Search found 107 matches
Re: Hello
I subscribed to Tough Puzzles for a year when I was 14. Couldn't solve most of the puzzles, but I enjoyed seeing a variety of new puzzle types. In particular, I think it was my first introduction to Cross Sums (similar to Kakuro). Since Nick asked, I'll chime in to say my favourite puzzles were gene...
- Wed 01 Jul, 2020 5:23 pm
- Forum: Announcements
- Topic: Results: 2020 UK Puzzle Championship
- Replies: 7
- Views: 6419
Re: Results: 2020 UK Puzzle Championship
Congrats James. Bad luck Freddie, though I've now doubt you'll win plenty of future competitions at this rate. Thanks as always to Liane and all the other organisers/ setters. And I did smile when I read the instruction booklet and saw 'You're Missing a Six', always nice to see clever inventions bas...
- Thu 21 May, 2020 4:14 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: WPF Puzzle GP 2020
- Replies: 67
- Views: 35241
Re: WPF Puzzle GP 2020
Fwiw, I wouldn't describe this discussion as 'controversy', so I don't think you have anything to be concerned about, Tom.
- Wed 20 May, 2020 10:03 am
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: WPF Puzzle GP 2020
- Replies: 67
- Views: 35241
Re: WPF Puzzle GP 2020
Congrats on a really good result Freddie! For my part, I made a small error on the yajilin that I didn't catch- it was an actual solving error rather than a answer string error, which is perhaps slightly less annoying (but more worrying), but still a big chunk of points to throw away. I also solved ...
- Tue 18 Feb, 2020 9:42 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: WPF Puzzle GP 2020
- Replies: 67
- Views: 35241
Re: WPF Puzzle GP 2020
I'm not a fan of number sequence puzzles in general, but this one was nowhere near as bad as the one from last year's Mind Sports Olympiad that was posted in another thread at the time. The difference between successful numbers is 22, 42, 68... The difference between *those* numbers is 20, 26, 32......
- Tue 04 Feb, 2020 9:29 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: WPF Sudoku GP 2020
- Replies: 37
- Views: 23282
Re: WPF Sudoku GP 2020
I felt like I solved more puzzles than I did which is an odd feeling. But anyway, those that I did solve were (mostly
) nice, particularly the diagonals.

- Tue 04 Feb, 2020 9:27 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: 20th 24HPC in Budapest
- Replies: 4
- Views: 5015
Re: 20th 24HPC in Budapest
As Tom says, I plan to attend, but haven't sorted out exact schedules yet (I haven't checked flight prices because Tom's scared me too much). But I'm definitely planning to do something puzzle-y on the Friday if people are around. 

