Puzzle-Solver Crack

Six days ago, as I was driving home, I saw a bench ad for Sudoku in the Los Angeles Times. The ad asked simply, "Do you Sudoku?" I can say that I had no idea whether or not I did, but if I did, I knew it by some other less Asian name. Later that evening (more properly, early the next morning) I wandered down to the lobby, intent on polluting my lungs, and our desk attendant had the puzzles page open. Seeing something different, I asked if it was the new puzzle (and thereupon butchered the name of it).

Sam replied that it was, so I looked at the simple grid as he explained how it worked. It seemed horribly obvious, and I gave a shrug, regarding it as little more than a distraction. Later, out of curiosity, I copied the grid down and transferred it to a spreadsheet that allowed me to work with it. I failed miserably. Repeatedly. It was not just a distraction. Here's how it works:

You are presented with a 9x9 grid, itself composed of nine 3x3 grids (arranged, of course, in their own 3x3 grid). Some numbers appear in various squares throughout the puzzle, and it is the solver's job to get the digits 1 through 9 arranged in each 3x3 grid in such a way as no column or row duplicates any digit.

That may sound simple, but visit The Daily Sudoku, which presents just what its name advertises. Most are actually quite easy, as Sudoku puzzles go, and can be worked out in 15 to 30 minutes by someone who knows the tricks. Expect to surrender a little more of your time, though, on the first couple tries.

Oh yes. If you like these kinds of puzzles, you are doomed. One day I will have caught up with everything on the site linked above, and then I will have to get a fix elsewhere. Thankfully, there are many sites that supply Sudoku puzzles. I'll get by, I think.