Re: 26th June 2020 Extra - 15x15
paulv66 wrote:
I’d be interested to hear how other people approach these extra large puzzles and how long it usually takes you to solve them.
My advice for the 15x15 puzzles would be:
1. Avoid too many pencil marks, try to only use pencil marks when there are only 2 or 3 possible values for a cell. It can quickly become a confusing mess of pencil marks in the larger puzzles
2. Ignore any large cages for as long as possible.
3. Don't forget the basics, every row and column has each number only once. In a large puzzle it seems too hard to look for every value in every row and column, but if you look for areas with several limiting factors such as multiplication cages and solved cells you will be surprised how many cells can be solved. In the 15x15 from 26th June there are probably more cells solved using this method than anything else.
4. Trial and error is probably less useful on the larger puzzles.
5. The large puzzles are rated as difficult, and I would agree that they are difficult because they are large and they take a lot of work to complete, but don't let yourself get bogged down looking for complex methods to make some progress. Do what is easiest first. On this puzzle I did not do anything more complicated than finding paired values that are in a 2 cell cage.
I am fairly slow at solving the larger puzzles, I don't take note of how long it takes. I like to make the puzzles as large as possible on the screen and that becomes less successful as the puzzles increase in size.