Mini Clueless Windoku-X

Princess Amy · Post by **Princess Amy** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 4:19 pm

I made a Mini Clueless Windoku X. The diagonals were a surprise for myself... I didn't discover them until I was making the clue set! But I was able to remove a lot of the clues once I figured it out.

Please, keep giving me suggestions on how to get the 9x9 Clueless Windoku put together. Just because there are 9 additional constraints! If it can be done with disjoint groups, I bet it can be done with the Windoku...

If you need the solution, it's in my gallery at my blog:

http://images.blogstream.com/i/userImag ... 8_5148.png

Enjoy!

Amy Grace

Post by **Ruud** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 7:17 pm

With so many constraints for only 4 digits, this mini-clueless-windoku-x only causes problems remembering all these different constraints.

I wonder if it's possible to create one with 5 or even 4 clues...

Ruud

Para · Post by **Para** » Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:21 pm

A 5 clue example

Code: Select all

1	.	.	.|.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.|.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.|.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.|.	2	.	.
---------------------------
.	.	1	.|.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.|.	.	.	.
.	.	.	.|.	.	.	1
.	.	.	.|.	.	.	3

I don't know is a 4-clue is possible. Then you'd need one clue in each seperate puzzle because without clues a seperate puzzle is never unique.
I don't think there is enough interaction between the clues to make it possible.

greetings

Para

JLynn · Post by **JLynn** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 6:14 am

Anyone else having a hard time resisting the temptation to call a Windoku-X puzzle a Wind-X puzzle?

Post by **Ruud** » Sat Aug 11, 2007 8:04 pm

Here is a fullsize Clueless Wind-X.

Each of the 13 constituent puzzles is a Sudoku-X. Of these, 4 are placed in a familiar Windoku pattern and completely clueless.

This puzzle is very tough, but it helps when you discover the twin nonets and the 36 hidden groups. Oops, now I said it

happy puzzling!
Ruud

PS, here are the strings:

Code: Select all

000000410007300060010006900702000000400000000000000000000000000030000000000000000
070004000003007009005000700000003000000005000000000000000000000000000000000000000
902000000008000000000000010000000000000000000000000400000000050000000600000000034
007000000006000000030000000680001000000060091090002608000000000000000000000000000
000001000000002000000000000080109002509304807400507030000000000000600000000200000
000000000000000000000000000207400080680050000000200074000000060000000900000000500
830000000006000000050000000005000000000000000000000000040000000000000200000000306
000000000000000000000000000000000000000600000000400000001000400200900600000700020
000000000000000040000000000000000000000000001000000805006300080020009400093000000

JLynn · Post by **JLynn** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 7:18 am

I'm putting together the clueless grid possibility matrices. If so desired I'll post them here.

Also: Ruud, Aside from the four "windows", do any of the windoku constraints apply to the whole puzzle?

Post by **Ruud** » Sat Aug 18, 2007 9:20 am

Like in windoku, you can extrapolate additional constraints which apply to the whole puzzle.

Each row contains 3 groups (1-9). There are 18 rows which account for 2 groups (1-9), so the remaining cells must also form a group (1-9).

Same principle can be applied to the columns and the 2 main diagonals of the puzzle. So there are 38 hidden groups (not 36 as I claimed).

The total number of constraints is:

729 cells
81 + 36 + 18 = 135 rows
81 + 36 + 18 = 135 columns
81 boxes
18 + 8 + 2 = 28 diagonals

Ruud

Princess Amy · Post by **Princess Amy** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:59 pm

What program would you post the strings of numbers into?

Thanks,

Amy

Princess Amy · Post by **Princess Amy** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 6:09 am

Has anyone solved the clueless windex puzzle?

Wow, I've made a quite few attempts and have hit places where I'm stuck or errors every time. I've only used pencil and paper so far.

How do other people print? I hit print screen, copied into Paint Shop Pro, cropped the background from my computer, printed. Would take advice on printing.

I guess I'll paste those strings into SudoCue one at a time (I answered my own question on that, finally). I'll call them Windex 1 through Windex 9, and then I'll make Windex A, B, C and D for the "pane" puzzles too.

I loved the way the full-length diagonals complete themselves, btw! A very complicated but interesting way they overlap and solve various sections!

Is the solution posted somewhere?

Thanks,

Princess Amy

JLynn · Post by **JLynn** » Sat Oct 27, 2007 1:25 pm

I got pretty far at one point using 9 instances of SudoCue, but at one point I panicked, having forgotten about the X's in the window puzzles.

I do have this puzzle printed out, using a full sheet of paper for each puzzle.

This much I know: The central puzzle cracks rather quickly. I need to work up the time, space, and motivation before picking it back up again. It is an interesting piece of work, though.

JLynn · Post by **JLynn** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 8:57 am

Screwed up on paper, tried again with SudoCue, and FINALLY got it. Fun puzzle!

Here's the streak-free solution:

396258417247319865518476923752981634481623579963547281624735198139864752875192346
876294351143587269925316784752643198418925637639871542264738915391452876587169423
932741568178536942465982713324675891519428376786193425843267159291354687657819234
857219463416378925239456817683591742724863591591742638175924386342685179968137254
875931264146752389923846751387169542569324817412587936751498623234675198698213475
978531426165742893432986751217493685684157239359268174591874362743625918826319547
831476592796512843254398761385269417429751638617843925543627189968135274172984356
813547269967321584542896731385172946429658317176439852751263498238914675694785123
135748269672931548984562317318257694259486731467193825746315982821679453593824176