Mad Genius Or First Video Fail?

** TODAY'S SUDOKU **
Simon dares to attempt an astonishing-looking puzzle by TotallyNormalCat, possibly the scariest sudoku setter in the World. Do give the puzzle a try at the link below:
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Rules:
Normal sudoku rules apply. Along thermometers, digits increase from the bulb end.
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Melvyn Mainini

[@pelahnar4]

18:20 "because 3 is so close to 4 in terms of numerical proximity" is my new favorite sentence

[@kuldeepshekhawat4088]

😂😂😂

[@CaptainSpock1701]

I also like 14:30 "It is an iterated, finned, swordfish."

[@JohnRandomness105]

@@CaptainSpock1701 I probably shouldn't have seen that comment. i haven't yet reached that spot in my attempt at the puzzle, I don't think.

[@BatterOrWurst]

That moment when I find myself screaming "Place the 9!!!" at an absolute genius when I couldn't possibly have reached that position on my own...

[@MrTribalpanther]

Same.

[@bridgettecampbell6273]

Same.

[@smylesg]

28:38 Simon: I could have gotten this before if I'd done a bit more pencil marking. Mark: [maniacal laughter]

[@darreljones8645]

This (and yesterday's puzzle) are why Mark doesn't do thermo sudoku often.

[@Jodawo]

I think Simon has proven that sometimes a puzzle needs a good Goodliffing sometimes.

[@michaelcoffey2869]

Should we just call it a good liffing?

[@Varksterable]

@@michaelcoffey2869 As in: "Oi you! Pencil Mark that sudoku a good liffing!"

[@WarwickAllison]

30 minutes of bifurcation to avoid pencil marks certainly seems stubborn.

[@Jodawo]

@@michaelcoffey2869 Then how would you show the Goodliffing was bad? (Bad liffing?) Now it seems we've changed the original word into something else. (From Goodliffing to just liffing) Just because the word is Goodliffing doesn't mean it's good all the time.

[@Jodawo]

@@WarwickAllison Simon seems to think if he can do it in his head it's not bifocation. So for us mere mortals, technically, this puzzle can't be done without bifocation. The Setter is top notch and I'm sure there must have been a few tricks that Simon has missed. Yes, stubbornness and a mild case of OCD might be the only flaws in Simon's genius. But you have to admit even with those handicaps, he is still on a different level than most all of us and still very entertaining to watch.

[@marklindsey1995]

Simon: So this is just Sudoku isn't it? Me: Remembers that "just" Sudoku can still be hard :/

[@_Matchu]

Simon: So this is just Sudoku isn't it? Me *looking at time remaining: Are you sure about that?

[@bibliopolist]

Simon: So this is just Sudoku isn't it? Also Simon for another 5 minutes: "that's a 3 by Sudoku", "that's a 5 by Sudoku" etc...

[@leeannadimoulas5163]

"just sudoku" is the hardest sometimes!

[@starcastle1181]

@@bibliopolist And it makes me smile every time ❤

[@LEEBLISSY]

the panic in simons voice when he said "dont be deadly" at the end was quite amusing, you could hear his relief when he realized how to finish it LOL

[@Raven-Creations]

Don't forget the despair when he realised that Goodliffing thermos was correct for the second video in a row.

[@SolverTom]

TotallyNormalCat seems to have this disgusting ability to find absurd grids that need every last drop squeezed out to solve. Mind blowing that so little information has a path!

