Re: Using 'Unique Solution' to help solve
mparisi wrote:
mce wrote:
And it's even impossible not to use this if one ends up spotting that a certain combination of numbers cannot be right as otherwise the solution would not be unique. It's not something one can "unlearn on demand".
Huh? Just because you see that you could eliminate some combination of numbers because then the solution wouldn't be unique doesn't mean that you have to use that information in trying to find your solution. In fact if you start with the premise that the solution might not be unique you will ignore this sort of thing.
Of course one does not "absolutely have to use the info", as there is plenty of structure in these puzzles and there always is another way to conclude. But as I wrote, you cannot "unlearn" it either and I see no fun in spending a lot of time in finding an alternative explanation for what I already know. I prefer to discover things that I do not yet know. For those who disagree, here's a new challenge: take a 12x12 and describe every possible path to the solution according to any set of rules you like. Just don't forget to eat, sleep, and live in between.
I also don't see what's wrong with using it anyway. After all, we all also use the fact that any number can only occur once in a row/column. It's a given. So is the uniqueness.