Steve from Ohio

Today, Friday the 12th of January - the 13th on this site:

Googling 'forbidding chain' gives me a lift!

Googling 'forbidding chains' puts me right where I should be, just after my mentor, gb.

Thanks for helping my blog climb up the google rankings!

Later the same day:
The blog has completely dissappeared from google.... wish I knew why....

It seems that google has settled down a bit and my blog has reappeared with most searches that I think one might do to find sudoku help.

My son, Zach was injured wrestling last Sunday at a tourny at St. Ed's, close to Cleveland, Ohio. As it turns out, the injury to his left elbow is not too bad - a slight bone chip and a sprain. He may be able to wrestle again in about a month. A complete recovery is expected.

Steve - glad to hear your son will be able to continue wrestling soon. I always wished Texas had high school wrestling when I was that age. As somebody that weighed about 117 pounds in tenth grade, I would have loved that sport.
Thanks for the sudoku tutorials. I don't have much time right now to work on techniques, but I have printed everything out for when I do get time down the road - maybe not until I retire in a year or two.

Steve - the blog pages print fine for me. Of course you get all the stuff on the sides, but I don't mind that.
Thanks again for the help (to use when I get enough time to be serious about the hard puzzles).

AS an after thought, who is gb, your mentor?

Hi Canuk Greg!
Bruno Greco is a prolific poster of proofs at sudoku.com.au in 2005 and early 2006. I provide a link to his website in my blog - Forbidding Chains 101.
His kindness towards my ignorance, and patience while I struggled with forbidding chains inspired my perspective on Sudoku solving.

In my blog, I also provide a link to the archived conversation between gb and I that really opened my eyes.

Unfortunately, gb no longer posts at this site.

Just about any archived tough puzzle page from the time period mentioned above is filled with numerous comments from gb.

Hi everybody !Have a good day
Chào ttt !
Bạn đến từ Việt Nam ? Chúng ta là đồng hương rùi nè

Steve, I'm not familiar with the new message protocols. I replied to your note, but don't know whether it got to you. It's listed on my page. DJ

Hi Steve!

Would you check the validity of a proof I posted for the tough puzzle of 2/20, particularly steps 3e) and 3f)? Many thanks.

STEVE - best of luck to the wrestlers. Hope they had better luck and you survived the weekend!!
Thanks again for your puzzle work.

Thanks Jamie!
As it turned out, the tournament was not a good one for either of my sons. I suppose the faults exposed will eventually benefit them.

Hi Dave!
I have looked and commented on the archived page.

Steve: You spend all your time providing solutions and little time socializing. Hope all goes well with you and yours. Why don't you take a break and relax for a few days?

Hi Steve - I just stopped in to wish you and your family a Happy Easter. Thanks for all your hard work!

Oh, by the way that is a nice family picture.

Hello Steve,

Just dropping by to wish you and your family a Happy Easter

Happy Easter to you and your family Steve! Thank you for all your doing on the site!

Thank-you all for the warm Easter wishes!

First things first ... lovely family, Steve!

Re: today's puzzle. I am one who did not find it particularly difficult. I do not understand ''proofs'' and the terminology that you use. Over a few months last summer, I taught myself to solve difficult puzzles on paper. Techniques just jumped out at me, and I internalized them. I'm sure that I employ all of your strategies ... I just can't explain or label them. But I digress ... back to the puzzle ... After finding the UP, I fill in the possibilities in a row, column, or box, starting with the ones that already have the most numbers placed. Then, if possible, I solve that row before moving onto another. Usually I can identify a triple and a pair, or a triple and two singles ... if not, I move on and return to that row later. Plodding my way through in this manner, I have never encountered a puzzle that I couldn't solve. On paper, I continually erase voided possibilities, so I understand that aspect of the puzzles, so to save time on the site, I use the ''remove possibilites'' option. Not being a SM, I have access to no other ''cheats,'' and I wouldn't use them even if I did. Using any other kind of a program to set UP or possibilities seems like cheating to me, too ... and I enjoy the challenge of placing possibilities correctly anyway! This explanantion will be of no use to you in determining your proof, I know, but at least you will be aware that some of us just use instinct and experience to accomplish our aims. I DO appreciate the effort you put into your blog, however, and the joy that you have given to many people on the site. Carry on, Old Chap!

Thanks Judy!
I am aware that there are many ways to solve a sudoku, and also that many often solve even the most difficult sudoku puzzles without considering most of the standard 'tricks'.
It has been my hope that someone amongst those who solve puzzles this way could demonstrate a bit what they are actually doing, as there is likely something to be learned from it. After learning and studying such, I would further hope to be able to formalize the method - or at least incorporate some of the ideas.
As you noted, your explanation of how you tackle puzzles does not help towards that end. Nevertheless, I do appreciate your comments.

Holy crud, Steve! That's some complicated proof you devised there! I am in awe! Using my method, even entering all data manually and using no cheats other ''remove possibilities,' the puzzle took me 15-20 minutes. The only concession I'll make to this being a bit more than a normal ''tough'' is that, referring to my technique, I skipped and returned later to a few more rows, columns, and boxes than I usually do. Sometimes ''more is less,'' and at other times, ''more is just more''!!!! LOL

Thanks Judy!
That is very impressive time for what I judge to be a very difficult tough.

Proof writing, for me, is often more difficult than the puzzle solving.

If I were to solve for speed, my choice of methods would be totally different than to prove a solution relative to efficiency of search depth.

Perhaps, the beauty of sudoku is that it can satisfy the solver, regardless of individual goals.

Hi Steve - I am just stopping in to wish you a great day. I hope all is well with you.

Hi Steve!

Welcome back!, You were missed!

I hope you don't mind my using your rating system, and thank you for correcting the number of strong sets considered for pairs and triples. For me, the system rates the proof more than the puzzle since there are no doubt more efficient solutions.

Your posts for the two unsolvable puzzles encouraged me to try one for myself. I hope you don't mind, but I will email my proof for U12. If you feel it has merit and promotes the tecniques promoted at this site, please feel free to post it there.. I realize it will require translation.

Once again, good to see you back!

Hi Steve. Where are you hiding lately? You are commenting less and less these days, and haven't seen you around since May. Is all well?

Yoohoo! Anybody home?
Steve, I don't know if you still visit your page but pop into easy page sometime and say gday.

It was nice to see you posting again Steve! How is all with you and yours? Cheers!

Thanks Greg!

All is well!

Happy Thanksgiving, Steve!

Steve, just stopping by to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Steve: HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING &
GIVE THANKS FOR ALL THE BLESSING BESTOWED UPON US HERE IN AMERICA.

Wishing you and your family a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving! Hope your day reminds you of all of the wonderful things we have for which to be thankful!

Hi Steve, I thought I should try to visit the sites of all the Ohioans in Sudokuland. From browsing your posts, I see why I didn't recognize your name - I do only the EASY puzzles! Anyway I've been a member here since the summer and love doing the daily puzzle and reading all the crazy things that people write. Cheers!! Where in OH are you? I'm just outside of Columbus.

Just dropping in to say I hope you and your family have a great Christmas and New Year.

Mickey and family.

Have a wonderful Christmas Steve and the happiest of New Years xx Keep up with the blog xx

Hi Steve. Hope all goes well! I wanted to stop in to say that I hope you and all you care for enjoy happiness and peace during this festive season and in all days to come! Best wishes for a Merry Christmas!

Steve,
Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Steve, Wishing you and your family, health, peace, love, and happiness during this Christmas Season and throughout the New Year! Merry Christmas! Stella & family

Steve,

Thank you for the post you left on my page, always a pleasure to hear from you.