[@SamThe42nd]

I see new video, I open puzzle. I see its an hour long, I get scared. I see its by TotallyNormalCat... I close puzzle. I think I'll just watch this one. XD

[@_Matchu]

CategoricallyAbnormalCat

[@andremouss2536]

@@_Matchu Mel Brooks would agree

[@donatello_8691]

Simon, I'm sorry your camera glitched out, and made it look like you pancilmarked the thermos, hopefully you can get the issue fixed up

[@LorisLaboratory]

I am having a high stress/anxiety day and I literally JUST went on youtube needing a CtC video playing while I work, but realizing I've already gone through the recent ones. Then 2 minutes later, bam, phone notification, new video is up! (I didn't notice the time) :D You're magic, guys, thank you. :)

[@longwaytotipperary]

Hope you are feeling better! I know a dose of Simon's melodic voice along with tuning your brain into sudoku and away from whatever is causing the stress will help immensely! 🙂

[@LorisLaboratory]

@@longwaytotipperary thank you so much! These videos are indeed great for focusing on, or for playing in the background when I am doing something else, or even for playing when trying to sleep (at a volume low enough to hear but not loud enough to follow) 😆

[@longwaytotipperary]

@@LorisLaboratory Absolutely!!!!

[@whatisreality6434]

i adore every CtC video purely because of the excitement when the puzzle is solved. like simon's happiness about finally completing it just reminds me that there are actually nice things to focus of. thanks for being an amazing anxiety curing channel

[@DarkChasm]

I started the puzzle and after 10 mins was like "which crazy madman has .... oh totallynormalcat, well that explains a few things" - time to sit back and watch simon work his magic while I start seeing all sorts of things and realizing I wouldn't be able to solve it without Simon💖💖💖💖 Excellent puzzle and solve!!

[@june4976]

Me: *opens puzzle* Me brain: *TILT* Me: *closes puzzle* Oh well, just watch Simon do it.

[@jwolfe01234]

Enlightenment in three steps: 1: I refuse to pencil mark the thermos. 2: I think I'm going to eventually have to pencil mark the thermos. 3: Ok, I'm going to pencil mark the thermos. In this thermo, you put... Oh!

[@KombatGod]

The best was him still insisting that pencil marking was going to be useless WHILE pencil marking column 7 and then immediately finding a quadruple.

[@TheRaker1000]

27:57 "This is where it is going to get silly..." 28:10 "Aoooohhh." Thirteen seconds later Simon sees the value of pencil marking thermos.

[@sandpiperbf9767]

Should be titled: "The day Simon discovers pencilmarking"

[@friedhelm5344]

I really do love "the battle for pencilmarking" between Mark and Simon.

[@UghUgh1234]

I love when Simon inadvertently proves that Marks pencil marking is sometimes crucial 😂

[@toxicara]

agreed. 'I won't do it, oh go on then... oh look, i solved it' simon is amad genius and should learn when to use his specific tools. great solve though!

[@joeshonk9715]

He avoids pencil marking because his pencil marks are his kryptonite and they cannot be relied on. Even when they are correct, he doesn't read them as evident with the 9 in box 1. Or the 5 in box 6 (which basic sudoku would have revealed)

[@MarushiaDark316]

I feel as though the last two puzzles have really tested the limits of Simon's refusal to pencil mark. In both instances, he could have saved time by just biting the bullet and Goodliffing the thermos.

[@alienrenders]

The silly part is that there were very few candidates left. Even as he was filling them in, he was complaining that it wouldn't do anything (after it has already proved useful on the right hand side), where several cells only had two or three candidates. Candidates that were then used to filter out the 8's and 9's. I'm not sure why there was so much reluctance. It was a bit silly imo.

[@inspiringsand123]

