Sujiko...

Occasionally I read the Daily Telegraph - for the sport only I should hasten to add, not the journalism!

Well I picked up a copy today and thought I should make a rare visit here and mention that I came across a puzzle I've not seen before, it was called Sujiko.

Nothing exciting to report, it's just as far as I can tell a dumbed down kakuro on a 3x3 grid with the sum totals in the grid rather than around the edge and the numbers 1 - 9 appearing in it once. And basically that's it!

No idea if sujiko means anything but presumably it's someone coming up with another pseudo-Japanese word that sounds a bit like sudoku and fair enough too because "the next sudoku" has served a lot of puzzles well for their limited shelf life from what I've seen over the years (does anyone else remember hitori or the hundred other puzzles that were launched to great fanfare and have since disappeared).

Unfortunately I can't see this puzzle taking off at all: open up your list of kakuro sums on the page for 4-number-sums, enter them in the grid, then whittle down the combinations. I can't imagine there are that many possible grids either. And, err, that's it LOL!

Re : Sujiko

Hi Angela. I'm glad Sujiko caught your eye, even if you were only looking for the sport!

Sujiko is one of my latest puzzle creations, and I'd like to take this opportunity to respond to your comments :

I can see how you arrived at your description of the puzzle as "a dumbed down kakuro on a 3x3 grid with the sum totals in the grid rather than around the edge and the numbers 1 - 9 appearing in it once", but those differences make (IMHO) for a wholly different gameplay experience. I also wanted to create a simple, elegant playboard, as aesthetically pleasing as it was pleasing to play. This I hope I have achieved.

The name was indeed a nod to the simplicity and classic lines of Japanese architecture ("Suji" being Japanese for 'number', and "Ko" being a contraction of Kobayaashi Studios, the business name I trade under). I wasn't trying to be pretentious, I just thought it suited.

I don't know whether Sujiko, or its sister puzzle, 'Suko' (currently in The Times) will take off, but I'm hoping that I've created puzzles that can bring some playing enjoyment. Each of us likes what we like, at the end of the day, right?

Wishing you all the best,

Jai Gomer
kobayaashi.co.uk

Re : Sujiko

Hi Angela

I can see the kakuro comparision, but when I first saw it rather than kakuro it instantly made me think of one of the nine 3x3 box regions that makes up a killer sudoku puzzle, because it is in point of fact literally that but with the clues in the cells. Actually I've seen it presented exactly the same as this a few times in the past in various obscure publications mainly overseas but I'm a bit of a puzzle obsessive as you know

I thought it was a perfectly pleasant little puzzle, actually sujiko is a lot better than Suku, which I found too confusing trying to remember which cell is in which region with the additional regions leading to mistakes.

I think I would like to see the puzzle increase to 4 x 4 puzzles, and if I were to be allowed to offer one little criticism it is that the puzzle is too clearly computer generated; if the puzzle creation tool however it works can be enhanced to solve the puzzles like a human would try I think it would be a very nice little puzzle.

Re : Sujiko

Hi Gemma,

I think it's always going to be a case of "different strokes for different folks" when it comes to puzzles. I know many people who prefer Suko to Sujiko, and vice versa. It's just nice to know that people are playing and enjoying one or the other!

I'd just like to come back on your final comment : the puzzles aren't computer-generated - fair enough, I created a database of possible configurations (in order to guarantee puzzles have unique solutions), but each created puzzle is worked through by a human (me!) to ensure playability. There has to be a logical method to solving each puzzle, rather than relying on guesswork, and I need to be assured that it's possible before putting a puzzle before the playing public.

I'll pass on your 4x4 comment to Puzzler Media, who are syndicating the puzzle, and if they think it's the way to go, I'll see what I can do.

All the best,

Jai Gomer
Kobayaashi.co.uk

Re : Sujiko

Thanks for the reply Jai

Re : Sujiko

I am someone who does quite a lot of puzzles, and I can say there are many much more interesting variants of sudoku out there.

Actually this isn't a variant at all - it is just a killer sudoku puzzle printed on a very small grid. Nothing more, nothing less. And since many people are put off by big killer sudokus, presenting it in a smaller format is overall a good idea.

Nothing wrong with any of that or the puzzle itself, it just slightly grates when marketing hyperbole presents it as the next big thing, something fantastically amazing, when it is simply a smaller version of a puzzle that has been around since at least 2005.

Re : Sujiko

Sujiko isn't a Sudoku. The core of Sudoku is the constraint that the same number mustn't appear more than once in defined areas. Yes, it's the digits 1 to 9 in a square, but then so are magic squares (which go back over 2000 years). Sujiko also has its own pleasing and unique solving strategies which have nothing whatsoever in common with Sudoku; on a good day I can solve one without ever considering what numbers need to be added to make particular totals. Short to do, pleasing when I solve one by logic rather than brute force. Well worth getting to know better.