Thank you for this gift of another feature. It was a pleasure to watch it all the way to the end. I remember like just over a year ago my first feature on the channel and I was just excited as today. I must say getting featured here got me more confidence and I got more motivated to create more puzzle and I am glad others are enjoying it and I am very grateful and honored for this. As for the end when you asked if this was intended how you did or it was easier way, I can say you did basically everything how I intended, from the set to using modulo 3 and on the end using 45 pair was everything hit at right spot, which I really admire how you always do those puzzles and I must thank you for this because of you I was able to create such puzzles. With that thank you again for the feature and I hope to see more in the future.
Joyful from start to finish watching Simon grapple with, and eventually defeat, this beast. Just looking at this 'harmless looking' zipper puzzle, and seeing the name Dorlir attached to it, you just know this is going to be absolutely brutal and involve some fiendish SET nonsense to break into it. I cannot believe how Simon managed to find the required SET trick... never fail to be impressed by his uncanny intuitive ability to step into the mind of the setter, even one as unfathomably clever as Dorlir's. Hats off to both of you. And happy birthday Dorlir, you have brought many masterpieces to the community during the last 12 months, and this puzzle epitomises your style and talent.
Your commitment to not only find A logical path, but to find THE intended logical path in a solve as long and complex as this is extremely impressive and is one of the things that make these videos so watchable.
Please do not stop the long videos. I love to watch you struggle and see the genius ways you get round it. Today watching 3 times I thought I knew a number and each time as I was shouting at the screen "it is a ?? In the box" you found a long way to prove my assumption wrong. You along with the setters are all geniuses and the longer the video, the longer I can marvel.
The set argument to find the first 9 was so good. Even better was how well you explained it. I followed your explanation very easily, but I could never imagine coming up with it myself.
I like the long videos. I watch them on 1.75x, which is still completely enjoyable and understandable--and makes Simon look like even more of a Sudoku superstar.
I love the three incredibly complicated ways of getting rid of 7 from a line centre, followed by one ludicrously complicated way of putting a 7 on a line centre.
As a math nerd I absolutely did love the modular SET application, even as it might've taken me ages to come up with that, but I think my favourite bit in this solve was the logic about the lower-left zipper line both needing a repeated pair and having only one way to hold it. That is just such an elegant step in the solve path, it was really pretty.
"Clasp locker / unlocker" was the name by which the first example of what is known today as a zip fastener was described on the original patent application.
A long CtC video generally implies a difficult, but beautiful puzzle, which will contain some amazing deductions. And, with it being a CtC video, these deductions will be earned and well explained. That has definitely upped my puzzle solving abilities. In fact, I used to simply watch the hour-longs, with the assumption that "I couldn't possibly solve a puzzle that is so difficult that Simon or Mark spent an hour struggling through it". But, thanks to having watched such videos, after the rules are explained, I'll now often click the puzzle link and give it a go... before watching the video to either get me unstuck or see if there was an easier/cleaner/better solve than what I've just done. An endless of string of hour-long after hour-long could be a bit much, but frequently peppering them throughout has been very much to my liking. Thank you for taking on these beautiful creations and sharing them. Had I simply stumbled across "some zipper puzzle" and gotten rightfully stuck after a few minutes, I definitely would have moved on and not seen what treasures this was hiding.
Hi Simon, ‘The Pi Guy’ here. First of all, brilliant job finding the SET break in, I had to partially look at the video to confirm that it was SET and check I was on the right track. I thought you might be interested in the simpler proof as to why row 3 column 3 couldn’t be 6. It’s actually the result of row 5 column 2 being the same digit as row 8 column 9. If both were 5, row 6 column 8 would be 5 by sudoku and there would be nowhere for a 5 to go in box 5 (due to the 3 in row 1 column 7 ruling out 5 from the zipper lines). This was actually the only way I could find to advance but I can see why you decided to go with what you found. Thanks as always, I really enjoy watching you solve incredible sudokus with your expertise and warm personality and this was no exception (the way you solved the bottom left zipper by looking for repeats was very neatly done, as was identifying that 4,5 pair at the end). Keep on cracking! :)
I believe at that point, the 5 could still go in r4c4 (without further follow-through). The way I saw as an easier path was to look at 6s. If r3c3 is a 6, then so is r4c8 (due to the 2-3 pair in box 9). This places a 6 in r5c1 (only place in row 5), which makes r7c1 a 3, which clashes with the 3 on the 6-zipper at r7c4.
@@markp7262 Apologies, I managed to leave out an important step which rules out the digit in row 5 column 2 from going in row 4 column 4. First of all, ask where 1 can go in box 5. The 7 rules them off the ‘8’ zipper so 1 is either in row 4 column 4 or row 5 column 4. We know by earlier logic that row 5 column 2 is exactly 1 less than row 3 column 3, thus it must appear on the other side of the zipper line to the 1 in box 5, in either row 1 column 3 or row 1 column 4. In other words, either row 4 column 4 is a 1 or it will see the digit in row 1 column 4. And there you have it. :)
@@joelstevens5670 No worries. I manage to leave out important steps all the time. As long as it's not forgetting to put your pants on before going into the office, it's all good. 😁
45:06 Another way to see why that can't be six is to ask what goes in r5c1. There are three ways of making a 6, 1+5, 2+4 and 3+3. Since the tips are in the same box they have to be one of the non-double-3 options, let's just say it's 1+5 (same logic works either way). In that case, the remaining digits on the zipper in box 7 are 234. But now r5c1 will be a repeat no matter what.
