Another fad adopted and abandonded.
So for the past couple of months, I've been nursing a secret little fling--with Sudoku. Yes, I saw everyone doing the puzzles on the train and I didn't want to be left out. Once I found out that there was no math involved, I was hooked.
Yesterday marked a little milestone in my Sudoku relationship. I solved my 30th London Guardian Sudoku Classic in a row. (Okay, it should've happened last Thursday, but I didn't get around to doing it until yesterday.) And from solving so many in a row, I've learned something: Sudoku puzzles aren't satisfying.
You know how some people are just good at puzzles? Dave and his friends immediately come to mind. They're the type of people who play Jenga using batteries as their first level to make it more challenging. Yeah, I'm not one of those people. I'm terrible at puzzles. Yet, once I unlocked the key to Sudoku, I was able to solve any puzzle that the Guardian threw my way.
That's because Sudoku is basically the same every day. Crossword puzzles test you on different sets of knowledge, but Sudoku doesn't have any clues or questions. So really, what they're testing you on is the method you use to place all the numbers. That method doesn't change from day to day. Sure, the puzzles get harder--and some of them were really difficult. Dave even tells me that there are 12 x 12 grids that use letters and numbers to provide more of a challenge. But that just means it takes longer to slog through the Sudoku method--there's not really anything else to it.
After solving 30 in a row, I believe my method is sound. So, I'm retiring from the Sudoku game. Somehow, I don't think the puzzle world will miss me.
Yesterday marked a little milestone in my Sudoku relationship. I solved my 30th London Guardian Sudoku Classic in a row. (Okay, it should've happened last Thursday, but I didn't get around to doing it until yesterday.) And from solving so many in a row, I've learned something: Sudoku puzzles aren't satisfying.
You know how some people are just good at puzzles? Dave and his friends immediately come to mind. They're the type of people who play Jenga using batteries as their first level to make it more challenging. Yeah, I'm not one of those people. I'm terrible at puzzles. Yet, once I unlocked the key to Sudoku, I was able to solve any puzzle that the Guardian threw my way.
That's because Sudoku is basically the same every day. Crossword puzzles test you on different sets of knowledge, but Sudoku doesn't have any clues or questions. So really, what they're testing you on is the method you use to place all the numbers. That method doesn't change from day to day. Sure, the puzzles get harder--and some of them were really difficult. Dave even tells me that there are 12 x 12 grids that use letters and numbers to provide more of a challenge. But that just means it takes longer to slog through the Sudoku method--there's not really anything else to it.
After solving 30 in a row, I believe my method is sound. So, I'm retiring from the Sudoku game. Somehow, I don't think the puzzle world will miss me.