Tough Sudoku for 8/August/2009

Today I added yet another page to the blog. This new page attempts to provide an example of an advanced technique that I favor greatly. The link to this new page can be found in the typical location, upper part of the rightmost column on this page.

(Thanks! Will check it out, Steve!)
Gorge-ous area, Sue!

Like a bridge over troubled Quechee...

Off to a winery blues festival tomorrow, and it's supposed to pour rain. We'll be crying the blues if we get soaked.
Anyway, enjoy your weekend, whatever it brings your way!

1. Unique possibilities:g2=2=c1,c4=1.(UP 26)
2. One very long sequence knocks this one over:If g3=5=c2=e1,f1=8,pair 34 at i12,g4=4=f5,f4=6,i4=7=c6,b4=2=d5=e9,i5=9=a6,a5=8,b5=3,a2=6 (to avoid the 34 rectangle at ai12),b3=9 and row 9 is devoid of 9.So g6=5:UPs to 81.

Wow! It is very pretty there!

Steve, thank you!

Hi Steve.I tried the piecemeal approach.I found b8=5,whether g3 or g6=5;g4<>7;c6<>9,but I couldn't see much progress,and became impatient.When I noticed that g6=5 leads to UP81, I got out the sledgehammer,and applied it to g3=5.
To make the chain appear less deep,I make a slight rationalisation.A series of,say,three consecutive 2s,I count as depth 1,etc,which reduces the depth count a bit.Regards,Alfred.

>> 1 hour

Thanks Alfred.

Over an hour to solve

SE=8.3

1. SST to UP26/ SS(5),-5e6
Steve's QNP*
2. (57')h15=(5-2)d5=b5-(2=7)b4-c6=QNP(57)h156g6 > -7h27, -5h23, UP27
3. (3)b3=(235')bdh5-(5)h1=g3 > -3g3, -5b3, UP28
4. kraken Row(3)ade6 > -6b3, -3e3, UP35
(3)a6-a12=b3
||
(3-5)d6=(5-23')bd5=(3)b3
||
(3-6)e6=g6-i4*=a2*::AUR(16)ai89
5. (9=347)i125-(7)h1=h6 > -9h6, UP81.

* for explanation of Steve's QNP see his blog on this puzzle. A kraken that accomplishes the same is shown here:

kraken Row(7)cgh6 > -7h27, -5h23
(7)c6-(7=2)b4-b5=(2-5)d5=h5
||
(7-5)g6=g3
||
(7)h6-(7=5)h1