Just masterful solve Simon and even more beautiful of a puzzle Dorlir!! Just love to know how your mind comes up with these masterpieces. Happy birthday dorlir! All solve length Simon from you, like yesterdays 35 min ish (w/announcements etc) to today hour and half to even movie length 2 and half or 3 hours , is something i will watch regardless. You always showcase and feature puzzles that bring out the best in the setters, variants, logic , sublimeness and your amazing solving skills!
Simon, you'd absolutely be one of my favorite people to talk to at a party. You are a fascinating, funny, warm, intelligent, and entertaining human being.
I finished in 266 minutes. These are the kinds of puzzle that scare me the most. That being a simple grid with a basic ruleset that takes Simon over an hour to solve, because if it takes Simon that long, I know it'll take me to the end of time. However, I quite enjoyed this one. One of my favorite parts was ruling out an 8 from r8c5, due to a 7 forming on r6c1, which gave a double 34 pair, breaking in box 1 by having both 34 on r1&2c3. This broke by having only 67 as an option in r3c3, both of which break by having a 34 pair. After that though, I had a tough time. Eventually after 200 minutes, my solve started turning into bifurcation, which I do not enjoy, so I reverted back and gave up to watch the video. However, before I started, I took a look at the comments and saw my enemy staring back at me. It was SET Theory. I did not at all expect SET Theory while solving. Returning, I was able to find the SET and proved that 9 had to belong in r6c1. I don't know if I would have been able to see that it was SET Theory without being given a push in that direction. That has always been my weakest ability. My favorite part after doing SET Theory was seeing that the 9 zipper could never have a full set of the digits, due to a repeating 3 that forced its way into r2c3, permeating and breaking box 7. This was a tough one, but enjoyable, especially when given the hint that it is SET Theory. Great Puzzle!
Regarding the long video / shorter video question: For me both are great. If it's a short(er) video I know I can have a good go at the puzzle and have a fair chance of solving it. If it's a long video I know that whilst I may have a go at the solve I'm likely to fail but that the puzzle will be so hard / interesting (and usually involve set theory like this one) that the video will be worth watching. So it's a win / win. I do only usually watch the videos of puzzles that I cannot do so I usually actually only end up watching the longer ones. Great solve for this one. I didn't try set as I couldn't spot which sets to choose to make things work so I failed.
Beautiful puzzle; congratulations to Dorlir and Simon both. Personally I love the long videos just as much as the short ones; it's the joy of puzzling either way.
Fascinating but brutal SET logic. Simon's intuition is phenomenal. I would have never imagined such an intricate combination of SET with modularity. This video deserves one million views... Most other CTC videos would deserve even more, though... Thanks CTC. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
38:45 Here is how I understand why the remaining part of yellow except the given 4 is divisible by 3 Green = 3x + 10 = y + 4 = Yellow (which y is the remaining part of yellow) y = 3x + 6 = 3(x+2), so y is divisible by 3 It is hard to understand without using equation at least for me, hope this could help someone
58:55. With zippers, I like to count the pairs along the zipper then see how many see each other. Once there’s a minimum number of pairs, that restricts the number at the center.
Jot me down as a fan of the long videos. I don't generally watch them all in one sitting, but it can be very soothing to just watch them a piece at a time, in between more hectic parts of the day.
A long video just what is needed after a horrible evening. Brilliant video. Edit: The evening is now better after Simon says we are his favourite people, always brings a smile to my face.
Wow, that you pulled that SET stuff out of your mind and used it in this puzzle, that was mind-blowing. Thanks, Simon, for this amazing solve of an amazing puzzle.
Usually I can follow along and maybe get a bit ahead of the logic while I'm watching, but for this one, I was just along for the ride 😅. Took me back to when I first started watching!
wow... I sat there for like 45 mins without a hint of a breakthrough. I can't believe how you saw a set theory in this puzzle at all and then it was correct and it was the modulo 3 work, I mean... jeez Simon... your brilliance is out of this world. How on earth did you see that?
I didn't see it either. But if you're stuck from the start for a long time it's a good idea to go look for interesting sets. (Sets where most colored cells are on interesting cells. Only after you find interesting sets can you try to find out what it means...
