# sudoku - help I'm stuck **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 23, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudoku-help-im-stuck/474105 "2008-11-23T15:47:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudoku-help-im-stuck/474105/1 "2008-11-23T15:47:45Z")
My logic fails me. I’m working on 3 separate “difficult” Sudokus and after staring at them for hours (literally), I’m at an impasse. I’m hoping shaper minds can assist me, not in solving the puzzles (I can look up the answer in the back of the book), but in finding the next number: #1 (E=blank) E1E EE2 E4E 78E EEE E1E E95 E1E E8E E2E EEE E3E 95E E8E E27 E4E EEE E6E E7E E9E 85E E3E EEE EE1 E6E 4EE EEE #2 E9E EE3 1EE EEE 1E8 E92 5E1 EEE EE6 EEE EEE EE4 849 237 651 7EE EEE EE9 1EE 3EE 9E8 2EE 596 41E 9E4 8EE E6E #3 EE5 EEE E3E E91 68E E54 EEE 52E E1E EE8 EEE 9E3 74E E3E 125 EE2 EEE 6E8 81E 37E 562 EEE E65 381 563 E1E 497 Thanks and happy solving!! ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudoku-help-im-stuck/474105/2 "2008-11-23T15:58:55Z")
Got one: #1 (E=blank) E1E **8** E2 E4E 78E EEE E1E E95 E1E E8E E2E EEE E3E 95E E8E E27 E4E EEE E6E E7E E9E 85E E3E EEE EE1 E6E 4EE EEE ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudoku-help-im-stuck/474105/3 "2008-11-23T16:15:24Z")
yes, I see that. thanks. Of course, now I’m stuck again. I stink at these puzzles. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudoku-help-im-stuck/474105/4 "2008-11-23T16:29:52Z")
#3 ee5 eee e3e e91 68e e54 eee 52e e1e e **5** 8 eee 9e3 74e e3e 125 ee2 eee 6e8 81e 37e 562 eee e65 381 563 e1e 497 ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudoku-help-im-stuck/474105/5 "2008-11-23T16:38:53Z")
I see where you put the 5, but I don’t know how you narrowed it down. I had that it could fit in Row 4 Column 2 OR Row 6 Column 2. ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudoku-help-im-stuck/474105/6 "2008-11-23T16:43:32Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I see where you put the 5, but I don’t know how you narrowed it down. I had that it could fit in Row 4 Column 2 OR Row 6 Column 2. It can’t be 2,4,7,8 (block), 1,6 (column) or 3,9 (row), so only 5 left. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2008, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudoku-help-im-stuck/474105/7 "2008-11-23T17:10:28Z")
Oh, yes. Maybe I just need to take a break. 🙂 Thanks for your help! Lisa ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudoku-help-im-stuck/474105/8 "2008-11-24T15:26:31Z")
#2 falls just short of one of those which I normally resort to brute force to solve. I narrow it down as much as possible, then make a guess - and see if the guess plays out. I hate having to do it, but I don’t know another way to do it. Advanced Sudoku techniques, maybe. In the upper left box, there are only two squares that can contain 2, and two that can contain 8. The same two squares for each number. (The upper-right and bottom-middle - one of them will be 2, and the other will be 8.) Because of this, you can be sure that wherever 3 and 7 appear in that box, they will be in the middle row. (The upper-left corner can’t have them, because of already placed numbers.) This allows you to place a number in the upper-right box, in the middle-left square. Because of numbers already placed, it can only be three, five, or seven… and we can now eliminate three and seven. So: e9e ee3 1ee eee 1e8 **5** 92 5e1 eee ee6 … and so on. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudoku-help-im-stuck/474105/9 "2008-11-25T14:34:03Z")
So does the OP still need our help, or has she moved on (or at least made some progress)?