Rules: 03:50 Let's Get Cracking: 04:24 Simon's time: 55m55s Puzzle Solved: 1:00:19 What about this video's Top Tier Simarkisms?! Bobbins: 3x (28:36, 37:32, 53:57) The Secret: 1x (36:44) Trampoline War: 1x (51:09) And how about this video's Simarkisms?! Good Grief: 12x (29:08, 30:21, 32:21, 32:27, 37:02, 38:38, 38:44, 41:02, 41:04, 49:38, 55:46, 58:39) By Sudoku: 10x (42:23, 48:21, 48:40, 48:46, 48:49, 49:13, 52:16, 52:22, 52:28, 52:30) Hang On: 9x (12:00, 12:00, 12:00, 12:08, 14:46, 26:02, 42:55, 47:52, 52:48) Ah: 9x (22:17, 31:01, 35:25, 35:31, 37:10, 50:55, 53:32, 53:54, 58:32) The Answer is: 7x (08:07, 08:19, 16:17, 21:34, 35:40, 45:06, 51:58) In Fact: 6x (11:20, 28:33, 28:56, 45:43, 46:28, 1:00:47) Beautiful: 5x (01:04, 14:15, 14:18, 22:17, 36:00) Sorry: 4x (26:12, 43:00, 47:59, 51:02) Clever: 4x (14:20, 14:22, 37:02, 41:24) Bingo: 4x (22:47, 35:08, 35:14, 35:16) Obviously: 4x (13:07, 18:48, 38:01, 46:26) Goodness: 3x (38:20, 38:22, 38:30) Ridiculous: 3x (01:25, 1:01:39, 1:01:39) Useless: 2x (48:35, 53:54) Epiphany: 2x (38:24, 38:26) Facetious: 2x (07:56, 13:32) Magnificent: 2x (38:35, 38:38) What on Earth: 1x (50:55) Naked Single: 1x (45:43) Naughty: 1x (37:51) Insane: 1x (1:00:26) Brilliant: 1x (12:20) Extraordinary: 1x (00:39) Going Mad: 1x (46:51) Come on Simon: 1x (51:33) Approachable: 1x (03:38) Proliferation: 1x (39:42) Progress: 1x (37:48) Wake Up: 1x (45:32) Wow: 1x (12:16) Sting in the Tail: 1x (55:50) What Does This Mean?: 1x (19:33) That's Huge: 1x (32:35) Most popular number(>9), digit and colour this video: Ten (3 mentions) Six (126 mentions) Green (5 mentions) Antithesis Battles: High (9) - Low (2) Even (3) - Odd (0) Higher (12) - Lower (0) FAQ: Q1: You missed something! A1: That could very well be the case! Human speech can be hard to understand for computers like me! Point out the ones that I missed and maybe I'll learn! Q2: Can you do this for another channel? A2: I've been thinking about that and wrote some code to make that possible. Let me know which channel you think would be a good fit!

[@Aronstorme]

idea for a simarkism: PencilMark

[@smylesg]

That's some rapid-fire hanging on at 12:00!

[@_Matchu]

Five beautifuls... Amazing

[@therocknrollmillennial535]

So, this is a first for me. 42:15, I solved a puzzle of this difficulty faster than Simon. Granted, I wasn't explaining what I was doing while solving, so that should be noted, and I'm sure he would have solved this way faster than me if it were a competition, but I feel proud of myself for finishing a puzzle of this level as quickly as I did! The help with the swordfish(es) helped me immensely, so thank you, Simon, for that help. After that explanation, I pretty much solved the puzzle in 15 minutes after staring in awe and not doing anything for near a half hour. Also, I think (could be wrong) that the puzzle is called Fishnet because all of those finned swordfish patterns were all "caught" in the center by those thermos. At any rate, excellent puzzle, TotallyNormalCat. Thank you for the puzzle and the video! :D

[@malgorzatapopiolek5327]

Please count how much time Simon spend on explenations.

[@BinaryArmorOnline]

I love the way that Simon explains what he's doing. It make me feel like a mad genius too

[@Tyrannigon64]

Me, breaking in using set theory: Oh, it's called Fishnet because the sets you use look kinda like a fishnet. Simon: Oh look, there are two sequential swordfishes! Me: ...Oh. Or that. (I'm glad I used set, though, because it helped me right at the very end, and I don't think I would've seen that bent triple)

[@smylesg]

10:33 Simon: by symmetry.... 7 in r6c9: it's like he's not even trying any more.

[@57thorns]

45:27 we have done the complicated part. Still 16-17 minutes left of the solve for a traditional sudoku with more than 20 given digits....

