Puzzle Description:

key

#1: besmirched tea (Besmirched Tea) on Mar 2, 2019 [HINT]

bottom row EL got me started

Nice! Enjoyed it!

The key to a good puzzle.

Awesome!

Um, I don't see any progress to be made with EL on the bottom row. I used EL on C1 and C2, but shortly after that I run out of LL and EL.

Has anyone finished this yet with pure logic? I would like some help. So far, I've correctly solved:

C1 R1-6 and R8-9
C2 R8-10
C3 R9-10
C5R5,
and R10 C5-10

Any help from here?

Found to be solvable with moderate lookahead by valerie.

Confuze-us say: The key to the problem is the solution.

I was exactly where comment 6 was. Then I decided if the 5 in R7 began all the way to the right in C10 there would be an issue because of all the 1's in C8-10, you'd need to place the 3 in R8 in C4 but that 5 in C4 would make trouble. I consider that about as deep lookahead as I can be before it becomes trial and error (guessing). I did that same thought process again with the 3 in R8. Did some more moderate lookahead with EL.
Eventually got to a point where I decided the 2 in C7 couldn't be in R1 because of conflicts it causes for R3 with how much I'd filled in at that point, and that placed a black in R1C9 and the rest solves itself.
For me this was a lot of deep lookahead.

I don't know why the current difficulty is so low. I feel like you can just kinda easily figure from the feel of the puzzle where the final pieces will all go before you've put anything at all in, but that assumes you're making a coherent picture and also I don't feel it's very "logic". So to me this was higher on the difficulty scale.

Good one, Brian. Love the title.

I have to agree with everything Emily said. I came to accept that the ratings don't mean much because most people don't know how to rate properly.

It's a lovely little key. :)

Thanks for the hint, Emily. :) I followed as much of your hint as I could and got a little farther, but without knowing exactly what moderate EL you used (that apparently I didn't find), I couldn't do much more. I resorted to assuming (guessing because I didn't see it through to the end) that the top right zigzagged down. Perhaps everyone else is using zigzag logic which makes it significantly easier to solve. But I can't confirm it for sure. I just went for it.

Valerie, I don't see a way to finish this with moderate lookahead.

No Line Logic to start, so
Edge logic 3 c1 = r-15 white
LL
Deep EL 3 c1 (vs c5) = r6 w
LL
If the 4 in r6 were to go right into c9 or 10, the 5 in r7 would create a conflict in c5. So r6c9-10 must be white.
LL
Deep lookahead: (each of the following steps)
No matter where the 5 in r7 goes, r6c4 will be black. (r7c8 would have to be the 1 in that column)
LL
No matter where the 3 in r8 goes, r7c5 will be black. (the 3 will either trigger it directly, or will force it by triggering the 1 in c8)
LL
No matter where the 2 in r9 goes, r7r9 must be white (the 5 will never reach it)
LL

If the 3 in r8 were to start in c6 or later, it would force both 5s in c4 & c5 up. That would place the 2s in r3-5 and leave no room for the 3 in c3. Therefore the 3 in r8 must start no later than c5 and so r8c8-10 must be white.
LL
Same thing on the 3 in c3: if it were to end in c5 or earlier, it would force the 4|5 in r6|r7 to the right. that would place the 2s in 6-7 leaving no room for the 3 in r8. Therefore the 3 in c3 must end no earlier than r6 and so c3r1-3 must be white.
LL to finish


Now to go back and see if i can shortcut things:

No Line Logic to start, so
Edge logic 3 c1 = r-15 white
LL
Deep EL 3 c1 (vs c5) = r6 w
LL
Deep lookahead:
If the 3 in r8 were to start in c6 or later, it would force both 5s in c4 & c5 up. That would place the 2s in r3-5 and leave no room for the 3 in c3. Therefore the 3 in r8 must start no later than c5 and so r8c8-10 must be white.
LL
Same thing on the 3 in c3: if it were to end in c5 or earlier, it would force the 4|5 in r6|r7 to the right. that would place the 2s in 6-7 leaving no room for the 3 in r8. Therefore the 3 in c3 must end no earlier than r6 and so c3r1-3 must be white.
LL to finish.

But still deep lookahead.

Goto next topic

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