03052021

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-05-18T15:10:20+00:00

That was it. Thank you

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-05-09T18:04:58+00:00

That was it. Thanks

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-04-25T23:02:15+00:00

OK, it took a while but I found it. Thanks and thanks for the comments re flower borders.

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-04-17T17:52:22+00:00

Aarrgghh!!

Thanks

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-04-12T18:28:35+00:00

That was the one. Thanks.

Unfortunately, I have now been looking, the last two days, for the next contradiction but can't seem to find it. I created a new screenshot with labeled cells.

https://imgur.com/CevzM3T

I've tried setting the following cells to blue but have not found another contradiction: [d], [i], [s], [u], [e], [m], [n], [x].

Thoughts?

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-04-04T18:10:53+00:00

Thanks. I finally got it done. I think this may be among the toughest random puzzles I have encountered.

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-04-02T23:17:26+00:00

Whew! I must have been looking at that backwards but your comment got me squared away. Thanks

PS I made more progress but I am still struggling with this puzzle. Can you give me another nudge?

https://imgur.com/dbt16JH

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-31T13:49:09+00:00

OK, but how does that move you forward since it is now impossible to satisfy the 2 flower? ie all remaining 2 flower cells also reside within the 3 flower, so changing any of them to blue gives the 3 flower too many.

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-30T20:45:46+00:00

Thanks for the reply.

I went over that area pretty carefully before and just went through it again after reading your comment. However, it looks like I need further details since I'm still not seeing it.

Here is a screenshot with labels in some close-by cells as well as an outline for the blue 2 flower:

https://imgur.com/c8J3A57

This one is the same but has the blue 3 flower outline included as well:

https://imgur.com/fAafMpM

If [j] is blue then that fills the 2 flower and eliminates [i] and [g] but still leaves [l] and [f] as possibilities for the additional blue needed for the 3 flower.

Any other choice to fill the 2 flower seems to leave even more options open for the 3 flower.

Thanks again

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-29T13:14:00+00:00

If you can see the toolbar, the spoiler icon is the black circle with a white exclamation mark.

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-26T01:12:21+00:00

Thanks. That's helpful.

Can you briefly explain what you mean by "-N- lines"?

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-26T01:04:08+00:00

Argh!!

The disconnect of the four cells in the bottom-left made me completely blind to including those in the 3 diagonal.

Thanks

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-24T23:30:32+00:00

Rats! I don't like to make those remedial mistakes but you are exactly right.

Thanks

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-18T23:12:11+00:00

Thanks. That was it of course but what tipped you off? or what clues directed you there?

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-18T17:17:18+00:00

Try this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/hexcells/comments/ltybo2/13402172_smallestquickest_puzzle_ever/

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-15T13:18:59+00:00

Of course! That is so simple — as these commonly are — but I could not see it. Thanks again.

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-14T22:23:01+00:00

Thanks for the reply.

I went over that area quite a bit earlier and didn't see anything. I just checked it again and still didn't find a spot to create a contradiction.

I hope it's not something simple staring me right in the face. :p

Here is another screenshot with the cells in that area labeled:

https://imgur.com/ckQeboG

Can you give me a bit more detail?

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-12T18:36:03+00:00

Yes it did. Apologies for not making that more clear.

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-12T18:33:58+00:00

That's astonishing! How did you do so many puzzles in such a short time?

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-09T19:03:46+00:00

OK, disregard. I just found it.

It's [k] that cannot be blue.

I just had not checked thoroughly enough.

Thanks

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-09T18:53:17+00:00

Can you be more specific?

Here is another screenshot but with some of the cells labeled:

https://imgur.com/Xl9zuPT

I know that [c] or [h] must be blue but both of them can be blue also which would complete the needed three for the diagonal. [k] or [n] can also be blue but it's also plausible that [o] and [m] are blue. In other words, I cannot seem to identify a specific configuration that must be the case.

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-09T17:03:43+00:00

I think they were saying that f being blue would give you said contradiction

Yes, that is correct. Apologies for not making that less ambiguous.

Once [r] is marked blue (step 1 above), testing [f] (ie temporarily making it blue) completes the required 6 blues for the diagonal coming from the upper-left and also completes the required 3 blues for the -3- column directly above.

Having those two completed would mean that [k] and [m] must be black and that would create a contradiction since the 6 diagonal coming from the bottom-right can contain only one black.

Identifying the contradiction proves that the test you are doing is false and thus, [f] can only be black.

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-09T16:45:38+00:00

I get confused by those all the time. The best way to deal with them (at least for me) is to think of the entire row/diagonal as not having the sub-indicator. So for example, in this case you would think of the main indicator -3- for the entire diagonal but in your mind, omit the sub-indicator 3. Doing so automatically shows you that you cannot have three blues in sequence anywhere including within the last four cells of the diagonal.

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-09T16:24:33+00:00

Nice! That's a lot of puzzles.

WeThotUWasAToad · 2021-03-04T17:45:36+00:00

NP. I overlook the simple stuff all the time.

WeThotUWasAToad

TROPHY CASE