50:45. The trick I used to disambiguation the 8 or 9 in box 6 (I'm pretty sure was, but due to length of time solving I had already forgot for sure) the zipper in box 4-7 could only have 1 set of repeating pairs (or a 4-4 if 8) But that meant either all digits were unique on that line or it was a 9 with a repeating pair. Or an 8 containing a 4-4 pair. Due to the 4-4 being limited to one position (due to the 4 in box 6) it would have forced there to be a conflict somewhere om the zipper in box 6. I think it was it forced the zipper in box 9 to then have a 5 in column 8 forcing the zipper to be a 7. Forcing the 4 to become a 2. So there couldnt be a 4-4 onthe zipper in boxes 4,7. Forcing that to become a 9 and the zipper becoming an 8 in box 6. But I don't remember if that was precisely how I did it due to all the work after. And looking after it after I see that wasn't precisely how I did it because the 4 wouldn't have replaced the 2, so there was another step somewhere I don't recall that conflicted with that 4. Maybe it was forcing the 4 on the zipper in box 9 leaving two 45 pairs on the zipper in box 6. Meaning the 5 couldn't be placed off the zipper in box 6, yet it had to be if the zipper was a 9.
3 місяці тому
I truly enjoyed this video. And yes, you may add more long videos.
Well done Simon. But this was brutal. I'm afraid that this is the first time in 3 years of watching the channel that I couldn’t understand all of the explanation. The mod 3 stuff which I usually understand baffled me. And I was sure that Simon proved that two cells were different and the same. It was too long a video to go back so I'm trusting Simon and I hope that I understand better next video.
I solved the puzzle before watching - took me longer than Simon. I think this is one of the best solves on the channel - the puzzle is extraordinary, but Simon's intuition for where to look and what might be going on is in a different league
The set theory can be formulated as a variant of the Phistomefel ring, with the intersections of rows 5,6,7,9 and columns 1,2,8,9 forming one set, and the ring set being the intersection of the complementary rows and columns with box 2 removed.
Excellent pronunciation of Snohomish, Simon! I grew up about 15 minutes from there and never thought someone from the UK would mention it in a UA-cam video. There are other Native American names in that area that are trickier to pronounce. Try Puyallup or Sequim next 😂
Woa, what a complicated start of the solve. I thought he would find into the puzzle when he finally pencil-marked the 9s in box 7, but no, let us have a look at set and modulo and then some. I had the first digit after 3 or 4 minutes by checking the geometry of the lower left zipper line. It cannot be filled with a central digit that can only be composed by 3 pairs, so 6 and 7 are quickly ruled out. 8 breaks quickly because the given 4 forces row 8 to break. So 9 is left over for the zipper-center. Got stuck later on, but the first digit seemed so obvious.
I removed 6 and 7 from c1r6 at the beginning because I don't think they can provide enough pairs in the zipper line. Then I deduced the 9 in c5r8. I was stuck there before I watched the video. The modulo 3 stuff is fantastic! I will stop here and try to find the remaining steps.
1:03:00 You have forgotten that R8C9 and R5C2 are the same. And that R8C1 plus R8C9 adds to 9. So R8C1 is a 2, which is also the corollary of R5C2 being a 7.
I´ve done a few '5 stars-for-difficulty' puzzles and always feel immensely proud of myself for finishing. This, however, is so far above my pay-grade, I have to believe that the star system is inadequately capped at 5. I'd have said 7 stars at least.
I prefer the longer videos, although if they're too long and I have to stop and resume multiple times, then I lose track and stop watching. The shortest videos, I just do the puzzle myself
I found the value of the left line in yellow a different way: by re-including the given digits and the small yellow line, and doing the maths that if the big yellow line was 6 there was no way for the sums to work out. I also learned by extension that the green line’s central digit is always 1 more than Orange Edit: oh he finds this information later.
an easier way to get 9 in box 8 to be on the zipper is to think about what happens if you put 9 on the zipper in box 9, since box 6's options would rule it out of box 9 completely.
Modular set application as used by Simon allowed him to solve it much faster, but one could do without it and solve the puzzle still. It took me for ages, but I managed finally. Won't mention the time I needed, though ;-)
I attempted this and got a start without the set theory but at some point confused my hypotheticals with my deductions and had to give up. But I've been away from variant sudokus for a couple months and this video reminded me of set theory again, so something gained regardless.
I almost only watch long videos, but only after I solve it myself first. Because I know I'll be challenged and I also know it's going to be a beauty... This one took me especially long to solve (>3hrs). But I did it quite similarly to Simon.
Hoo boy! Just under 3 hours for me. 171 minutes, 14 seconds. I was pretty happy when I found the SET and the maths giving me the first three zipper totals. But I get the feeling there was a 2nd part of the break-in that I completely missed. My way of disambiguating the last two zippers was not pretty.
About late birthday shout-outs: we need a new rule. The person whose birthday it is is entitled to chocolate cake not only on the actual birthday but also on the day Simon acknowledges it. (Or the treat of your choice, of course, even if that means, say, a big steak or the best tomatoes at your local farm stand.) 😺🎂
I only watch/attempt the 45minute+ videos, and usually go for 1h,15m-ish ones first. Unless, of course, fog is involved - I can't resist them, regardless of solve lengths.
18:20 "There's no 8 on this line" Remember what you said about 8's in box 5? If R8C5 is an 8, then 8 would go in column 6 of box 5. More specifically, because of sudoku and other lines logic, it would go in R5C6. Now, i have no idea what else you saw. But that logic that you saw now applies if R8C5 was an 8.
