!

  • @krytolandros1775
    @krytolandros1775 Před 3 lety +3

    The fact that Simon wonders whether he'll finish the puzzle and is in suspense the whole time but we know he does finish the puzzle because it has been uploaded makes for such an interesting narrative framing. We get to cheer him on, knowing he will finish, because he is *destined to*, and while he struggles with doubt and uncertainty we get to focus instead on the pure logic of the solve rather than the anticipation of finding out whether he solves it or not. It's like having the ending spoiled, but that means we can focus more on the story's content, not distracted by the uncertainty of how it will end. The question for the viewer that keeps us watching is of *how* he will solve it, not *whether* he will solve it. And I think that makes for a more relaxing and enjoyable watch.

  • @dominiclohry1782
    @dominiclohry1782 Před 3 lety

    Simon, you are absolutely brilliant! What a stunning puzzle

  • @gengar678
    @gengar678 Před 3 lety

    Brilliant. Just love it when he discovers something and gets super excited

  • @tagcoins1
    @tagcoins1 Před 2 lety

    Fantastic solve! Yes, genius puzzle construction. Also genius level break-in! Kudos!

  • @WessonSnyder
    @WessonSnyder Před 3 lety

    This intro was one of the first songs I learned on guitar myself... Thank you for bringing back these memories.

  • @ImperialKneazle
    @ImperialKneazle Před 3 lety

    Brilliant solve, and a real pleasure to watch too. You deserve to be proud.

  • @GabyGrecu
    @GabyGrecu Před 3 lety +44

    sorry for CAPS but: THERE ARE ALL THE DIGITS 1-9 IN THE GREEN BOXES... SO THERE IS A SUDOKU IN THE SUDOKU

    • @paulcook2961
      @paulcook2961 Před 3 lety +4

      Well spotted. Technically this is a "Latin square"

    • @trevorgayworth
      @trevorgayworth Před 3 lety +1

      This is probably a dumb question but do all regular sudokus contain the latin square?

    • @ericfox7021
      @ericfox7021 Před 3 lety +1

      @@trevorgayworth Yes. The definition of a Latin square is a square NxN grid in which each cell contains a number from 1 to N such that no number is repeated in any row or column. Sudoku has the additional property that the 3x3 boxes contain no repeated numbers.

    • @jonathanross6260
      @jonathanross6260 Před 3 lety +3

      @@ericfox7021 But in general, regular sudokus will not contain Latin squares in the central cells of the 9 boxes, which is what I think Trevor is asking. Simple counter-example, Trevor: any puzzle containing a jellyfish in rows and columns 2,5 & 8.

    • @mumushanshi
      @mumushanshi Před 3 lety

      Yes, I actually used that in my solve! (The fact that the green boxes will contain 1-9 is deducible after 28:10 into the video.)

  • @wilde1909
    @wilde1909 Před 3 lety +1

    I usually get bored in the middle of really hard sudoku solves because I know the solves are totally beyond me, but this one kept my interest because the logic involved in the solve was so different and didn’t require doing complicated arithmetic which I’ve never been able to do in my head.

  • @alvaropallete
    @alvaropallete Před 3 lety +2

    Apart from the wonderful setup, I'm very surprised how Simon is always so clever that he can spot hidden logics, as difficult as this one, within not much time in a live solve. I'm wordless this time 👏

  • @cyndisision
    @cyndisision Před 3 lety +4

    The tension! The drama! The catharsis!

  • @bassamestfan6711
    @bassamestfan6711 Před 3 lety

    I got my first pair after 5 minutes and first digit after 9.
    Of course I reset the puzzle and stared for 30 minutes before coming to watch like a good student.
    A marvelous setting and brilliant solve. Always enjoy watching Simon interact.

  • @damienmcfarland7267
    @damienmcfarland7267 Před 3 lety +1

    Smiling ear to ear for the last 50 minutes, i knew you would crack it, well done Simon

  • @zoltankalovics7910
    @zoltankalovics7910 Před 3 lety +32

    10:50 why can't there be a 1 in the middle box if there are no 1s on the bulbs? weren't the cells that you highlighted in orange possible positions for them? cause you had 4 orange cells in the middle box.

