Our Longest Sudoku Solve Ever

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** TODAY'S PUZZLE **
A couple of weeks ago we released a video in which Simon solved Crux by Jay Dyer. We've been astonished by how many viewers commented that they prefer these very long solves and so Simon turned his attention earlier this week to Fillomenon by Darth Paradox - another legendary sudoku.
172 minutes later....
Play the puzzle at the following link:
sudokupad.app/darth-paradox/f...
Rules:
Draw nine 3x3 boxes within the grid and place the digits 1-9 once into each box. Digits within boxes (the Sudoku digits) must not repeat in any row or column of the grid.
Divide the remaining cells (outside of the nine boxes) into orthogonally contiguous regions and fill them according to Fillomino rules: every cell contains the size of its region, and no two orthogonally adjacent regions may have the same size. No Fillomino region may be larger than nine cells. The clues outside the grid give the sum of the Fillomino digits in the indicated row or column. (Sudoku digits are not included in the sums.) Additionally, a Fillomino digit must not be orthogonally adjacent to an identical Sudoku digit.
Clues inside the grid begin hidden by fog; the fog clears when correct digits are entered. Digits along an arrow must sum to the digit in the attached circle; all arrows have single-digit sums and do not branch or overlap. Digits separated by a white dot must be consecutive, and digits separated by a black dot must be in a 1:2 ratio; not all dots are given. The purple lines contain a set of consecutive, non-repeating digits in any order.
Rules:
Normal sudoku rules apply. The sum of two neighbouring digits on a grey line is always either 7 or 9.
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ALSO on Amazon: Search for “SudokuPad”
▶ Contents Of This Video ◀
0:00 Theme Music & Puzzle Introduction
0:39 Why is this video so long?!
2:11 Pls check out our Fog-Of-War Kickstarter
3:25 Rules
9:05 Start of Solve: Let's Get Cracking
▶ Contact Us ◀
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(Please note to use our real names rather than 'Cracking The Cryptic'.)
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[@chrisbattey]

Thank you so much for solving Fillomenon! It was a joy seeing how you tackled it, especially the places where you found different deductions than what I had planned. I honestly had no idea you could resolve the 24 column the way you did - it was a complete coincidence that the arrow peeking out of the fog at the bottom was able to eliminate the 9 at the bottom of the column! You were correct that an extension of the usual box-placement trick for 11x11 deconstruction puzzles was the intended path there - the way I usually think about it is that the third, sixth, and ninth rows in the available space must each cross three boxes and the only difference in the 11x12 case is that you have a little more horizontal flexibility about where they get placed, but the modular-arithmetic argument that @mumushanshi described in another comment is a particularly elegant way to prove it. (Each box must cross rows numbered 0, 1, and 2 mod 3, and there are only three rows numbered 1 mod 3 available, so each of those rows must cross exactly three boxes to satisfy that without breaking the sudoku. What a beautiful deduction.)

[@jessevennard2640]

I just started this, but the third big deduction with the 24 column so clever I had to leave a comment. Back to work!

[@puritan7473]

Thank you sir for a very enjoyable few hours (2:24 + I will get to watch Simon tomorrow). Many enjoyable moments and little breaks, especially the way the last 4 rows resolved. Again, thank you.

[@davidrattner9]

Mind blowing from you!! I mean..loss for words!! Thank you for setting this masterpiece!

[@adammorse710]

I think this may be the hardest puzzle I've ever successfully solved. Thanks for a terrific challenge.

[@SamuelSandeen]

Where does the solve go next on the intended path? I feel like it somehow needs to involve the 24 and >15 columns but without Simon's deduction I'm not seeing how to exert enough pressure on the 15 column. I can't rule out a world where r7c2 is green because that just barely squeaks in as possible via 5 + 5 + 2 + 2 = 14.