- Wed 28 Aug, 2019 8:19 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: Puzzles at the Mind Sports Olympiad in London on Sunday
- Replies: 45
- Views: 60455
Re: Puzzles at the Mind Sports Olympiad in London on Sunday
Congrats Rodders. I could've stared at that sequence all day and not got the answer (I already did spend about as long on it as I spent on all the other puzzles combined!) so as Tom said, solving it makes you a worthy winner. That's one reason why reusing puzzles is clearly far from ideal- I'd far r...
- Tue 16 Apr, 2019 9:42 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: WPF Puzzle GP
- Replies: 22
- Views: 23776
Re: WPF Puzzle GP
I spent probably over half an hour getting most-but-not-all of the massive pointer at the end. I subsequently broke the slalom as well, plus both snakes (although by that stage I was largely guessing). Of the puzzles you mentioned, I did solve the Fibonacci Doppleblock and the Unequal Slitherlink- b...
- Mon 15 Apr, 2019 9:41 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: WPF Puzzle GP
- Replies: 22
- Views: 23776
Re: WPF Puzzle GP
Just to add balance, I actually hated it! But that's likely down to me, rather than the puzzles.
- Sat 06 Apr, 2019 6:32 am
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: 24 HPC 2019
- Replies: 7
- Views: 11239
Re: 24 HPC 2019
I'm vlogging again: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... O6F3k-iBvA
Hopefully this playlist will show you all the individual videos, if it doesn't I'll paste the links to the videos themselves later.
Hopefully this playlist will show you all the individual videos, if it doesn't I'll paste the links to the videos themselves later.
- Tue 19 Feb, 2019 8:49 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: 24 HPC 2019
- Replies: 7
- Views: 11239
Re: 24 HPC 2019
I'll probably go, and if I do, I'll probably go on the Thursday and be delighted to do some escape rooms on Friday. Haven't booked or confirmed anything yet though, just checking flights and making sure Brexit doesn't affect things...
- Sat 16 Feb, 2019 12:34 pm
- Forum: WPF Sudoku Technical Discussion forum
- Topic: Puzzle decorations
- Replies: 9
- Views: 11697
Re: Puzzle decorations
Is point 1 true? I can't remember enough from my uni days frustratingly!
Can't find flaw in points 2-4 though.
Can't find flaw in points 2-4 though.
- Sat 16 Feb, 2019 12:32 pm
- Forum: WPF Sudoku Technical Discussion forum
- Topic: Figure sum sudoku [WPF sudoku GP 2017]
- Replies: 8
- Views: 11076
Re: Figure sum sudoku [WPF sudoku GP 2017]
I don't like that definition due primarily to the use of the world 'primarily'. Similar to the way Fred has demonstrated on other types, it would be possible to create one of these puzzles where the structure placement constraint is used trivially, making that particular puzzle example a 'primarily'...
- Sat 16 Feb, 2019 12:29 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: WPF Puzzle GP
- Replies: 22
- Views: 23776
Re: WPF Puzzle GP
Round 2, Germany, is this weekend:
https://gp.worldpuzzle.org/content/inst ... -booklet-2
Given Germany are hosting the WPC this year, it may be good practise.
https://gp.worldpuzzle.org/content/inst ... -booklet-2
Given Germany are hosting the WPC this year, it may be good practise.
- Thu 14 Feb, 2019 7:29 pm
- Forum: WPF Sudoku Technical Discussion forum
- Topic: Puzzle decorations
- Replies: 9
- Views: 11697
Re: Puzzle decorations
The top one is a classic sudoku. The bottom two are not, although they are obviously very close. (One difference is that the top example works just as well with the numbers replaced by unordered symbols, whereas the others don't). I think part of the reason in my head that it's not an analogous situ...
- Thu 14 Feb, 2019 7:15 pm
- Forum: WPF Sudoku Technical Discussion forum
- Topic: Burodoku [new example]
- Replies: 4
- Views: 7085
Re: Burodoku [new example]
One of the most interesting factors (to me) is that you could easily make a variation of this with some numbers missing (and possibly some more bold separations). Then you could make another variant with even more gaps and barriers. And so on, step by step, getting closer and closer to a traditional...
- Thu 14 Feb, 2019 7:04 pm
- Forum: WPF Sudoku Technical Discussion forum
- Topic: Wrong Puzzles? [WSC 2011]
- Replies: 16
- Views: 19095
Re: Wrong Puzzles? [WSC 2011]
What would you say if I propose to you a slightly different thing, integrating some world "puzzle X" championships (because that's the good idea of your proposal): Monday-Tuesday: WSC - competition containing only sudoku as defined by the commitee. Thursday-Saturday: WPC, with the specification tha...
- Thu 17 Jan, 2019 9:14 pm
- Forum: WPF Sudoku Technical Discussion forum
- Topic: Wrong Puzzles? [WSC 2011]
- Replies: 16
- Views: 19095
Re: Wrong Puzzles? [WSC 2011]
OK so I guess I should've foreseen that shortening the WSC so much would not be too popular amongst some groups of people (note that I didn't suggest killing the WSC altogether, my schedule still has a World Sudoku Championship in). However, I stand by my point that, in the puzzle community, there a...
- Mon 14 Jan, 2019 10:39 pm
- Forum: WPF Sudoku Technical Discussion forum
- Topic: Wrong Puzzles? [WSC 2011]
- Replies: 16
- Views: 19095
Re: Wrong Puzzles? [WSC 2011]
:lol: Very nice Fred. :) Perhaps 'looks like a sudoku and has at least a semblence of sudoku logic' would be better. But then you'd have to define what a 'semblence of sudoku logic' is. To be fair, I did say I haven't thought out the details thoroughly. However, I am very much still in the camp that...
- Sun 13 Jan, 2019 11:27 pm
- Forum: WPF Sudoku Technical Discussion forum
- Topic: Sick Kropki Sudoku [WSC 2011]
- Replies: 1
- Views: 4495
Re: Sick Kropki Sudoku [WSC 2011]
Very tempted to vote that kropkis aren't suitable for anything ever, but going by my 'it looks like a sudoku rule' this is clearly a yes.
- Sun 13 Jan, 2019 11:22 pm
- Forum: WPF Sudoku Technical Discussion forum
- Topic: Wrong Puzzles? [WSC 2011]
- Replies: 16
- Views: 19095
Re: Wrong Puzzles? [WSC 2011]
As the only person to vote that this is fair game for a sudoku competition, allow me to put forward my thoughts. Clearly, it's not a sudoku puzzle, or even a variant. It's a sudoku-related puzzle. I feel that all remotely sudoku-related puzzles should be allowed in the WSC. Conversations on other th...
- Sun 11 Nov, 2018 10:23 am
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: Good luck to the UK teams in Prague!
- Replies: 7
- Views: 12737
Re: Good luck to the UK teams in Prague!
And a short one to finish:
https://youtu.be/wOQWvCtXIXs
Great to see everyone, looking forward to next year already
https://youtu.be/wOQWvCtXIXs
Great to see everyone, looking forward to next year already

- Fri 09 Nov, 2018 9:46 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: Good luck to the UK teams in Prague!
- Replies: 7
- Views: 12737
Re: Good luck to the UK teams in Prague!
And the second:
https://youtu.be/XWq__zMUbIo
https://youtu.be/XWq__zMUbIo
- Thu 08 Nov, 2018 9:50 pm
- Forum: Puzzle Competitions
- Topic: Good luck to the UK teams in Prague!
- Replies: 7
- Views: 12737
Re: Good luck to the UK teams in Prague!
First video update this year:
https://youtu.be/u1MD2iZm2rI
https://youtu.be/u1MD2iZm2rI