Sudoku junkie

I used to hate numbers. It stems from a failed attempt at making sense of their intangible correlation with other numbers, letters and symbols and how these directly apply to my internal process of appreciating the beauty of life. I found no correlation whatsoever. Until I tried Sudoku.

I’m not sure if daily papers in Manila have started printing Sudoku yet but I would strongly recommend that they do since I’m sure there’s an untapped market of would-be Sudoku addicts. Forget the crossword puzzle. I get my daily fix from the Delhi Times, taking out the page from the paper at the office and sneaking it in my bag.

If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s how it goes:

Fill in the grid so that every horizontal row, every vertical column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9, without repeating the numbers in the same row, column or box. You can’t change the digits already given in the grid.

The trick is to find the grid (row, column or 3x3 box) that has the most given digits. By trial and error, write the other missing digits, starting off with the one that has the most possibility of occupying that box (not intersecting with the same number in any row, column or 3x3 box). This could be tricky so you may need to write your trial and error on another paper or have an eraser handy.


Give it a try. If you get to solve one, I promise you you will be hooked. If you can’t get enough, here’s more at http://www.websudoku.com/. Levels vary from easy, medium, hard and evil. Warning: the game will annihilate your thoughts and normal pace of life. Resistance is futile.