[@tremkl]

I appreciate that Simon isn’t too much of a British gentleman to restrain himself from saying “Nice” every time he sees the number 69. 😂

[@pedrosalaspinero7220]

I love that collectively, we ended up leaving the like count at 69 as well Edit: Nooooo they didnt notice :(

[@aceman0000099]

Bother bother bother, rats

[@aceman0000099]

Bother bother bother, rats

[@ouzoloves]

@@pedrosalaspinero7220 Probably had 2 or 3 people start watching before others finished whilst the like count was 67 or 68. You started watching when it was 69, by the time you finished and when you refreshed the page, it would now be at 70 something.

[@SpeedyBozar]

I don't get it. What's nice about 69?

[@CauchyIntegralFormula]

Due to an accidentally unpaused timer, I'm proud to say I have a solve time of 995 minutes, 19 seconds

[@niiii_niiii]

I reallly must congratulate you!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉❤ Well done 😊

[@adammorse710]

Yeah, I also forgot to pause my timer when I stepped away. I think my actual time was something like 5 or 6 hours, but my recorded time was... 1582:20. :)

[@crayonista92]

When Simon left the room I was half expecting to see a giggling Mr goodliffe tiptoeing in from the shadows to mischievously change a pencil mark, just to add an extra layer of jepordy to an already epic solve

[@davidgould9431]

Nice idea, but it's fairly clear that Simon usually ignores his pencil marks.

[@esotericVideos]

To help appreciate the truly impressive duration of Simon's epic Sudoku solve, I thought I'd compare against a similar epic: The Lord of the Rings. [SPOILER WARNING FOR THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS, AND FOR SIMON'S SOLVE] 16:19 Simon gets his first Fillomino digit. At this point in The Lord of the Rings, Saruman the White is inciting the Dunlendings to join with him and the Orcs on their campaign to bring about the demise of Rohan. At this precise moment Saruman has just commanded the Wildmen of Dunland to "burn every village" of the Rohirrim people. 1:01:01 Simon fully bounds his first 3x3 Sudoku box. At this point in The Lord of the Rings, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli (while following hobbit tracks to Fangorn) have recently been reunited with Gandalf who had been reborn as Gandalf the White following his defeat of the Balrog. The quartet proceeded to Edoras where at this precise moment, Saruman falls to the floor far away as Gandalf the White expels Saruman's corrupting hold on the mind of Theoden, the King of Rohan. 1:30:01 Simon gets his first Sudoku digit. At this point in the Lord of the Rings, Gandalf has departed to seek out Éomer and his 2,000 banished riders to aid in the upcoming defense of Helm's Deep. Meanwhile Théoden, Legolas, Gimli, and Aragorn are escorting the Rohirrim people on their journey to Helm's Deep during which they have just been attacked by Saruman's Warg-riders. At this precise moment, Gimli lets out a comical wheeze as he strains under the weight of the bodies of a fallen orc and two slain Wargs, one of which was just speared by Aragorn, and has just collapsed on top of him. 2:17:54 Simon fully completes his first 3x3 Sudoku box. At this point in the Lord of the Rings, Merry and Pippin have begun pleading with Treebeard to secure the help of the Ents in the War of the Ring. Meanwhile, the battle of Helm's Deep is ongoing as the Uruk-Hai are scaling ladders they have thrown up against the Deeping Wall and attacking the defenders stationed there. At this precise moment, Gimli is keeping a count of all the Uruk-Hai he has successfully slain from the climbing onslaught, and has just proudly exclaimed "Twenty!". 2:49:50 Simon fully bounds and completes all 3x3 Sudoku boxes and digits. At this point in the Lord of the Rings, the battle of Helm's Deep has concluded, and away to the East in Osgiliath, Frodo has (with the help of Sam and Faramir) just escaped an attempted capture by a Ringwraith riding a Nazgul. Gollum, feeling betrayed by Frodo for delivering him into the hands of Faramir's men, at this precise moment angrily declares to himself his intention to kill Frodo. 2:50:24 Simon fully completes all Fillomino regions and thus fully solves the puzzle. At this point in the Lord of the Rings, Gollum is continuing to formalize his plans to exact murderous revenge on Frodo (and now also Sam). And at this precise moment, Gollum is talking with himself to work through some self doubt about his murderous intentions being potentially "too risky". "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" ends on a shot of Mordor as seen in the distance, and fades to black at exactly 2:51:38. And so, Simon has successfully finished the puzzle "Fillomenon by Darth Paradox" 1 minute and 14 seconds faster than the entire runtime of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers".