[@jonathanharsh7434]

I literally just did this puzzle on LogicMasters, took me 35:56. Looking forward to watching Simon struggle with this demon.

[@BarginsGalore]

46:37 it’s really true that’s Simons cursor sees more then he does. Hovers over the 9 and then traces up to where the 9 can’t be but his eyes don’t see it

[@eauna0029]

So funny when I saw it

[@blakebarnett9319]

Forget complex sentences involving finned swordfishes...I was much more surprised to hear Simon say "mad props"!

[@AdriansNetlis]

37:30 Simon forgetting that he had concluded there's only one 4 outside the bulbs on the thermos in this puzzle, and that he's found it to be in column 5.

[@DitDede]

yup!

[@hhaavvvvii]

For those who remember it, we get to be amused at just how amazed he is when he remembers it.

[@grahamrskelly6042]

45:15 Simon: "this is Sudoku we have done the complicated part. " SUDOKU: *steps up* "Hold my beer!"

[@watsonwrote]

I really appreciate all your videos. Your content is both very wholesome and interesting, and it helps me wind down in the evening. I feel like a lot of videos, especially on KZbin, are very tailored to certain ages and demographics but CTC is one of those gems that literally anyone can enjoy. So thank you!

[@stephenphillips7699]

I see the thumb nail and I'm like, that looks like a good one to try. Then I see the video length and I'm like, nope no chance.

[@_Matchu]

EXACTLY

[@n8style]

That "Don't be deadly!" exclamation reminded me of Fry and Laurie's "Don't be dirty" gameshow haha

[@dontmindme2844]

Simon spends so much time NOT using pencil marks when it really helps. It makes it take much longer.

[@julieannmyers8714]

Without pencil marking, one must simply spectate & speculate on what might be going on in Simon's head. For the channel to be instructive, as well as entertaining, demonstrating the solving process is essential. But, yes, I would agree it may also slow him down.

[@BryanLu0]

The 123 logic at the end is quite interesting. Placing 1 makes a 123 cell see 1, 2, and 3. (Also works on the other side of the grid btw) So interesting

[@lorena3528]

I wonder if that sting in the tail was deliberately designed by the setter or just a happy coincidence (disclaimer that I know nothing about setting lmao)

[@Paolo_De_Leva]

Yes‼ Good point. At playback time 57:22 Simon uses that logic to rule out 1 from the *LL* purple cell (r6c3,) and a similar logic can be used to rule out 1 from the *LR* purple cell (r6c7) as well. This creates a 2-4 pair in row 6, which is enough to solve everything else. This means that the *bent triple* at the end is not needed. It is extremely difficult to spot, however, because it requires a trial-and error test on a cell with three possible values (1, 2, and 4). I wonder what attracted Simon's attention on that specific cell. 🤔

[@eemuvento109]

2:55:40 for me. Maybe that's good based on the intro. Or maybe I'm getting better at these. But it was definitely quite hard

[@Sadfluffybear]

I'm so dense sometimes. It took me 30 minutes to find the swordfish...in a puzzle called "Fishnet", and then still messed up the sudoku part.

[@davidhughes7174]

Beautifully solved Simon. I had no idea but am just amazed by the use of classic Sudoku techniques to solve this remarkable puzzle.

[@buurzai]

"And I haven't had to do any pencil marks in the thermos yet!" *5 minutes later* "I could have spotted this much sooner if I'd done some pencil marking!" 🤣

[@MonkehBuns]

Love these really complicated break-ins. I do not have the patience for this sort of thing so it's fun to follow along.

[@Roblilley999]

Iterated finned swordfish is really best prog rock band name ever

[@GioPanStudios]

My first step after the swordfish was to recognize that 1) There are 14 digits total on the thermos 2) The thermos span 3 columns so there can be at most 3 of any digit 3) There can only be at most two 8s and two 9s (otherwise you break the center square) 4) Since there can only be one 4, there *must* be two each of 8 and 9 and three each of 5 6 and 7. This was massively helpful in figuring out where the numbers could be placed in the thermos.