48:54 Where is 3 in box 9? If it's on the zipper contained in box 9, then R8C9 cannot be a 6. If it's in R8C8 then R8C2 is a 6, which means R8C9 cannot be a 6. That zipper therefore is never made up of a 6 sum. Now, where is 6 in row 8? It's on the horizontal zipper. And that goes with a 3 to make 9. So R8C1 is not a 3. Or one could simply say that since orange can't be 6, the undeserving of color R8C1 cannot be a 3.
Would someone please explain to me why the mod3 calculation works. It looks to me like we started with 2 sets that were each clearly mod3 = 0, then removed some overlaps and equivalences that were not necessarily mod3 = 0 so it was not necessary for the two sets that were left to be mod3 = 0.
_"It is very hard for us to know what we should do"_ (Simon @1:29:24) You should keep featuring *👉extraordinary👈* puzzles❗ "Just fun" or "just popular" or "just very hard" or "just approachable" is not enough for CTC. They are guaranteed to be extraordinary when they are highly recommended by *trusted* LMG solvers, constructors, or CTC testers. 😏👍👍👍 They may happen to have a disappointingly ordinary *logic path* if you select them just because they are inspired by some event, celebrate some birthday or person, contain a beautiful drawing, et cetera. Of course, there are notable exceptions, such as this fiendishly brutal but fascinating zipper sudoku by *Dorlir,* or the magnificent _"Apologetic Airlines"_ by *Olima,* recently featured by Mark just becuse it was inspired by your recent misadventure with American Airlines.
r3c3 can't be 6, because the only combinations for a 6 sum are 15, 24 (+reversed) and 33, meaning if a zipper's leg is length 5 each digit appears on it once, and in column 4 we have 5 cells including this zipper, then 3 can't appear in those cells by sudoku, that leaves us 1245 to appear on the bottom leg, and one of those digits must again appear in the top leg part of column 4 to get us the sum, which also can't happen by sudoku.
I could not figure this out, and watching the solve, I don’t think I would have. I could have made some educated guesses but that would have been bifurcation. Crazily hard.
44:02 Maverick with a congratulatory - and deserved - flypast. 1:10:18 NEVER apologise. Or apologise because that's the mark of your character, but know it's unnecessary. This is amongst the most insanely hard puzzles on the channel. To miss, or not (it's above my head) stuff after an hour of explaining and justifying is human. In the dark, we can all bifurcate. You are doing it blinded by a spotlight of truth and logic.
I can't post links (UA-cam deletes them), but if you search for a video called "The Hardest Sudoku Of All" you should find it. (There's also the back catalog spreadsheet linked in the description. I searched that for "Balance Loop" to find the video.)
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![This Sudoku Is Astonishing [MUST WATCH]](/img/n.gif)
Thank you for this gift of another feature. It was a pleasure to watch it all the way to the end. I remember like just over a year ago my first feature on the channel and I was just excited as today. I must say getting featured here got me more confidence and I got more motivated to create more puzzle and I am glad others are enjoying it and I am very grateful and honored for this. As for the end when you asked if this was intended how you did or it was easier way, I can say you did basically everything how I intended, from the set to using modulo 3 and on the end using 45 pair was everything hit at right spot, which I really admire how you always do those puzzles and I must thank you for this because of you I was able to create such puzzles. With that thank you again for the feature and I hope to see more in the future.
A very happy birthday to you, Dorlir!
Happy Birthday!!🎉
Happy birthday
You are a dam good constructor!
Hope you had a wonderful birthday and this puzzle is exceptional from you!!
40:16 "If this is 8, then it's complicated" - I am so happy it didn't get complicated before then.
"That is an 8, that's by thingy thingy thingies, the technical term for stuff."
-Simon Anthony, 2024
came to the comments to look for this
This definitely got me giggling. Bless.
I giggled at it in the video because i was trying to follow simon's thought process, but reading it afterwards really made me laugh out loud
In which stuff just meant sudoku
Joyful from start to finish watching Simon grapple with, and eventually defeat, this beast. Just looking at this 'harmless looking' zipper puzzle, and seeing the name Dorlir attached to it, you just know this is going to be absolutely brutal and involve some fiendish SET nonsense to break into it. I cannot believe how Simon managed to find the required SET trick... never fail to be impressed by his uncanny intuitive ability to step into the mind of the setter, even one as unfathomably clever as Dorlir's. Hats off to both of you. And happy birthday Dorlir, you have brought many masterpieces to the community during the last 12 months, and this puzzle epitomises your style and talent.
Always cherish and brings smile to me with what you write about Simon's solves and other constructors!!
Simon's intuition for incredibly complicated deductions is mad. He deserves all the praise for it.
Your commitment to not only find A logical path, but to find THE intended logical path in a solve as long and complex as this is extremely impressive and is one of the things that make these videos so watchable.
Simon: "I can't do the speaking and the talking at the same time."
I have trouble with that too
And the thinking
Please do not stop the long videos. I love to watch you struggle and see the genius ways you get round it.
Today watching 3 times I thought I knew a number and each time as I was shouting at the screen "it is a ?? In the box" you found a long way to prove my assumption wrong.
You along with the setters are all geniuses and the longer the video, the longer I can marvel.
