Sudoku

Sudoku

OK, so the Redeye is still theoretically a quarter, but if you ride the CTA, or walk near a CTA stop, it’s hard not to get a free one in the morning, as the red-vested guys thrust them into your hands. For the last month or so Erica would take one, we’d read the back page, which would just remind me that Scurrilous in the Red Streak is much funnier and snarkier, and then Erica would take it to work. But now we grab two in the morning, because we are hooked on Sudoku!

Sudoku is a number puzzle, like a crossword with no clues. Or words. You have to get the numbers 1-9 in each row and column and each shaded 3×3 grid. Very simple. And the first time you realize you have two 5s in a column and that you’ve screwed up the entire puzzle — oh, the exquisite torture.

The Redeye uses a cute lil’ ninja as the Sudoku mascot, which is fitting since the puzzle became popular in Japan in the ’80s and has only recently (November-2004-style recently) spread to the UK and now to the US. The Redeye is one of the first US papers to carry the puzzle.

If you’re having trouble solving the Sudoku, you can bone up on the basic methods of solving these puzzles. If you’re having real trouble, you can always use a desktop or web-based Sudoku solver. And if you want to avoid the Redeye altogether, you can play a new Sudoku every day at The Daily SuDoku.

11 Comments so far

  1. rob ray (unregistered) on June 28th, 2005 @ 12:07 am

    Hell Yeah! I was waiting for the bus (cause my damn bike chain snapped earlier in the day) and I didn’t have anything AT ALL to read or listen to so I broke down and bought a RED EYE for the sole quarter I had on me hoping at least for some Tom Cruise Scientology wierdness. So burned through that nearly useless rag in less than 1 minute (damn you! Tom Cruise! You must to more wacky shit!). Then I hit the SUDOKU puzzle! SUDOKU rocks!!!!


  2. david (unregistered) on June 28th, 2005 @ 8:57 am

    way to go. i’m officially addicted.


  3. sudoku solver (unregistered) on July 4th, 2005 @ 2:50 am

    You can find many Sudoku puzzle games and Sudoku solver software in the Sudoku page: http://www.hapetekhasagol.com/sudoku.htm


  4. Terry (unregistered) on July 9th, 2005 @ 10:46 am

    I challenge you to a sudoku challenge where all the real masters come. Anyone who is interested read the newspaper for details.


  5. SudokuShack (unregistered) on August 1st, 2005 @ 8:35 am

    THE place for sudoku knowledge: http://www.SudokuShack.com


  6. Moon (unregistered) on August 11th, 2005 @ 2:37 pm
  7. Moon (unregistered) on August 11th, 2005 @ 2:38 pm

    BTW, isn’t this mis-spelled? Shouldn’t it be Tsudoku?


  8. Fuzzy (unregistered) on August 11th, 2005 @ 2:50 pm

    Moon, I’m not sure I understand. Are you making a case for a different transliteration from the Japanese?

    (I did think it was funny on the Sudoku Shack in the comment above that under a graphic reading “Sudoku Shack” it says “It’s spelled S-O-D-U-K-O.”)


  9. Moon (unregistered) on August 12th, 2005 @ 12:37 pm

    There isn’t any “su” in the alphabet, is there? It’s “tsu”

    I hate all that stuff, including all the “xi” crap in Chinese to English, but still. What was wrong with the old “Chi”?


  10. Keith (unregistered) on August 15th, 2005 @ 5:37 am

    Yeah, I’m addicted to Soduko as all get-out. At first I could only get the one-stars. After doing them daily I can now solve the puzzles up to three-stars. They’re fun as can be. I even walk to the train station on Monday, my day off, to get Red Eye.


  11. Michelle (unregistered) on February 8th, 2006 @ 11:18 am

    OMG, I’m so addicted to Soduko now!!! I just started last week and i’m already doing 3 a day.



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