Clicking on “Initial Values” you can insert all the known Values; then you must click “Play” (as an alternative, you can load a Sudoku file, saved before).
The program does its Solvability Control and reports the Difficulty Level and other information.
At this time the player can do his Moves using or not the aids the program offers.
He can do two kinds of actions, depending on working with Values or Candidates.
- To write a Value: click on the Cell and key the number. The program automatically updates the Candidates count.
- To act on Candidates: right click on the interested Cell and take away the V sign from the unwanted ones (as shown in the example)
Initial Values appears in black color, while the Values you play are blue. A Candidate counted by the program is red, but blue if you directly act in its Cell.
Wrong Moves are rejected.
AVAILABLE VIEWS
Candidates can be shown in different ways for helping the Move finding.
- Show None
- Show All
- Show only if it matches the selected one, with three
possibilities (show the Candidate in each matching Cell, show a Net that joins all those
Cells, obfuscate in grey all the Cells that exclude the subject Candidate).
- Show the Candidates for attempting a Trial, with two choices:
using all the Candidates or only those matching Conjugated Pairs.
STEP-BY-STEP ADVICE
If the player does not find a right Move to continue the game, or when he wants to go faster, he can appeal to the Personal Trainer who gives his Advice accordingly a manageable Priority.
Who really wants to learn, should respect the following gradual stages:
first: ask with the “Method” button so the blackboard will indicate the Technique to use,
if the former does not solve enough: click the “Value“ button and a new line will say the Value to write or cancel,
and if it’s still too dark: click the "Where" button that will color the Cells on the Scheme in different ways, to give evidence of those involved in the reasoning (as shown in the figure),
And for the laziest: the “Do it” button can make the program to write the Move by itself.
SOLUTION METHODS
This is the standard sequence (Priority), but the player can make any change to move in front the Methods that should be rarely invoked because easier ones are applicable as well.
Here you find the full list and some Method’s example (note that a Zone maybe a Row, a Column or a Box).
The Help File presents samples for every Technique.
At a glance: by crossing Rows/Columns with the same Value (1-9), you find that some Box remains with just one not-excluded Cell (the Method may be known as “slice and dice”).
Only one missing Cell to complete a Zone (Single Cell).
Only one Candidate in a Cell (Single Number).
A Zone shows a certain Candidate in one Cell only, but it is accompanied by some other Candidate (Hidden Single or hidden loner).
A Zone shows exact Twins Candidates, but they appear elsewhere (Naked Twins or pure twins).
A Zone has two Cells with the same double of Candidates, but one double or both are accompanied by other Candidates (Hidden Twins).
A Box locks a Candidate on a Row or Columns of its, but that Candidate appears on the same Row or Column also outside that Box (Box Locks Candidate).
A Row or Column locks a Candidate to one Box only, but the Candidate appears also in other Cells of that Box (Row/Col. Locks Candidate).
3 Cells of a Zone admit just all or some of the same 3 Candidates, but those Candidates appear even in one or more other Cells of that Zone (3 Candidates Sharing).
4 Cells of a Zone admit just all or some of the same 4 Candidates, but those Candidates appear even in one or more other Cells of that Zone (4 Candidates Sharing).
A Zone shows 3 Cells with exactly the same three Candidates, that appear also in some other Cell of its (Naked Triples or pure triples).
A Zone shows 3 Cells with the same three Candidates, ma some other Candidate accompany them in those Cells (Hidden Triples).
The Scheme shows an X-Wing Rectangle that makes false every other presence of a Candidate out of its corners.
The Scheme shows a SwordFish Butterfly that makes false every other presence of a Candidate out of its free corners.
A Zone shows 4 Cells with exactly the same four Candidates, that appear also in some other Cell of its (Naked Quads or pure quads).
A Zone shows 4 Cells with the same four Candidates, but some other Candidate accompany them in those Cells (Hidden Quads).
Try and Verify, looking for any violation, in a specific view, without damaging the game.
VERSION 2.2 ADDITIONS
This Version adds:
It is now possible to manage files with *.ss extension
beside the original *.sud format.
With the function Arrange for Printing who likes to play with
paper and pencil can copy the Sudoku pattern to a MS Word document, large enough to easily
handle the Candidates in their Cells. The document may include the list of Personal Trainer's
suggested moves.
Samples:
- SUDDOCI01.doc Click to see the Word document (Select Open)
- SUDDOCI02.doc Click to see the Word document (Select Open)
- SUDDOCI03.doc Click to see the Word document (Select Open).
- A new way for Trials handling is added.
- A better process for Sudoku's creation is now available.
VERSION 2.3 ADDITIONS
This Version adds:
Testing under Microsoft Windows 7.
DOWNLOAD - INSTALLATION - USAGE
Download:
- Download from here the zip file ZSUDOKUI
(version 2.3, about 730 KB) that contains the SUDOKUPTI.exe program, the three help files:
SUDOKUPTI.hlp, SUDOKUPTI.cnt and SUDOKUPTI.bat, the installation Instructions.txt file, and four samples of different difficulty to start with.
Un-zip all them in a new folder (es. C:/SudokuPT).
Note - the earlier version can still be downloaded from here ZSUDOKUIv22.
Prerequisites:
- Microsoft Windows 95, or up.
- The program has been developed with Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 and its standard controls, so it should run without any need of additional DLLs or OCXs. In case you miss any of those, follow the Instructions.txt file steps.
- To run, open the folder where the un-zipped files are and doubleclick on SUDOKUPTI.exe.
- Use F1 to access its Help on line.
Usage conditions:
- The program and its help files can be freely used for personal not-commercial purposes, providing that every copyright and author information is integrally maintained.
At this time the player can do his Moves using or not the aids the program offers.
At a glance: by crossing Rows/Columns with the same Value (1-9), you find that some Box remains with just one not-excluded Cell (the Method may be known as “slice and dice”).
The Scheme shows a SwordFish Butterfly that makes false every other presence of a Candidate out of its free corners.
that contains the SUDOKUPTI.exe program, the three help files:
SUDOKUPTI.hlp, SUDOKUPTI.cnt and SUDOKUPTI.bat, the installation Instructions.txt file, and four samples of different difficulty to start with.
Un-zip all them in a new folder (es. C:/SudokuPT).
Back to SudokuPT