The set argument to find the first 9 was so good. Even better was how well you explained it. I followed your explanation very easily, but I could never imagine coming up with it myself.
I like the long videos. I watch them on 1.75x, which is still completely enjoyable and understandable--and makes Simon look like even more of a Sudoku superstar.
Same here. This was a brilliant solve.
I love the three incredibly complicated ways of getting rid of 7 from a line centre, followed by one ludicrously complicated way of putting a 7 on a line centre.
As a math nerd I absolutely did love the modular SET application, even as it might've taken me ages to come up with that, but I think my favourite bit in this solve was the logic about the lower-left zipper line both needing a repeated pair and having only one way to hold it. That is just such an elegant step in the solve path, it was really pretty.
"Clasp locker / unlocker" was the name by which the first example of what is known today as a zip fastener was described on the original patent application.
ohhh
I'm a big fan of the long videos - they are the most gripping and it is always gratifying to watch you find your way out of the maze. Thank you!
A long CtC video generally implies a difficult, but beautiful puzzle, which will contain some amazing deductions. And, with it being a CtC video, these deductions will be earned and well explained. That has definitely upped my puzzle solving abilities.
In fact, I used to simply watch the hour-longs, with the assumption that "I couldn't possibly solve a puzzle that is so difficult that Simon or Mark spent an hour struggling through it". But, thanks to having watched such videos, after the rules are explained, I'll now often click the puzzle link and give it a go... before watching the video to either get me unstuck or see if there was an easier/cleaner/better solve than what I've just done.
An endless of string of hour-long after hour-long could be a bit much, but frequently peppering them throughout has been very much to my liking.
Thank you for taking on these beautiful creations and sharing them. Had I simply stumbled across "some zipper puzzle" and gotten rightfully stuck after a few minutes, I definitely would have moved on and not seen what treasures this was hiding.
Hi Simon, ‘The Pi Guy’ here. First of all, brilliant job finding the SET break in, I had to partially look at the video to confirm that it was SET and check I was on the right track. I thought you might be interested in the simpler proof as to why row 3 column 3 couldn’t be 6. It’s actually the result of row 5 column 2 being the same digit as row 8 column 9. If both were 5, row 6 column 8 would be 5 by sudoku and there would be nowhere for a 5 to go in box 5 (due to the 3 in row 1 column 7 ruling out 5 from the zipper lines). This was actually the only way I could find to advance but I can see why you decided to go with what you found. Thanks as always, I really enjoy watching you solve incredible sudokus with your expertise and warm personality and this was no exception (the way you solved the bottom left zipper by looking for repeats was very neatly done, as was identifying that 4,5 pair at the end). Keep on cracking! :)
I believe at that point, the 5 could still go in r4c4 (without further follow-through). The way I saw as an easier path was to look at 6s. If r3c3 is a 6, then so is r4c8 (due to the 2-3 pair in box 9). This places a 6 in r5c1 (only place in row 5), which makes r7c1 a 3, which clashes with the 3 on the 6-zipper at r7c4.
@@markp7262 Apologies, I managed to leave out an important step which rules out the digit in row 5 column 2 from going in row 4 column 4. First of all, ask where 1 can go in box 5. The 7 rules them off the ‘8’ zipper so 1 is either in row 4 column 4 or row 5 column 4. We know by earlier logic that row 5 column 2 is exactly 1 less than row 3 column 3, thus it must appear on the other side of the zipper line to the 1 in box 5, in either row 1 column 3 or row 1 column 4. In other words, either row 4 column 4 is a 1 or it will see the digit in row 1 column 4. And there you have it. :)
@@joelstevens5670 No worries. I manage to leave out important steps all the time. As long as it's not forgetting to put your pants on before going into the office, it's all good. 😁
@@markp7262 Fair point. Anyway, hopefully the logic now makes sense. Thanks for the initial heads up.
Never expected Snohomish to be mentioned in a CTC video. Well done on the pronunciation!
45:06 Another way to see why that can't be six is to ask what goes in r5c1. There are three ways of making a 6, 1+5, 2+4 and 3+3. Since the tips are in the same box they have to be one of the non-double-3 options, let's just say it's 1+5 (same logic works either way). In that case, the remaining digits on the zipper in box 7 are 234. But now r5c1 will be a repeat no matter what.
Just masterful solve Simon and even more beautiful of a puzzle Dorlir!! Just love to know how your mind comes up with these masterpieces. Happy birthday dorlir!
All solve length Simon from you, like yesterdays 35 min ish (w/announcements etc) to today hour and half to even movie length 2 and half or 3 hours , is something i will watch regardless.
You always showcase and feature puzzles that bring out the best in the setters, variants, logic , sublimeness and your amazing solving skills!
Simon, you'd absolutely be one of my favorite people to talk to at a party. You are a fascinating, funny, warm, intelligent, and entertaining human being.
Happy Birthday, Dorlir!
