Sudoku

Sudoku is a logic based number placement puzzle. It is highly addictive and requires the use of several different kinds of logic. The gist of the game is that your board is a 9 x 9 grid of squares. There are 9 rows, 9 columns, and 9 boxes of 9 squares each. The rule of the game is that each number, 1 through 9, occurs only once in each row, column, and box. To start, you are given a gridboard with only some of the numbers written in. Through logic, it is possible to fill in the remaining squares, thereby giving yourself enough clues to fill additional squares, until finally you have a number in each square.

In the Seattle Times, there is a Sudoku puzzle posted every day, usually near the crossword puzzle. My family & I have become something just short of obsessed. Indeed, when we got tired of drawing our own grids so we could replicate the puzzle for each person, and then ran out of graph paper, I created a printable template in Word so we could print out our own game boards.

When a question arose about the number of possible puzzle configurations, I went straight to the web and discovered this. I have found the most entertainment out of playing on "Easy" and going for the best time. So far, my record is something just over 4 minutes. Good luck, and post your best time in the comments. If you get something ridiculous, grab a screenshot, or I won't believe you because I'm like that, bitches.

Raul