    • @juanalbertovargasmesen2509
      @juanalbertovargasmesen2509 Před 3 lety +3

      I'm glad he didn't end up using that faulty logic (I mean everyone makes mistakes, it's nothing much really). But instead he used an ironclad and beautiful argument.

    • @thatpuzzleguy
      @thatpuzzleguy Před 3 lety +5

      OK, good; I thought I was going insane.

    • @FloydRinehart
      @FloydRinehart Před 3 lety +1

      Zoltán Kálovics I thought I was losing my mind as well....

    • @mohamedabdelgafar6180
      @mohamedabdelgafar6180 Před 3 lety

      I had to watch it twice
      I thought I was the only one
      I guess it was just a result of wrong logic maybe ?

    • @ervins775
      @ervins775 Před 3 lety

      Can you explain in detail where his logic is faulty? Would you argue that he could put ones in either row 2 column 5 or row 8 column 5 ? Whats the argument, i dont see any flaws in his deduction

  • @davidhughes7174
    @davidhughes7174 Před 3 lety

    I agree, what a puzzle. It was hard just watching you solve it Simon, thank you.

  • @jonfbanks
    @jonfbanks Před 3 lety +13

    Sees the thumbnail: "Yay a thermo! I love thermos."
    Sees the runtime: "Looks like I'm gonna watch Simon do this one!"

  • @kaumatuaeli
    @kaumatuaeli Před 3 lety +1

    Brilliant! I’ve followed the channel for a year. This is my favorite so far. Very well done tweaking the pattern to match the thermos!

  • @paulchapman3427
    @paulchapman3427 Před 3 lety

    Brilliant! Well done to Mitchell and to you. Awesome.

  • @aligreenwood89
    @aligreenwood89 Před 3 lety

    Wow, wow, wow that was incredible. Stunning puzzle and a great solve 👏👏 definitely be very proud of that

  • @inediblenut
    @inediblenut Před 3 lety +1

    Simon is so brilliant he can ignore obvious things like digits being ruled out by another in that column, until he can find a way to use a quadruple to reach the same conclusion. All hail Simon. HAIL!

  • @dreamsolutions3037
    @dreamsolutions3037 Před 3 lety +4

    "Tada! That's absolutely useless, but it is quite interesting." 😂

  • @jeffreyvannieuwkoop6809
    @jeffreyvannieuwkoop6809 Před 3 lety +62

    Can we maybe see once a video how you create a sudoku?

    • @11mandylion
      @11mandylion Před 3 lety +1

      There is a video where Christoph Seeliger explains the setting of one of his sudokus...I can't find the actual link to it, so I hope this comment will reach someone more clever than me who can add the link to Christoph's video...I found it extremely entertaining!

    • @elbuengus36
      @elbuengus36 Před 3 lety +3

      czcams.com/video/936S5jWQTYE/video.html I think this is the video you are looking for

    • @kevinmattsson5718
      @kevinmattsson5718 Před 3 lety

      @@11mandylion That video is on Patreon, I don't believe it is behind a pay wall but i have not seen it so don't know if it is

    • @11mandylion
      @11mandylion Před 3 lety

      @@kevinmattsson5718 I think that's true! I am a patreon, but joined after that video..

    • @Tahgtahv
      @Tahgtahv Před 3 lety +3

      @@11mandylion It was posted on Patreon, but was free to all. Respecting the fact the video is unlisted, I'll link to the post instead: www.patreon.com/posts/how-to-create-37985261 (As far as I can make out, all Patreon videos are unlisted, regardless of their access level. I suppose that just makes it harder to make a mistake with them.)

  • @HalfBakedLunatic
    @HalfBakedLunatic Před 3 lety

    Absolutely incredible. I could ponder over that for a year and not crack it! Very nicely done.