I finished in 266 minutes. These are the kinds of puzzle that scare me the most. That being a simple grid with a basic ruleset that takes Simon over an hour to solve, because if it takes Simon that long, I know it'll take me to the end of time. However, I quite enjoyed this one. One of my favorite parts was ruling out an 8 from r8c5, due to a 7 forming on r6c1, which gave a double 34 pair, breaking in box 1 by having both 34 on r1&2c3. This broke by having only 67 as an option in r3c3, both of which break by having a 34 pair. After that though, I had a tough time. Eventually after 200 minutes, my solve started turning into bifurcation, which I do not enjoy, so I reverted back and gave up to watch the video. However, before I started, I took a look at the comments and saw my enemy staring back at me. It was SET Theory. I did not at all expect SET Theory while solving. Returning, I was able to find the SET and proved that 9 had to belong in r6c1. I don't know if I would have been able to see that it was SET Theory without being given a push in that direction. That has always been my weakest ability. My favorite part after doing SET Theory was seeing that the 9 zipper could never have a full set of the digits, due to a repeating 3 that forced its way into r2c3, permeating and breaking box 7. This was a tough one, but enjoyable, especially when given the hint that it is SET Theory. Great Puzzle!
Regarding the long video / shorter video question: For me both are great. If it's a short(er) video I know I can have a good go at the puzzle and have a fair chance of solving it. If it's a long video I know that whilst I may have a go at the solve I'm likely to fail but that the puzzle will be so hard / interesting (and usually involve set theory like this one) that the video will be worth watching. So it's a win / win. I do only usually watch the videos of puzzles that I cannot do so I usually actually only end up watching the longer ones. Great solve for this one. I didn't try set as I couldn't spot which sets to choose to make things work so I failed.
I'm just geeked out that my Logic Masters name was displayed in Stephen Nedoroscik's sudoku video.
--Russ
I like the variety of long vs short videos :) Can't please everyone! I think you're right, the goal is just to do fun ones regardless of length.
Beautiful puzzle; congratulations to Dorlir and Simon both. Personally I love the long videos just as much as the short ones; it's the joy of puzzling either way.
I love to watch the long videos. If they end up
Fascinating but brutal SET logic. Simon's intuition is phenomenal. I would have never imagined such an intricate combination of SET with modularity. This video deserves one million views... Most other CTC videos would deserve even more, though... Thanks CTC.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
38:45 Here is how I understand why the remaining part of yellow except the given 4 is divisible by 3
Green = 3x + 10 = y + 4 = Yellow (which y is the remaining part of yellow)
y = 3x + 6 = 3(x+2), so y is divisible by 3
It is hard to understand without using equation at least for me, hope this could help someone
"Thingy thingy thingies, the technical term for stuff." made me laugh
I'm definitely a longer video enjoyer. Whenever I hit a backlog of videos i've missed, the first thing I look for are the longest ones 😃
58:55. With zippers, I like to count the pairs along the zipper then see how many see each other. Once there’s a minimum number of pairs, that restricts the number at the center.
I love the long video once a week for sure. Because sometimes I just know I can't solve it and so watching you discover it is so much fun.
Jot me down as a fan of the long videos. I don't generally watch them all in one sitting, but it can be very soothing to just watch them a piece at a time, in between more hectic parts of the day.
A long video just what is needed after a horrible evening. Brilliant video.
Edit: The evening is now better after Simon says we are his favourite people, always brings a smile to my face.
Hope today is going better for you...
@@Anne_Mahoney it better than yesterday, but still not great, thank you for asking, I hope you are having a great day.
Oh, my. I haven't watched this one yet, but I can see by the comments that it is a Simon Anthony classic. This is going to be fun!
This puzzle was absolutely incredible! I'm very happy to see this one get a feature, because it is unspeakably brilliant!
Wow, that you pulled that SET stuff out of your mind and used it in this puzzle, that was mind-blowing. Thanks, Simon, for this amazing solve of an amazing puzzle.
Oh. My. Goodness. What a puzzle and what a solve. Amazing. Chapeau to Dorlir (and Happy Birthday 🎂) and to Simon.
Usually I can follow along and maybe get a bit ahead of the logic while I'm watching, but for this one, I was just along for the ride 😅. Took me back to when I first started watching!
I enjoy the mix of long and short videos. Great solve!
Love the long videos. Thank you!!
wow... I sat there for like 45 mins without a hint of a breakthrough. I can't believe how you saw a set theory in this puzzle at all and then it was correct and it was the modulo 3 work, I mean... jeez Simon... your brilliance is out of this world. How on earth did you see that?
I didn't see it either. But if you're stuck from the start for a long time it's a good idea to go look for interesting sets. (Sets where most colored cells are on interesting cells. Only after you find interesting sets can you try to find out what it means...
50:45. The trick I used to disambiguation the 8 or 9 in box 6 (I'm pretty sure was, but due to length of time solving I had already forgot for sure) the zipper in box 4-7 could only have 1 set of repeating pairs (or a 4-4 if 8) But that meant either all digits were unique on that line or it was a 9 with a repeating pair. Or an 8 containing a 4-4 pair. Due to the 4-4 being limited to one position (due to the 4 in box 6) it would have forced there to be a conflict somewhere om the zipper in box 6. I think it was it forced the zipper in box 9 to then have a 5 in column 8 forcing the zipper to be a 7. Forcing the 4 to become a 2. So there couldnt be a 4-4 onthe zipper in boxes 4,7. Forcing that to become a 9 and the zipper becoming an 8 in box 6. But I don't remember if that was precisely how I did it due to all the work after.