[@shinyelvenqueen]

This has to be the comment that wins the internet ! You are truly a dedicated person. I salute you!

[@myacky5887]

This is incredible 😂

[@rainshadowgamingart2236]

Bless you for this!

[@Lorenzo20037]

Greatest comment ever

[@omgawesomeomg]

Beautiful

[@inspiringsand123]

Let's Get Cracking: 09:20 Simon's time: 2h41m21s Puzzle Solved: 2:50:41 What about this video's Top Tier Simarkisms?! Bobbins: 1x (1:59:17) Knowledge Bomb: 1x (10:55) Three In the Corner: 1x (2:48:40) And how about this video's Simarkisms?! Ah: 46x (12:37, 16:39, 18:54, 21:35, 22:02, 23:53, 24:30, 27:52, 31:03, 31:03, 1:04:12, 1:06:51, 1:11:59, 1:16:55, 1:26:55, 1:36:16, 1:37:43, 1:42:56, 1:47:00, 1:48:05, 1:50:24, 1:56:03, 1:56:45, 1:58:35, 2:07:02, 2:07:02, 2:07:42, 2:11:22, 2:15:50, 2:17:56, 2:19:04, 2:24:07, 2:24:11, 2:24:54, 2:26:41, 2:27:03, 2:30:01, 2:33:13, 2:35:13, 2:35:20, 2:38:38, 2:46:58, 2:47:07, 2:47:24, 2:48:01, 2:49:05) Hang On: 44x (17:21, 17:48, 22:38, 28:05, 31:03, 42:18, 48:17, 53:22, 55:04, 55:15, 1:04:12, 1:06:58, 1:07:22, 1:08:04, 1:12:27, 1:24:37, 1:26:13, 1:35:35, 1:41:37, 1:42:16, 1:42:16, 1:42:16, 1:46:52, 1:47:00, 1:47:00, 1:54:21, 1:54:37, 1:57:33, 2:08:15, 2:12:29, 2:19:15, 2:19:18, 2:19:18, 2:19:18, 2:22:02, 2:27:55, 2:41:17, 2:42:35, 2:42:35, 2:46:09, 2:49:05, 2:49:28) Wow: 19x (43:20, 1:03:53, 1:11:23, 1:11:59, 1:42:07, 1:45:13, 1:54:43, 2:18:45, 2:18:49, 2:25:37, 2:29:10, 2:30:47, 2:32:09, 2:33:19, 2:37:06, 2:43:45, 2:46:05, 2:46:05, 2:50:51) Sorry: 17x (35:51, 39:38, 46:15, 48:33, 1:02:55, 1:13:38, 1:14:53, 1:14:53, 1:14:53, 1:24:15, 1:26:58, 1:49:52, 1:50:30, 1:59:17, 2:02:23, 2:04:06, 2:49:31) Beautiful: 15x (02:41, 22:02, 1:24:42, 1:35:38, 1:35:42, 1:50:32, 1:53:40, 1:54:54, 1:55:03, 1:55:06, 1:58:52, 2:15:55, 2:15:55, 2:24:35, 2:33:49) Weird: 12x (18:31, 19:01, 32:41, 40:51, 1:15:11, 1:16:49, 1:41:43, 1:51:00, 