[@joelstevens5670]

The genius of TotallyNormalCat never ceases to amaze. The 1s and 2s didn’t half do work on the middle box and from then on the logic was mesmerising (so much in fact that I got very close to forgetting the ‘4’ in box 9)! Thank you TotallyNormalCat and well done Simon for conquering another minimalistic masterpiece. A bit scary to begin with, yes but it was worth it for the extraordinary beauty of the logic that followed. :)

[@ima640]

Incredible solving. That's an hour of sheer entertainment. Thank you Simon.

[@glum_hippo]

Nice work, Simon and TNC - this had some very beautiful steps in it.

[@mattmayoh9680]

@36:30, remember there is exactly one 4 on an arrow, and now it must be in c5. so r3c3 is a 5, you do have a quad in the column, and can place 8 & 9. This puzzle was incredible to do.

[@abraxasnl]

What an amazing puzzle! So often puzzles fall over at some point, understandably, but this was thrilling till the end!

[@AdventCloudStrife]

I'm typing this up at 37:35, so it's possible he realizes this in the next while, but you CAN place the 8 from here! Simon already worked out that there is EXACTLY ONE 4 on the thermos, directly adjacent to the three bulb in box 5. But, in column 5, his quadruple guarantees that the 4 is either in r3c5 or r7c5, meaning it's obviously not in r3c3, and hence he does have his quintuple! ...And there he's found it barely a minute later. Drat, thought I was smart XD That said, I cannot BELIEVE this puzzle is real. When I saw the grid, I was expecting some knight's move shenanigans, or maybe a consecutive constraint. It beggars belief that pure thermo rules is enough to resolve this. An absolutely incredible construction.

[@uncgoalie]

wow, I thought I had gotten quiet good at ctc puzzles, but this one showed my my limits.... awesome solve! Congrats!

[@deadeaded]

This is the best puzzle I've seen in a long time. Simply amazing.

[@piarittersporn]

I always find it amazing and just as wonderful how your analytical mind, which sees everything, often doesn't realize that one or the other pencil mark is screaming at you to turn it into the final number or to remove it. I benefited from your brilliant jump start (no 1, 2 in the bulb ends of box 5) and absolutely enjoyed solving the puzzle.

[@alienrenders]

29:04 for me. Got stuck at the end with the 1234's. The start was kind of telegraphed, but seemingly leaving one degree of freedom at every step. If you're not comfortable with swordfish or why swordfishes work (ie. how they can be combined with other things to finish of a partial swordfish), I think this will be tough for those people. As soon as saw the positions of the 1 and 2 (and later 4), I was suspicious and resolved the bulb candidates within a couple minutes.

[@nilshubinette4932]

So great Simon, learning so much from you!

[@gdshoe5822]

Wow. I took one look at that and noped on out of there. Amazing puzzle. Brilliant solve.

[@Megatron9000]

Now that was some clever setting! Minimalistic yet so much fell in line with just a few strategically placed hints!

[@KyleBaran90]

What an elegant puzzle. Simple rules, nice symmetry, little given information, and a nice theme and premise Nothing wrong with lots of pencilmarks. Sometimes you see quads or pents you wouldn't see otherwise.

[@th.nd.r]

Absolutely INCREDIBLE puzzle. MY GOSH. And wonderfully solved as well. Beautiful break-in, and then so many awesome deductions after that, including the thing with the 4s. Geez.

[@Knoxie.]

How on earth was this made and discovered and solvable???? I could spend years trying and never come close to something this beautiful. What a genius TotallyNormalCat is

[@christophstahl8169]

I am happy to pencilmark, but i found it hard to do here because things were always more restricted than i managed to put into the pencilmarks. That was fun (and quite hard). Loved it very much.

[@jellevm]

Great puzzle, and I'm very proud of having been able to solve it. Pretty much followed the same steps Simon did, except much much slower and more convoluted of course. Took me 4.5hrs, but figured it all out myself!