And looking after it after I see that wasn't precisely how I did it because the 4 wouldn't have replaced the 2, so there was another step somewhere I don't recall that conflicted with that 4. Maybe it was forcing the 4 on the zipper in box 9 leaving two 45 pairs on the zipper in box 6. Meaning the 5 couldn't be placed off the zipper in box 6, yet it had to be if the zipper was a 9.
I truly enjoyed this video. And yes, you may add more long videos.
I loved this video, I definitely enjoy the occassional long puzzle and short puzzles, it's the midfield I have trouble with
Absolutely savage opening and the whole puzzle throughout, but tremendous solve!
Well done Simon. But this was brutal. I'm afraid that this is the first time in 3 years of watching the channel that I couldn’t understand all of the explanation. The mod 3 stuff which I usually understand baffled me. And I was sure that Simon proved that two cells were different and the same. It was too long a video to go back so I'm trusting Simon and I hope that I understand better next video.
I solved the puzzle before watching - took me longer than Simon. I think this is one of the best solves on the channel - the puzzle is extraordinary, but Simon's intuition for where to look and what might be going on is in a different league
Simon you are the absolute goat for solving this
The set theory can be formulated as a variant of the Phistomefel ring, with the intersections of rows 5,6,7,9 and columns 1,2,8,9 forming one set, and the ring set being the intersection of the complementary rows and columns with box 2 removed.
Excellent pronunciation of Snohomish, Simon! I grew up about 15 minutes from there and never thought someone from the UK would mention it in a UA-cam video.
There are other Native American names in that area that are trickier to pronounce. Try Puyallup or Sequim next 😂
Snohomish was pronounced correctly! Nicely done. Not many people can pronounce the cities here in WA!
Woa, what a complicated start of the solve. I thought he would find into the puzzle when he finally pencil-marked the 9s in box 7, but no, let us have a look at set and modulo and then some. I had the first digit after 3 or 4 minutes by checking the geometry of the lower left zipper line. It cannot be filled with a central digit that can only be composed by 3 pairs, so 6 and 7 are quickly ruled out. 8 breaks quickly because the given 4 forces row 8 to break. So 9 is left over for the zipper-center. Got stuck later on, but the first digit seemed so obvious.
This was amazing. Simply amazing!
tried this for like an hour and a half. never in a million years would i have found that modulo 3 magic needed to solve this puzzle.
I removed 6 and 7 from c1r6 at the beginning because I don't think they can provide enough pairs in the zipper line. Then I deduced the 9 in c5r8. I was stuck there before I watched the video. The modulo 3 stuff is fantastic! I will stop here and try to find the remaining steps.
Simon we subscribed for, is back! During the former puzzles I was getting more and more worried that some aliens substituted him...
Note to self: There’s no shame in being stymied by this puzzle.
1:03:00 You have forgotten that R8C9 and R5C2 are the same.
And that R8C1 plus R8C9 adds to 9. So R8C1 is a 2, which is also the corollary of R5C2 being a 7.
Thingy-thingy-thingies. The technical term for... stuff. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 that one killed me 🤣
You know Simon is in the zone when even Maverick doesn't break his concentration.
I´ve done a few '5 stars-for-difficulty' puzzles and always feel immensely proud of myself for finishing. This, however, is so far above my pay-grade, I have to believe that the star system is inadequately capped at 5. I'd have said 7 stars at least.
55:13 for me but I penciled everything and had to do guessing and backtracking
I struggled until the light bulb went off, one of the best aha's ever!
I prefer the longer videos, although if they're too long and I have to stop and resume multiple times, then I lose track and stop watching. The shortest videos, I just do the puzzle myself
Many happy returns to Prof D.
1:18:36 'O, that is an 8 by thingy thingy thingies, the technical term for stuff.' - Simon Anthony, 2024, talking about a naked single.
I will watch regardless of the length of the video. 🤓
never in my life I would've solved this, absolutely incredible!
I found the value of the left line in yellow a different way: by re-including the given digits and the small yellow line, and doing the maths that if the big yellow line was 6 there was no way for the sums to work out. I also learned by extension that the green line’s central digit is always 1 more than Orange
Edit: oh he finds this information later.
an easier way to get 9 in box 8 to be on the zipper is to think about what happens if you put 9 on the zipper in box 9, since box 6's options would rule it out of box 9 completely.
He said it took him 45 hours, not 25!!! What perseverance 😮2:57
26:11 Incidentally, tying the zippers together is another good way to secure a suitcase...
Don‘t remember Simon of suitcases, secured or not, you rascal!
Loving the videos as always. My vocabulary also gets expanded as a bonus, e.g. ab initio and recalcitrant
Modular set application as used by Simon allowed him to solve it much faster, but one could do without it and solve the puzzle still. It took me for ages, but I managed finally. Won't mention the time I needed, though ;-)
Ha I used to live in Snohomish, you did a pretty good job pronouncing it! Last thing I expected to hear on CtC :D Kevin's the man for the Snoho love!
