Sudoku

I like Sudoku. I will try the Sudoku puzzles from the daily newspaper about twice or thrice a week. I am not excellent at it. I could take 30 minutes to an hour for a three- or four-star puzzle, and I still have little confidence in solving the most difficult "5-star" puzzles so I seldom try them. The one-star puzzles easy and I could do them fairly quickly.

I don't know of anyone who likes Sudoku. However, I haven't been asking everyone I meet whether they like Sudoku, or if they know what Sudoku is.

When I am doubtful which one of two or three numbers is the answer for a certain cell, I write them all along the upper edge of the cell, usually with a pencil, so I could erase each number when I eliminate it as a possible answer later. At times, I am lazy to reach for a pencil and I'll write them with a pen, and then strike each out with a pen too, so the puzzle looks extremely messy and untidy when it is close to finishing, with what looks like irregularly-shaped spots hanging above the numbers.

As I write confidently a number that is the answer, I write it big and bold, and I feel clever. My eyes then busily scan all rows and columns taking in whether the latest entry could eliminate some possibilities from other cells so I could fill in one more cell with the correct number, and the next cell, and another cell, until the whole horizontal row or vertical column or a 3X3 square region is completed. I get engrossed in the process. I could drive away fatigue and sleepiness by focusing on the puzzle. When all 81 squares are filled, I feel satisfied, I think I possess a logical mind, and I am a little proud of myself.

Sudoku is a solitary "game". The Chinese translation for Sudoku is "counting alone". You are lost in a world of numbers. You are all by yourself, engrossed in your reasoning on which numbers are available and what numbers get eliminated. You don't speak to anyone, and any noise could interrupt your train of thoughts. This puzzle is not for someone who likes company and interaction.

I try variations of the standard Sudoku, which typically imposes additional rules by having more sub-regions in its 9X9 square. The puzzle could sometimes be easier when there are more constraints. In real life, we waste too much time choosing. We weigh pros and cons, cost and benefits, in trying to get the best deal. When there are less options to study, the decision gets made more quickly.