And You Thought Sudoku Was Hard

I really did want to put a piece of art with this one, but the fact is that I am now working on the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) design contest problem, and it will continue to consume most of my free time until March 4. I can’t even tell you what it is about, as that probably violates contest rules (someone who will be working the problem later this semester could happen across my blog and get an unfair head start). How’s that for mysterious and super-top-secret. Let it suffice to say that the next month will be one of those periods where my posts are very witty, or at least very brief.

Today’s post is intended to bring to your attention a fantastic new puzzle for those of you who have more free time than I do (oh, irony). Samurai Sudoku (素毒の侍, I think) is particularly suited for those people who weren’t quite challenged enough by the 9x9 number game that has been sweeping the world in the last six months or so. It consists of five Sudoku puzzles that overlap at their corners. Just go look at the link. It makes a lot more sense when you see it. I did manage to finish one of these before The Project began, and I think it might have taken me over an hour, but unfortunately I did not think to time myself. Thanks to Liz Morel for bringing this to my attention.