2:14:03, 2:15:03, 2:31:48, 2:49:19) Obviously: 11x (07:01, 10:12, 10:45, 38:24, 52:37, 58:43, 1:04:30, 1:21:50, 1:29:18, 1:40:29, 2:39:58) In Fact: 9x (10:36, 16:10, 1:21:58, 1:31:18, 1:46:04, 1:46:25, 1:47:47, 2:05:03, 2:23:48) Bother: 8x (1:36:18, 1:37:15, 1:40:22, 1:55:25, 1:55:25, 1:55:25, 1:55:28, 2:47:07) Good Grief: 6x (27:59, 1:04:09, 2:07:45, 2:43:06, 2:50:51) Nonsense: 6x (17:26, 26:41, 1:07:35, 1:30:47, 2:05:17, 2:46:19) Bonkers: 6x (03:03, 37:53, 37:55, 2:18:53, 2:18:53, 2:50:57) Incredible: 5x (2:31:05, 2:31:07, 2:44:28, 2:44:36, 2:51:26) Surely: 5x (25:46, 1:33:23, 1:34:56, 1:51:10, 2:46:58) What Does This Mean?: 5x (14:46, 1:30:56, 2:13:50, 2:26:24, 2:32:31) Clever: 4x (00:49, 2:01:06, 2:33:19, 2:36:54) Brilliant: 4x (1:21:36, 1:21:40, 2:51:47, 2:51:50) By Sudoku: 4x (1:58:28, 2:22:06, 2:38:50, 2:44:39) Lovely: 3x (1:50:32, 2:19:30, 2:24:39) Fascinating: 3x (43:28, 43:31, 52:23) That's Huge: 3x (22:04, 1:51:10, 2:17:56) Goodness: 2x (17:50, 43:17) Break the Puzzle: 2x (1:13:44, 1:15:22) Ridiculous: 2x (2:23:51, 2:41:29) Gorgeous: 2x (2:27:09, 2:50:08) Come on Simon: 2x (1:55:51, 1:59:23) I've Got It!: 2x (1:50:24) Proof: 2x (41:30, 54:28) Baffling: 2x (1:45:24, 2:05:52) What on Earth: 1x (34:12) Axiomatically: 1x (53:08) Naked Single: 1x (2:48:30) Bingo: 1x (2:35:23) Horrible Feeling: 1x (2:16:25) Astonishing: 1x (2:29:20) Shenanigans: 1x (2:17:25) Bizarre: 1x (2:14:07) Whoopsie: 1x (2:32:01) Phone is Buzzing: 1x (14:25) Snake: 1x (05:47) Progress: 1x (1:44:43) On the Cusp: 1x (1:50:08) Most popular number(>9), digit and colour this video: Fifteen (22 mentions) Two (198 mentions) Red (98 mentions) Antithesis Battles: High (5) - Low (5) Even (37) - Odd (12) Higher (2) - Lower (0) Lowest (2) - Highest (1) Outside (3) - Inside (1) Black (10) - White (8) Column (89) - Row (49) 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!

