Does anybody have any good tricks involving sudoku?

Not sure of any magic involving sudoku, but for the uninitiated, here's what it's about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku

Apparently Sudoku is sweeping the world, but this is the first I'd heard about it:

mirror.co.uk

Papers go ape over the 'new craze' - Sudoku
By Jodie Ginsberg

LONDON (Reuters) - In the lull after this month's election, newspapers have focused on a contest that arguably captures the public imagination in a way the politicians never managed -- a number puzzle called Sudoku.

A pen-on-paper game, Sudoku -- or Su Doku -- involves filling in a square divided 9 by 9 into 81 boxes so that each row, column and 3 by 3 box contains the digits 1 to 9.

It requires no maths, just reasoning and logic, and since The Times first launched its version in November last year, almost every other paper in Britain has followed suit.

"The rules are simple compared with most puzzles, but behind that lies a whole wealth of complexity. That layer of difficulty is very addictive," said Michael Harvey, Features Editor at The Times.

Despite its Japanese-sounding name, Sudoku has its origins in 18th century Switzerland and made a stop in 20th century New York before it hit Japan two decades ago. It finally arrived in Britain with the help of retired New Zealand judge Wayne Gould.

"I had always been interested in British-style cryptic crosswords and code-breaking and computer programming," he told Reuters.

"I was in a Japanese bookshop, and this crossword-like grid was the only thing I recognised."

The grid that had caught Gould's eye was "su doku", which translates roughly as 'unique number'.

Taken with the game, Gould developed a computer programme that makes up Sudoku puzzles on the spot.

"I had been planning to use my retirement to brush up my programming skills, so I used Sudoku as a programming exercise," he siad. "I realised its potential very early on, however."

Gould took his idea to The Times. It was so popular with readers that one called it a "craze" just two weeks after it launched.

"There was a big reader reaction," said Harvey. "Within days, we knew we had a big puzzle on our hands."

Thousands of people now enter The Times' daily competition and its first book of the puzzles shot to the top of non-fiction bestseller lists.

Other newspapers quickly followed suit.

Britain's best-selling daily The Sun launched "Sun Doku" and The Independent started a hunt to find Britain's Sudoku Grand Master.

Harvey expects the enthusiasm for Sudoku -- dubbed the new Rubik's Cube -- to ease but insists the puzzle is not a flash in the pan. "It's here to stay. I just think the level of Sudoku mania will die down," he said.

The craze has started to catch on elsewhere.

In South Africa, where the Business Report newspaper introduced Sudoku earlier this month, players showed withdrawal symptoms when it did not appear one Monday.

"Despair! Distress! Today's edition seems not to have the 9x9 digit numbers puzzle you introduced last week," Paul Robson wrote to the paper via e-mail.

"As another harmless pastime to be solved while unwinding over a beer on the way home it went so well with the crosswords ... to keep one amused through the second beer, and had some scope to even stretch to entertainment for a third glass of icy cold, golden brew. Please don't drop it! Please bring it back!"

The paper agreed to publish Sudoku five days a week.

I found a challenging variant of sudoku at this website:
http://www.mathpuzzle.com
As of Sept. 4, 2005, this puzzle is at the top of the
mathpuzzle homepage.

You can also go directly to a pdf version ready for your printer:
http://www.mathpuzzle.com/MagicSuduko.pdf

(The above url is correct...even though Sudoku is misspelled.)

The pdf version, while great for printing, doesn't contain a full
explanation of the constraints Alexandre Owen Muniz set on himself
while composing the puzzle. (The puzzle contains a "magic 45-omino."
So be sure to visit the Aug 22, 2005 entry at mathpuzzle.com
to get the full scoop.)

The puzzle's been posted at the mathpuzzle site since Aug 22...so I
suspect a solution will appear at that site any day now. If you want
to see your name on the solvers list, you'd better get right on it.


Stan Alger

On that soduku idea has anybody heard of the Dion Cube perhaps? No? well its a soduku with a twist, image laying 9 soduku problems vertically upon each other so not only do the numbers have to add up to 9 vertically and horizontal but also on a 3d plane

http://www.sudoku.org.uk/PDF/Dion_Cube.pdf

Check the site out. Sorry for the poor explanation.

P.S. The solution is so simple you'll kick yourself ones you get it

I have a full Sudoku routine / trick available (in small numbers). It has had good reviews from the few mentalists I have shown. You can see a bit of info at...

http://www.dizzylizzy.co.uk/magic

or fo course PM me
hope this helps,
ALL the best,
JMM

Is this about $100? I've never see one of these puzzles but my brother spoke of one this evening. Can an 11 year old do this routine?
Thanks
Dave

Yep, an eleven year old can do the routine. I really tried to design it so that it would make you appear to be a Sudoku genius - without having to be. Without giving too much away it is a special Sudoku Book (100% authentic looking) with puzzles that can instantly be solved by the magician/mentalist. Its 140 pages (I think) full of all different puzzles and can be examined even by a keen Sudoku player and everything appears normal.
If you have any problems with it - just PM me (or leave a message on the forum).

Thanks Justin.
I'll be researching this further.

Cool - they are now available in the UK from Alakazam.co.uk - and I am sure they will be in the US pretty soon. All the best,
JMM

Can you swith magazine covers? Are they the same size as the others? Can you get several at once for a better deal?
See where I'm going with this?
LOL
Dave

I have been thinking about this - currently there is only one version of the book. It would be a relatively easy process for me to produce alternate covers (I see what you are getting at) - but it would also be just as easy to have a couple of genuine Sudoku books and perform a 'magician's choice'.

If demand is strong then alternate covers can be a genuine option.

PS. the Sudoku book is definitely a 'book' rather than a magazine (perfect bound, thick book).

Did I see this( The book) here somewhere in the US market for over $200?
Dave

Hank Lee has it for $139. I think I've seen it elsewhere but didn't bother to try looking it up again. (Grin)

I've just layed out small handouts containing Doug Dyment's Magic Squares (Flash Squares) as "Super-Sudoku". Start with the Sudoku patter and twist it to the "much more difficult" Super-Sudoku. Do the target number off their birthday and you've got a personal grid that adds up in all ways to that number.

I've laid in the template numbers in white font over a pale background. Now, I have a card that I can flash that looks blank, but has all my numbers filled in except the adjustable ones, and those all disappear as soon as I write over the numbers with my sharpie.

So: Now I can be contemporary with Soduku and do Doug's Flash Squares from his "Mindsights" book. I will do two onstage on a large easel, then a dozen one-on-one for 10-15 minutes of stage business.

If you have Doug's book, and are interested in this approach, I'd be happy to send you a sample. PM me with your address, any page number from the book and the first word on that page.

It ain't Sudoku, but it's close: Super-Sudoku. The trick am what you say it am!