  • @TrulyCrackd
    @TrulyCrackd Před 3 lety

    I honestly don’t know what’s going on but I find it so mesmerizing watching you complete these puzzles

    • @TrulyCrackd
      @TrulyCrackd Před 3 lety

      Its just mind blowing seeing this❤️

  • @andremess3336
    @andremess3336 Před 3 lety

    Awesome! Absolutely brilliant setup and solve. Always a pleasure to see you (Simon) being excited like a 5 year old the day before christmas when getting close to crack the puzzle open. :-)

  • @JCShort61
    @JCShort61 Před 3 lety

    I've picked up sudoku after stumbling across your channel 2 weeks ago. Thanks for all the tips! I'm able to complete hard puzzles in about 20 minutes. However, I need to work on my pencil marks. I mark everything and my board looks messy until I see the patterns. I will continue to watch your process so that I can more effectively spot doubles & triples to keep my workspace a bit cleaner. :) Thanks again! I love the content!

  • @nathanrish7142
    @nathanrish7142 Před 3 lety

    Absolutely stunning break in

  • @alarictaqiarentza9451
    @alarictaqiarentza9451 Před 3 lety

    Managed to solved it after 29 minutes in to the video. But i have to say that the break-in was absolutely brilliant! This is the best sudoku so far that i ever seen!

  • @ursulamoney203
    @ursulamoney203 Před 3 lety

    Simon, you being excited about this incredible solve is the equivalent of someone else finally not burning the toast: I'd have been ecstatic!! Brilliant solve, very well explained and a whole new tool to our arsenal. AH-MAZ-ING darling.
    And I so love that both halves of your brain are equally developed, the logical and the creative: your intros are a real treat.

  • @JayEmSea
    @JayEmSea Před 2 lety

    Wonderful! A joy to watch

  • @LednacekZ
    @LednacekZ Před 3 lety +14

    NEVER ever, would i have had thought of that way.

    • @andrewsparkes8829
      @andrewsparkes8829 Před 3 lety

      To be fair, Simon wouldn't have got it nearly as quickly had he not known the setter had used a variation of the trick in a previous sudoku. That's not to say Simon 'cheated' by using information outside of the sudoku itself - if anything it shows his brilliance in logically using that previous sudoku in solving this one. Kinda like a detective figuring out a serial killer has left the same item on a previous corpse and how they're connected.

  • @impishlyit9780
    @impishlyit9780 Před 3 lety

    I love that you played the intro music for this one! Seems you have more than just a talent for puzzles.

  • @curtispiette3520
    @curtispiette3520 Před 3 lety

    From intro through end, this whole video is an insane flex 💪😎

  • @RECTmetal
    @RECTmetal Před 3 lety

    It made me kind of happy when you got excited at 26:36 haha.
    Absolutely genius solution! Great job!!

  • @carriewilliams5179
    @carriewilliams5179 Před 3 lety

    Congrats on this brilliant solve!

  • @Baer1990
    @Baer1990 Před 3 lety

    I love how 3 seperate times there was a number (2 and later 3) blocking by normal sudoku rules, and he just goes wild with the thermometer why it can't go there by insane logic. Just beautiful, I cannot comprehend how you brain fits inside your skull

  • @confusedSoulof2010
    @confusedSoulof2010 Před 3 lety +1

    I feel better! After waiting through the break in (because God only knows I couldn't do it before his break-in, I saw a couple connections faster than he seemed to, but my time only beat it by 3 minutes, and I wasn't having to think my moves out loud for people to understand...
    All in all, I feel accomplished even if I needed Simon (and someone to explain more in the comments) to tell me how to get myself started

  • @ionguy2881
    @ionguy2881 Před 3 lety +1

    I promise never to yell at the screen about a missed digit again. That was superb!!!

    • @eclectichoosier5474
      @eclectichoosier5474 Před 3 lety

      He had that 49 pair with a 4 staring at it for quite a long time...
      And he could have narrowed down the options in box 2 a lot sooner.
      You can still yell at the obvious ones, even while recognizing the genius-level deductions he made to break into the puzzle.