[@brianolsen5435]

1:29:54 first sudoku digit!

[@Zephyrhash2]

A 3-hour video, just before the weekend… I know 2 things for sure: 1. The fact that it got uploaded means Simon has somehow been able to solve it 2. I will be greatly entertained this weekend

[@mumushanshi]

1. A 3x3 sudoku box must occupy a row 0mod3, a row 1mod3, and a row 2mod3. 2. No row may ‘see’ more than 3 boxes. -> 3. Given that rows 1 and 13 are fully Fillomino, the only remaining 1mod3 rows are 4, 7 and 10. They must each see three boxes. -> 4. Row 4 (36 clue) contains four cells of Fillomino, each of them filled with the digit 9; etc. etc.

[@ecMathGeek]

Great proof! It's fairly technical for people who aren't into number theory. In this puzzle, there's actually a very straightforward proof: proof by contradiction. The setup for the proof is simple: assume row 4 won't contain 9 sudoku cells. Show that it is impossible to place 9 sudoku regions without at least one row containing more than 3 regions. Simon even used it but didn't manage to convince himself his proof actually was a proof.

[@ahouyearno]

Because it wasn’t exhaustive. It wasn’t a proof, just an example. Examples aren’t proof

[@Croccifixo]

​@@ecMathGeek in an 11x11 grid: boxes centered on rows 2, 3 and 4 see row 3 boxes centered on 5, 6 and 7 see row 6 boxes centered on rows 8, 9 and 10 see row 9 No boxes can be centered on 1 and 11 Since each row can only see 3 boxes, and we need 9 boxes, we need exactly 3 from each group (seeing row 3, seeing row 6 and seeing row 9). Considering the Filomeno row at the top, that means rows 4, 7 and 10 in this grid must see 3 boxes. It's not as elegant as the nmod3 method above, but perhaps easier to show visually to those that don't follow the maths too well

[@charlievelan7939]

@@Croccifixo Your reasoning is incorrect. If you want to prove or disprove an overlap in a single row or column with set region sizes, then you would say this: Starting from the left/top, separate the nearest 9 cells into 3 regions, each 3 cells long, without overlapping regions or skipping any cells. Then do the same, starting from the right/bottom. Any overlap between the nth group of cells starting from the left/top and the nth to last group of cells starting from the right/bottom must be included in a sudoku region. Similar logic is what makes it possible to solve nonogram puzzles. For a deconstruction sudoku with a side length of 12, there would be no overlap among the nth region and the nth to last region. Without the restriction on the bottom row, there is no way to prove that any rows are guaranteed to include at least one sudoku region.

[@davidwiederman8841]

@mumushanshi In step 3 you mean the only remaining 0mod3 rows, right? Cuz the numbers start from zero again (Row 1=0, 2=1, 3=2, 4=0, 5=1, 6=2 etc etc)

[@nancylipp3444]

Yes, we DO love the long solves, but I must continue with, "The Long Solves of Brilliant Puzzles." This was epic and beautiful.😀

[@ChairboyRules]

Always love the long solves it shows the quality and difficulty of the puzzles and the intelligence and tenacity of the solver.

[@MichaelGreen831]

And the creator! Kudos to @chrisbattey!

[@kevinhay2267]

3 minutes in. Small whisky to hand, dog sleeping at feet, everyone else gone to bed, nirvana! Thanks for this CtC

[@drewskavich]

This puzzle's solve needs to be seen. If this video did not exist, this puzzle's solve would not be seen. Therefore, this video needs to exist.

[@jziesel]

I just glimpsed grid and ruleset and literally squealed. I cannot WAIT to watch this over the weekend!!! Like, if I had to up my Patreon pledge to guarantee one of these geniusly complex puzzles at a regular interval I would pay it.

[@jziesel]

Also, I do believe this Patreon idea might put to rest any lingering doubt you have about the decent-sized audience you have clamoring for these videos 😂

[@deniseiln]

@@jziesel Agreed - an extra dollar or two per month would be one of the easiest upsells ever for me

[@pokinDave]

For these really really hard but beautiful puzzles it would make sense for you to attack them as a team. Simon is amazing at analysing the nuances of a rule set, but Mark actually doesn’t mind doing Sudoku.

[@aquaticIntrovert]

Especially as the solve went along with this one, Simon got *very* good at not accidentally doing Sudoku with Filomino digits by simply choosing to refuse to do Sudoku entirely

[@bbgun061]

I disagree. When they've worked together on puzzles in the past, they didn't communicate well enough.

[@IlonaRappFantasy]

Please keep the long solves coming! I solved the puzzle first, but if I hadn't watched your solve, I would not have been able to remember how. So much fun.

[@JonnyPowell]

MORE OF THESE PLEASE - the long solves feel like my favourite artist has just branched out into a new genre and the music is even better than before

[@kmh0237]

yea it's great!

[@meiter]

Thank you CtC for this - while I did not try Crux by myself, I started this puzzle on Saturday and just finished it with a puzzle time of 6,5 hours! 😅 It is SO rare that a puzzle can keep my interest for such a long time, and I'd never have challenged myself if there wasn't this video. Now I can watch Simon's solve and find out what clues I've missed 😊 I fully agree to what someone else just said: I'm definitely supporting the long solves as bonus videos once in a while, as long as they are truly exceptional as both Crux and this one were!

[@fredrikharaldsson]

The fact that you weren't just stuck for extended periods, but rather almost constantly kept doing small progress kept it entertaining and definitely enjoyable from start to finish. Really entertaining to follow your journey of disbelief in how it kept up it's difficulty. Loved it!

