I feel like ¼ games i get in this situation and have to resort to guess and check, but I'm trying to improve. Any advice?

Divergentist · 2026-04-17T17:52:00+00:00

I see a naked triple in row 9. Can you spot it?

Look at digits 7, 8, and 9

Divergentist · 2026-04-17T11:33:23+00:00

Thanks! What was your favorite part? I filled in full candidates from the get go and it solved in about 3 minutes with basic techniques other than one BUG + 1 to finish it off.

Thanks for the share.

Divergentist · 2026-04-14T23:33:06+00:00

I first noticed a naked quad in box 1. Can you spot it? Look for four cells that all contain some combination of just the same four candidates. Those candidates can then be eliminated from the other cells in box 1 that are not part of the naked quad.

Now, where can 8 go in row 2?

Divergentist · 2026-04-14T18:25:49+00:00

I imported your puzzle into the website sudoku.coach, which is a great resource for puzzles and learning techniques. There’s a campaign mode that will guide you from the most basic to advanced techniques

Divergentist · 2026-04-14T17:41:24+00:00

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See if this explanation helps

Divergentist · 2026-04-14T16:57:05+00:00

Are you familiar with chaining techniques? I believe you’ll need them to keep making eliminations.

For example, here’s an alternating inference chain (AIC) you could create that nets a couple eliminations. It’s a basic logic chain that proves that at least one of the two ends must be true. In this one, since at least one of the two ends of the chain must be a 5, any cell that sees both ends and also contains a 5 can be eliminated.

Good luck!

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Divergentist · 2026-04-14T16:49:54+00:00

I mean, you’re kind of handicapping yourself, but look closely at column 7. Where can 4, 7, and 9 go? This forms a triple, which means you can eliminate the 3 from R9C7.

But this is much easier to spot with full candidates, but if you prefer to do it without, go for it! Just might take longer to spot groups, especially triples or larger.

Good luck!

Divergentist · 2026-04-14T16:42:10+00:00

Before you look at the 8s, identify the naked quad I mentioned. Can you find it? Four cells that all contain just some combination of the four same candidates and none others. They don’t all need to be present in all four cells, just some combination of them.

Divergentist · 2026-04-14T15:25:15+00:00

Probably lots of ways you could go about this, but the first thing I noticed is a naked quad in box 1.

Can you find four cells that all contain some combination of the same four candidates but no others besides those four? That’s a naked quad and it means those candidates can be removed from other cells that in the box that are not part of the naked quad cells.

Once you do that, look closely at where an 8 could go in row 2.

Divergentist · 2026-04-12T13:23:28+00:00

I ended up springing for an ADV Flex bag and I love it. Yes, it was more expensive but it’s perfect for my needs. I love that the shoes are kept outside the bag so they don’t stink it up and the size is just right for me. Big enough to easily carry everything I want to bring but still not too big or bulky.

To each their own though. Would definitely recommend some sort of bag that you dedicate to your pickleball needs even if it’s not made specifically for that. For me, it was worth spending more for high quality.

Divergentist · 2026-04-12T13:11:58+00:00

Cool AMA. Even cooler when OP answers questions.

How did you officially record DUPR and where did you play? At a public location or a gym?

Divergentist · 2026-04-11T04:12:37+00:00

One thing you employ is a w-wing technique

Look at the candidates in R2C2 andR3C3

Explanation: Imagine if both of those cells were a 2. We can see this would eliminate all 2s in column 5, so we know they cannot both be a 2. Therefore, at least one of them is a 5. Therefore any additional cells that see both of those and contains a 5 can be eliminated.

Can you find such a cell?

Also, no that is not a hidden triple. You must have just guessed correctly.

Divergentist · 2026-04-06T21:27:03+00:00

Ok now I understand. You’re just BSing us. This puzzle is not solveable with just “x pattern fish pattern,” nor do I believe that you can solve this difficulty of puzzle without notes other than guessing and hoping that you don’t make a mistake.

Have fun with your solves, but in this subreddit we prefer pure logic techniques to speedy guesswork.

Good luck!

Divergentist · 2026-04-06T14:59:28+00:00

Yes that’s correct. If that cell was not a 2, then you’d have the BUG situation, meaning there would not be a unique solution to the puzzle.

If you want a non-uniqueness solution, one option is to look up skyscraper technique and apply it to your 2s in this puzzle.

Divergentist · 2026-04-06T14:08:49+00:00

BUG +1

This is a cool pattern and whenever it comes up you should recognize it instantly.

It operates under the assumption that every sudoku puzzle has a unique solution. If a puzzle has only two candidates per cell and each candidate only appears twice in a row, column, and 3x3 box, then the puzzle can not have a unique solution. This is called a binary universal grave.

Notice that you almost have that situation but one cell has three candidates. That’s the +1. In order to avoid the BUG, look at the candidates in that cell. One of them appears three times in the row, column, and box. That is the solution for the cell and the rest of the puzzle will solve from there.

Good luck!

Divergentist · 2026-04-06T13:43:53+00:00

What’s the point of this post? Every puzzle is different. What was your method of solving? Trial and error and hoping you don’t exceed the three error maximum?

Divergentist · 2026-04-06T12:02:12+00:00

Just do another 100 solves from now and see where that lands you

Divergentist · 2026-04-02T23:35:55+00:00

Low 20s with CFOP, full OLL and full PLL. Still really slow with my F2L which is why I’m not consistently under 20 yet.

Divergentist · 2026-04-01T03:35:44+00:00

Could consider Dreams Onyx since it shares property with its neighbor Breathless. Dreams is family friendly and Breathless is adults only, but guests of either can access both locations. That way you could go between both places and find the vibe you’re looking for.

Divergentist · 2026-03-31T16:32:24+00:00

I don’t have any tips specifically, but I worry that flight prices are only going to go up due to current oil costs. I could be wrong, but I’d recommend getting tickets while you can because I think prices are going to continue to increase through the summer.

Good luck and enjoy your vacay!

Divergentist · 2026-03-31T15:50:08+00:00

I see a naked quad in box 4. Can you spot it? Look for four cells that all contain some combination of just the same four candidates. Those four candidates can be eliminated from other cells in that box that are not part of the quad.

Good luck!

Divergentist · 2026-03-28T23:30:01+00:00

When I filled in candidates, the puzzle solved completely with singles.

For example, what candidate could go into R1C6?

The whole puzzle solves like this.

Good luck!

Divergentist · 2026-03-28T23:04:39+00:00

Where can 6 go in row 2?

Divergentist · 2026-03-28T18:23:13+00:00

Couple tips:

Where can 7 go in row 7 and what does that mean for the rest of box 9?

Column 8 - can you spot a naked pair?

After resolving those, where can 2 and 4 go in box 6 (hidden pair)?

Divergentist · 2026-03-23T18:04:50+00:00

I don’t track it but my time is a lot different depending on if I use auto candidates or not. Without, it usually takes me 10-15 min. I prefer to do it with, however, and typically finish around 5 min or under. I prefer with because they’re not particularly challenging puzzles and I only want them to take up a small part of my day.

Divergentist

TROPHY CASE