[@PathOfShrines]

Wow, this was truly excellent. I had a *lot* of fun solving it; all of the leaps were creative - and extremely difficult. One of those puzzles that leaves you gaping and at a total impasse until it suddenly starts clicking. 72:22

[@LukasTrombach]

Sometimes Simon needs to remember deductions he made earlier. He figured out there must be exactly one 4 on all of the thermo arms. At 36:25 he rightfully states that there must be a 4 in either r3c5 or r7c5, which are both on thermo arms. Here he could have noticed that r3c3 MUST be a 5, because there can only be one 4 on the thermo arms. Edit: Ok, he notices it 2 minutes later...

[@markbennet9058]

The logic on this seems clean and beautiful (at 40 mins), just stunning

[@JohnRandomness105]

5:25 -- Simon is just now limiting 1s in column 3. Columns 3, 5, and 7 become an almost-swordfish in 1s. (The middle possible 1 breaks it.) But I discovered something ironic: you can't put a 1 in a bulb. If you do, an X-wing rules out the one remaining position for a 1 in column 5. 37:21 -- "... if I can get that cell not to be equal to 4." One of the middle column must be a 4. So no matter which bulb is the 3, the left thermo can't have a 4. 53:20 -- An X-wing in 4s removes a 4, and one can also remove a 3 from the same cell.

[@francescopetracca374]

Fishnet... fishnet... oh, I get it 😆 Well, after all those fancy variants I've almost forgot how an x-wing works, let alone all the sea creatures that inhabit a Sudoku puzzle!

[@Raven-Creations]

Stunningly brilliant setting (as usual from TNC). As well as the finned swordfish on 1 and 2, there was a virtual jellyfish on 3. None of the thermos could contain 3, except one on the bulb, so C3/5/7 had four possible places for 3. One of the bulbs served as the 4th column, because it would be in one of the four rows. and would therefore eliminate one of the rows, reducing it to a swordfish. After a quick scan for bent triples, I wound it up using colouring on 12s, which worked very nicely. I felt sorry for you when you completed the thermos, because you were forced to do sudoku - the horror!

[@nattixer]

20:43 Mind-blowing knowledge bomb ♥

[@DaShikuXI]

I petition that whenever you're specifically not allowed to make a swordfish pattern, we call it a catfish.

[@yaycupcake]

I figured out the ending by coloring all possibilities for being 1/3 of the same parity of each of the 1/3 pair from the bottom left box, and the same with the 2/4 pair starting in the top left box. That sorts out which of box 4 column 3 is a 1/3 and 2/4, resolving the fact that the 3 in box 5 is equivalent to r4c3 and r7c2, which unraveled everything. I think it's interesting how I didn't even see the bent triple but was still able to figure it out with a different method.

[@joelstevens5670]

Also, I don’t know how many spotted this but there’s some very helpful SET you can use (which isn’t too hard to spot either) that helps with the end of the solve. If you compare column 3 with box 4, column 5 with box 5 and column 7 with box 6 you end up with what looks like a fishing net (I originally thought that was the reason for the puzzle name, until Simon pointed out that I’d unknowingly found two swordfish)! You treat them as separate parts for purposes of the solve i.e. the digits outside of box 4 in column 3 and the digits outside of column 3 in box 4 are exactly the same. Hope this is useful.

[@oldguydoesstuff120]

After using extensive help from Simon to get past several struggles (including the break in) I managed the ending. Eventually. Where he started looking for bent triples (or Y-wings) I started coloring. I noticed the 1-3 pairs on the left side of the puzzle and chose those. That led me to determining the color of the 3 in box 5, which broke up the log jam and finished the puzzle.