I attempted this and got a start without the set theory but at some point confused my hypotheticals with my deductions and had to give up. But I've been away from variant sudokus for a couple months and this video reminded me of set theory again, so something gained regardless.
I almost only watch long videos, but only after I solve it myself first. Because I know I'll be challenged and I also know it's going to be a beauty... This one took me especially long to solve (>3hrs). But I did it quite similarly to Simon.
Hoo boy! Just under 3 hours for me. 171 minutes, 14 seconds.
I was pretty happy when I found the SET and the maths giving me the first three zipper totals. But I get the feeling there was a 2nd part of the break-in that I completely missed. My way of disambiguating the last two zippers was not pretty.
72:30
Absolute genius from dorlir.
About late birthday shout-outs: we need a new rule. The person whose birthday it is is entitled to chocolate cake not only on the actual birthday but also on the day Simon acknowledges it. (Or the treat of your choice, of course, even if that means, say, a big steak or the best tomatoes at your local farm stand.) 😺🎂
I only watch/attempt the 45minute+ videos, and usually go for 1h,15m-ish ones first.
Unless, of course, fog is involved - I can't resist them, regardless of solve lengths.
18:20 "There's no 8 on this line"
Remember what you said about 8's in box 5?
If R8C5 is an 8, then 8 would go in column 6 of box 5. More specifically, because of sudoku and other lines logic, it would go in R5C6.
Now, i have no idea what else you saw. But that logic that you saw now applies if R8C5 was an 8.
48:54 Where is 3 in box 9?
If it's on the zipper contained in box 9, then R8C9 cannot be a 6.
If it's in R8C8 then R8C2 is a 6, which means R8C9 cannot be a 6.
That zipper therefore is never made up of a 6 sum.
Now, where is 6 in row 8? It's on the horizontal zipper. And that goes with a 3 to make 9.
So R8C1 is not a 3.
Or one could simply say that since orange can't be 6, the undeserving of color R8C1 cannot be a 3.
that break in was so smart it was dumb
Would someone please explain to me why the mod3 calculation works. It looks to me like we started with 2 sets that were each clearly mod3 = 0, then removed some overlaps and equivalences that were not necessarily mod3 = 0 so it was not necessary for the two sets that were left to be mod3 = 0.
_"It is very hard for us to know what we should do"_ (Simon @1:29:24)
You should keep featuring *👉extraordinary👈* puzzles❗ "Just fun" or "just popular" or "just very hard" or "just approachable" is not enough for CTC.
They are guaranteed to be extraordinary when they are highly recommended by *trusted* LMG solvers, constructors, or CTC testers. 😏👍👍👍
They may happen to have a disappointingly ordinary *logic path* if you select them just because they are inspired by some event, celebrate some birthday or person, contain a beautiful drawing, et cetera.
Of course, there are notable exceptions, such as this fiendishly brutal but fascinating zipper sudoku by *Dorlir,* or the magnificent _"Apologetic Airlines"_ by *Olima,* recently featured by Mark just becuse it was inspired by your recent misadventure with American Airlines.
Simon, has anyone ever told you that you're good at Sudoku?
1:59:39 for me after a couple restarts, and I still had to look at the video a little for reassurance. That was incredibly hard!
You mentioned Snohomish somewhere in Washington. I live in Snohomish country in Washington state. 😊
Someone should do a "This are not the Zipper-Lines you are looking for"
r3c3 can't be 6, because the only combinations for a 6 sum are 15, 24 (+reversed) and 33, meaning if a zipper's leg is length 5 each digit appears on it once, and in column 4 we have 5 cells including this zipper, then 3 can't appear in those cells by sudoku, that leaves us 1245 to appear on the bottom leg, and one of those digits must again appear in the top leg part of column 4 to get us the sum, which also can't happen by sudoku.
I don't get why both ends couldn't be three (looking at the empty grid)
You can have both ends be 3 before determining the totals for the lines in box 6 and 9
I picked the wrong day to try one of the more complicated puzzles!
I could not figure this out, and watching the solve, I don’t think I would have. I could have made some educated guesses but that would have been bifurcation. Crazily hard.
I watch all the videos. regardless of length.
Brilliant puzzle.
44:02 Maverick with a congratulatory - and deserved - flypast. 1:10:18 NEVER apologise. Or apologise because that's the mark of your character, but know it's unnecessary. This is amongst the most insanely hard puzzles on the channel. To miss, or not (it's above my head) stuff after an hour of explaining and justifying is human. In the dark, we can all bifurcate. You are doing it blinded by a spotlight of truth and logic.
Flawless. I am actually happy I didn't try this one. I would have probably wasted a lot of time....
"the thingy thingy thingies... the technical term for stuff"
The hardest / longest puzzle our friend that Simon mentioned did, can someone link to that?
I can't post links (UA-cam deletes them), but if you search for a video called "The Hardest Sudoku Of All" you should find it.
(There's also the back catalog spreadsheet linked in the description. I searched that for "Balance Loop" to find the video.)