# Web Sudoku Challenge **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 20, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535 "2005-12-20T23:34:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/1 "2005-12-20T23:34:59Z")
Go to [http://www.websudoku.com](http://www.websudoku.com) Click “Select a Puzzle…” Select Easy 9999 Solve the puzzle and post your time I got 4 minutes 25 seconds ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/2 "2005-12-20T23:41:07Z")
2:56 This being on medical leave thing sucks, but it’s given me loads of sudoku practice. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/3 "2005-12-21T00:33:34Z")
13:45. That’s my 3rd one and I’m used to paper. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/4 "2005-12-21T01:02:53Z")
OK, I’m pretty smart and have good problem solving skills, I always succeed at these puzzles eventually, but I am painfully slow. Whats the damn trick to doing it fast? Gr… ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/5 "2005-12-21T01:17:03Z")
6:07. I’m also going to invoke the “used to solving on paper” defense – not putting in any numbers until I was certain, instead of tiny little “it’s here or here” jottings meant I ended up retracing my steps a bit. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/6 "2005-12-21T01:22:52Z")
8:16… also used to printing them out and doing paper/pencil… try for the “evil” puzzle for some real self-torture! ---
**Author:** ![Wallflower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Wallflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallflower)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/7 "2005-12-21T01:27:51Z")
I’ve never done one of these before. That was fun, time of 14:25. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/8 "2005-12-21T01:28:30Z")
OK, I firmly believe that it’s cheating to use trial and error on the paper versions, erasing and scratch outs should be penalized. I’m at a loss to understand how these can be done in less than 5 minutes. Gah, I hate these puzzles, they make me insane. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/9 "2005-12-21T01:29:38Z")
Incidentally guys, if you go to the “options” button you can turn on an option for “pencil markings” which allows you to write two numbers in a cell. Bascially the note taking tool from a paper version. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/10 "2005-12-21T02:15:33Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Incidentally guys, if you go to the “options” button you can turn on an option for “pencil markings” which allows you to write two numbers in a cell. Bascially the note taking tool from a paper version. Oh sure, **now** you tell us! I don’t do trial and error per se – it’s more like “these two squares are the 4 and the 7, in some order,” which allows me to pin down other stuff. Having to refigure that out each time I looked at a column slowed me down. No, really. I’m absolutely much faster than 6:07. Being, yanno, a trained professional and all. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/11 "2005-12-21T03:04:39Z")
11:16. I got pretty good at these when I had a boring job this past summer, but I guess I’ve lost my swiftness. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/12 "2005-12-21T03:15:41Z")
4:30 It is easier when you don’t have to re-figure things out every single time. ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/13 "2005-12-21T03:32:34Z")
> [@Gangster Octopus](#): > > Go to [http://www.websudoku.com](http://www.websudoku.com) > > Click “Select a Puzzle…” > Select Easy 9999 > Solve the puzzle and post your time > > I got 4 minutes 25 seconds I suck. 5:26. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/14 "2005-12-21T04:23:22Z")
19:01 I plead a) I haven’t done these in a long time, b) I keep forgetting that it’s not just the rows and columns that go 1-9, but the squares also. Once I remembered that I sped right up, and c) I’m at work. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/15 "2005-12-21T05:39:23Z")
[Here is a good site](http://www.lovatts.com.au/sudoku/sudoku.htm) for beginners – when you fill in one of the nine 3x3 squares, the numbers light up if you’re correct. However, you have to click each space until the desired numeral appears, as opposed to just being able to type in the desired digit. Since I couldn’t “cheat” on the **Gangster Octopus** sudoku, my time was a dismal 10 minutes, 50 seconds. On the [lovatts.com](http://lovatts.com) puzzles, I average about six minutes, and place in the top 14-20% of solvers on most days. For example, I just did the December 21 sudoku in 8:42, placing me (at the moment) #659 out of 3917. ---
**Author:** ![purple\_haze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@purple\_haze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purple_haze)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/16 "2005-12-21T06:01:55Z")
6:50 was my time - not bad for my first time. My FIL is addicted to this game, but doesn’t have a computer. Just as well - we would never see him again once he got immersed! Could you imagine NOT having a computer? {shudder} ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/17 "2005-12-21T06:32:00Z")
I rely HEAVILY on taking notes, so mine was an abysmal 16:04. I’m usually pretty fast, but I didn’t realize how much I really need to be able to jot down possibilities while I’m working on it! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/18 "2005-12-21T07:47:03Z")
6:17, but this is the first online one I’ve ever done. there is no way you need to do trial and error for an easy one, or even a medium one. The new diabolical ones don’t need it - there was a bug in one of the generating programs that used to require trial and error though. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/19 "2005-12-21T09:52:26Z")
5:04. I tend to be faster on paper for some reason. I do enjoy the big 16 by 16 ‘super’ sudokus though. ---
**Author:** ![metj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@metj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/metj)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535/20 "2005-12-21T13:15:13Z")
My first time doing Sudoko - well over 40 minutes ☹ I started completely over at 20 minutes, and after 20 minutes on the second try I just kept hitting “How am I doing” until I got it all. :rolleyes: Now I’m hooked because I’m convinced I can do better. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/web-sudoku-challenge/336535.md?page=2)