[@dashvash5440]

Premature break-in praise. It only got better and better. Really cool puzzle and love the break-in logic (not sure when the "break-in" ends but it felt like most of the solve was break-in)

[@Waggles1123]

I had a slightly different break in that ignores the swordfish (at least directly). If you use set, with one set being columns 3, 5, 7, and box 5, and the other set is rows 1, 4, 6, and 9, you can eliminate overlapping cells and you're just left with the cross in box 5 (with the central cell counted towards set 1 twice) and the legs of the thermos in set 1. You also end up with a 1 and a 2 in set 2 from the givens. This means you need to put a 1 in the cross in box 5 (since it can't go on a thermo leg) and therefore 1 can't go on a bulb. And since 1 can't go on a bulb, 2 can't go on a thermo leg, so 2 is also removed from the bulbs.

[@shiftcyclicity]

This puzzle is a trip and a half!!

[@solfeinberg437]

I decided just to watch Simon on this puzzle. I'm going to be happy if I can do the puzzle by myself tomorrow without further reference to the video.

[@roaringdragon2628]

"This is just sudoku, isn't it?" 52:10 "We can get a four there by sudoku, a three there by sudoku, no threes over there by sudoku, a three there by sudoku, no three there by sudoku..."

[@KombatGod]

After watching CtC videos for a while I've learnt a lot of cool sudoku tricks but I still don't understand how on Earth can you ever be able to spot a bent triple. To finish the puzzle I started coloring 2-4 couples and 1-3 couples and after pretty much coloring the whole grid I was able to find that the 3 in box 5 was "blue" meaning it was the same as r7c2 and from that it resolved.

[@ragdoll2309]

I absolutely love your videos. This one was fun

[@Nefariousbig]

My first thought on the in would be determining the minimum/maximum values of the 4 bulbs using the interactions with row 3/7 and column 3/7. The 7s seem particularly juicy in terms of giving you limits on what could be where. edit: just realised it's also box 7 that holds some clues, makes me feel like it's a good starting thread.

Very very nice puzzle & solve!!! (and this time not overcolored... ;-)

[@susannereuss7990]

Usually long solved are way beyond me, but while I could never have solved this one on my own, I was able to follow the logic all the way to the end.

[@antminehead]

How Simon can hold such complex trains of thought is evidence of some exceptional talent.

[@PauxloE]

37:17 "It is [a quintuple] if we can get [c3r3] not to be a 4..." - in this situation, we know it's not a 4, because the quadruple in column 5 needs one of the 4s, and either of them makes sure that there can't be a 4 in c3r3 - either via the row, or by forcing a 3 onto its own thermo bulb and thus leaving the 4 for the other bulb. (Shortly after, Simon gets it via the earlier "can't be a finned swordfish on 4s" logic.)

[@Daniel.Walker]

I am so glad I wasn't the only one that felt like I'd hit a wall of 1234s! Had to come here for the y wing break and then could finish it myself afterwards. You and Mark are such great puzzle and sudoku teachers through action.

[@sly1024]

at 37:10 - you can prove that r8c3 is 8. In the central box there's a 34 pair, and in both possible dispositions you can prove that r8c3 is an 8 - Simon does it for one possibilities, but if the other cell (r6c6) is 4 then r7c5 is 6 and r8c5 is 7, so it's always 8.

[@emilywilliams3237]

Loved this video. I appreciate the invitation to have a go using the link beneath the video, but I will not attempt this one - but I might re-watch the video just for the pleasure of watching Simon tackle it. Thanks as always for the great content.

[@jimbeauchamp2144]

46:25 Bro NO WAY. Did you just LITERALLY HOVER OVER THE 9 That says where the 9 in box one goes and not see it

[@Marc_Henkel]

That was a classic Simon ;-)

[@acballer4232]

I was just about to comment that 😂

[@chipsounder4633]

Great solve, this is the finest🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@Jonas.Nilsson]

That was a wonderful puzzle!

[@Gonzalo_Garcia_]

42:10 for me. Wow what an incredible puzzle, I’m still utterly amazed that it had a unique solution and, even more impressive, a way to get there. I’m not sure whether I would’ve been able to solve it without the clue on the title (and also needed some bifurcation after that), but I’m just delighted that I solved it at all.

