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Lower Limit Found For Sudoku Puzzle Clues
ananyo writes "An Irish mathematician has used a complex algorithm and millions of hours of supercomputing time to solve an important open problem in the mathematics of Sudoku, the game popularized in Japan that involves filling in a 9X9 grid of squares with the numbers 1–9 according to certain rules. Gary McGuire of University College Dublin shows in a proof posted online [PDF] that the minimum number of clues — or starting digits — needed to complete a puzzle is 17; puzzles with 16 or fewer clues do not have a unique solution. Most newspaper puzzles have around 25 clues, with the difficulty of the puzzle decreasing as more clues are given."
High-tech computers, working uninterruptedly for about 10 years, have finally discovered the exact minimum number of clues for the binary sudoku.
After a long day at work I prefer my Sudoku with 80+ clues
I prefer Sudoku puzzles with only one clue. That way I can finish them any damn way I want. Multiple solutions are my friend.
Besides, I am a word geek, not a math geek. Cruciverbalism is my cup of tea (or letters).
Silence is a state of mime.
People with more education than you do, apparently.
There are only two reasons to spend taxpayer money: To defend America, and to get Republicans back into power!
Everything else is SOCIALISM!
Well, close: there's a grant program. Seriously.
Space game using normal deck of cards: http://BattleCards.org