[@ryanmclean7361]

Yes, PLEASE keep doing these longer videos! I am not among the cleverest solvers, so tackling these puzzles are a bit beyond my current abilities. But watching you solve them and take me through your logic is helping me do better. So I enjoy watching you solve the puzzles that I am quite a ways off from solving myself and seeing the brilliance of these amazing setters.

[@johnglass6725]

Fillomenonly brillant! I so enjoy waiting for the (very) few places where I see a deduction before Simon does and can still shout at the screen. (Sometimes my deductions are even correct...) More, please!

[@mastercreative6752]

Yes, the video is finally out! I love your longer solves! The longer the video, the better, it is so interesting to see you solve puzzles that push you to your limits!

[@r0bbiegill]

I definitely enjoy the occasional long solve! I don’t think I could commit to watching this everyday (and I’m sure you couldn’t commit to solving them every day). But a special edition is a lot of fun! I really like the videos that are in the 30-50 minute range because those are the puzzles I’m able to do with you.

[@titusadduxas]

6:06:26 OMG! I did use the checker a little bit on the way, I don't have Simons's confidence!, but with only the teeniest bit of help from Simon I managed to get through it all. Astonishing puzzle.

[@debrabowen4276]

I started off my Sunday afternoon watching (American) football, got bored and switched over to this much more exciting spectacle. Gorgeously done, Simon!

[@robertoanelli7057]

Thanks a lot Simon, really loved the long videos and the step by step explanation. It’s always a good learning.

[@haniapopowska8966]

I thought that three hours might be too much for me - but no! I was glued to the screen the whole time! Don't weep, Simon, you were great! Take a bow yourself and have a nice beverage with a proud smile. Brava 👏🏼👏🏼

[@timdorr]

Your next Kickstarter should definitely be a DVD box set of these long solves 😂 Cracking The Cryptic: Extended Edition

[@Ffxfan197]

I’d back a kickstarter just for a compilation of real tough solves from Simon. I really would.

[@TheLukeskywalker2]

I haven't watched it yet, but I LOVE epic length solves

[@PotmosHetoimos]

Hands down, one of my favorite solves ever shown on the channel. The concept of the puzzle, the brilliance of the setting, the diversity and creativity of the logic in the solve path - it seemed like at times there was nowhere to look, then all of a sudden one crucial deduction opened up three or four things all at once. I personally enjoyed this one even more than Crux, because the interaction of deconstruction and fillomino rules made it much more intriguing to me. Thank you for your dedication to putting out the occasional epic-length video, and I hope it continues!

[@simewiz]

Probably my favourite solve ever. I love the long videos partly because I know anything that takes Simon much more than an hour is almost certainly going to be beyond me, so I can just relax and not get frustrated that I really should be having a go at it myself! This was a joy from start to finish. More long solves please!!

[@reubenmckay]

This was indeed a phenomenal watch! Glad to see it! ... and totally looking forward to the next one of these LotR-length epics.

[@SteveHorrigan]

Absolutely epic. What a roller coaster of emotions

[@Urutsini]

You, Simon, are an absolute treasure. Watching you work is truly sublime. I am in awe of your talents as an artist and logician extroadinaire

[@iriguzman4820]

Loved every minute of this solve. Thanks for taking the time and for sharing it with us!

[@ollie6373]

I would watch a 15-hour solve of a puzzle like this! I find that the longer the solve is, the more the final product can be appreciated. Even though I don't dare attempt this puzzle myself, just watching all of Simon's solve truly resulted in a satisfying ending as if we had done it together. This puzzle is gorgeous!

[@st3phgr1ce]

Loved it ❤ would watch 💯 amazed at the genius of the constructor, Simon and our awesome community. As a developer I call myself pretty logical but get humbled by just the math that Simon and some of the commenters find! Kudos to all who solved it

[@suewilliams7091]

Wow what a brilliant video! I do love the epic length ones. I struggled with getting my head around fillomino puzzles before this, but I have a better understanding now and I thank you for that. Please keep the long ones coming, they're great!