[@Alex.S.1]

Finally some swordfishes. I love them, and they are so rare. Thanks you so much for that puzzle, TotallyNormalCat :)

[@julieannmyers8714]

Incredible, Simon & TNCat!!!

[@joeshonk9715]

At 42:30 "You can't do the same with 9's". Umm. Yes, you can. ;). Where does 9 go in box 1? Then box 5.

[@smylesg]

51:03 I'm actually at a trampoline park with my son right now. Funny, I didn't hear a thing.

[@zackrobat]

Simon, would using set equivalence have led to a faster/easier break-in?

[@lexyeevee]

as soon as i got the 34/56 pairs in the center box, i immediately corner marked the left and right sides with what would happen if that side had the 6 bulb, which made the intersections very obvious and quickly eliminated 8 and 9 from the top and bottom tips of course i didn't notice the finned swordfishes at all :)

[@Handel9000]

That was, as Simon quite rightly said, insane! 🤯

[@LOCKEYJ]

Glad to see your power is back.

[@victorfinberg8595]

There's some instructive sections in this solve (aside from the entire solve). At 45:30, Simon realizes that "only sudoku" remains. Now, some people have pointed out that Simon misses lots of basic things when he's working on hard puzzles. This is entirely because simple scanning and hard scanning modes are incompatible. So the first lesson is, when Simon is doing "just sudoku", he zips through it pretty fast, bearing in mind that he spends a lot of time explaining his steps. The next lesson is that when he's doing "just sudoku", Simon is actively scanning for advanced techniques such as X-wings and bent triples. (see 54:55) At that point, I just bifurcated from box 1, because I know my limitations. Simon finds the 124 bent triple at 58:55, and this is the third lesson: he *will* find it. Of course, I can see it as soon as Simon shows it to me, and I can easily apply it, but I could scan that grid forever, and never spot it on my own. Oh, yes. Mad genius, definitely. Short video? If you wanted that, you wouldn't be here.

[@LithmusEarth]

16 Minutes in, The two high bulbs are going to be the upper right and the lower left. If you do the 6789 stuff, you still need other digits for the other two so the other two are going to have to be low enough to fit in 3456 into their arms that see the big arms. 22 Minutes in he finds it. I had been sitting on that knowledge bomb for a while waiting on him to see it. My suspicion because of the 4 in the lower right is the two digits on the right are going to be the high ones, 4 and 6. [it actually ended up being wrong, oh well. it was only a suspicion.] 35 minutes in, so you worked out one of the two oranges have to be a 9, so the lower right junction spot can't but neither can the upper left spot, but since you placed a 9 it became irrelevant, well, now you've done something similar, the purples must have an 8 so they conjoin in two locations you've removed the 8 out of the lower right, but you can also remove it out of their upper left which is the other orange spot. 40 Minutes in, WHOA, that's a KNOWLEDGE BOMB for sure. 42 minutes in, Okay, but wait, where can 9 go in box 1. It has to go in column 1, you've marked all of column 3, therefore the orange space in box 4 is a 9. Simon... you almost had it. 45 minutes in, actually you can just place the 9, too many 9s look in the box, it only has one space. 48 Minutes in, wait, doesn't that mean you can just place the 5 in the bottom row? 50 minutes in ... you can place 9 in the center box, i mean at this point it's just sudoku so like, I don't think there is anything left say, IMPRESSIVE BREAK IN Simon, for sure!

[@a.holland2262]

Different techniques work better or worse in different conditions and depend greatly on how your brain/body works best. Your climbing technique depends on your endurance and explosive strength. Your sudoku technique depends on how you read patterns and numbers. Too many numbers can cloud what you see or reveal something you didn't.

[@Frie_Jemi]

I noticed when he ruled that the eight in box 4 had to be in column one, he immediately followed by saying we could not do the same with nines. I believe that was untrue because the only place in column 3 that can put a nine is in row five there by forcing the nine in box one into row 3 column 1.