[@90thedro]

Wife and I watched the entire thing together and loved it. Keep posting the long ones. They’re my favorite ❤️ you’re awesome Simon

[@hatterson]

What a puzzle! Loved watching the solve and would gladly watch more of this length or even longer. I think what was most impressive about this puzzle was that no individual piece was insanely difficult and it maintained difficulty all the way through the solve.

[@timotab]

Bravissississimo. Fabulous solve. And I followed all the steps. I felt like I could solved it myself had I thought to look at the right things. Love it.

[@davidrattner9]

Fantastic and just epic Simon!! Love the long solves and videos. Keep them coming!

[@Richard_A._Watson]

Thanks, Simon! Loved every minute of it!

[@andrewnicholson3810]

really loved watching this solve - knowing this video was coming encouraged me to try it on my own first, and i'm glad I did!

[@josephblack2757]

A lovely solve. I stayed up late to watch it in one go, and stayed with it throughout! Delightful work, Simon.

[@KurotaniAzami]

Please we need more long solves like this!! Its both entertaining and astonishing. I watched the whole thing before bed❤ great puzzle and what a solve by Simon!

[@amandaross8652]

Thank you for posting this! I love watching these long solves. I broke up the viewing over two nights and looked forward to finishing it.

[@msgeryjo]

Love the long solves. No problem being longer. A lot longer. I think Simon will reach his breaking point solving (as in faceplanting from exhaustion) before I reach mine watching him solve.

[@jamestimberlake7762]

I was looking forward to this video, and it delivered in spades. I love the long videos.

[@samspackman8750]

Love the long solve videos! Please keep them coming!!

[@wossaaaat]

Was beginning to worry this wasn't coming to the channel. Very much been looking forward to it. Thanks Simon.

[@danielcummins5092]

Keep these long solves coming, Simon -- I know I love them!

[@rentalcustard]

I finally finished my solve this morning, which clocked in well north of five hours -- with a couple of hints given by friends along the way! I'm very glad your solve video didn't go up until I finished, Simon, because I certainly would have given up on it and just watched you, had the option been there. I absolutely loved this puzzle (even if almost a full hour of hair-pulling was caused by my strong belief that an 8-cell 9 region in the Fillomino was complete) and can't wait to watch the master at work on it!

[@joanabbott9531]

Thank you for this amazing solve. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the struggle.

[@user-xz9dt9bu2w]

This was great. I do prefer these longer solves. Thank you.

[@tranzoshan]

The ability to slam through this puzzle in 3 hours, all while providing commentary and remaining coherent is a truly unique talent of Simon’s. If I even had the guts to try this, I would be catatonic by the 3 hour mark. What I love about these long videos is how they are filled with the puzzle creator’s interesting logic and tricks from beginning to end for such a long time. In most CTC videos, the unique aspect of that puzzle is done within 15 to 30 minutes. I will gladly continue to watch these epic battles as long as Simon is willing to make them.

[@sly1024]

"I'll go and quietly weep." 😅 Brilliant, as ever. Thank you, Simon!

[@faddy91]

What makes a long video like this enjoyable is the way the puzzle unfolds and gives you more but still doesn't relent on difficulty. So it takes a very special puzzle to earn a video of this length. This one was definitely worth it! I will say 1.5x speed is a blessing too.

[@sorellla]

I love long videos, to be honest I often don't click on a video if it's not at least close to an hour 😂

[@myacky5887]

I love the long solves!! Please keep them coming 😁

[@truscottlee5554]

Absolutely fantastic... yes indeed ... please keep those coming, once your brain has had time to recover!!

[@pascal6871]

I love the series binge length solves

[@trisha2584]

Great video ; I watched it at double speed which I also encouraged me to find things faster than I normally do. Well done Simon

[@GeorgeFoot]

Brilliant puzzle, rewarding to solve, and rewarding again to watch you solve

[@zoot3000]

This is an absolute classic. I've already watched it twice. Brilliant to just have on in the background while working. I don't even do Sudoku but like the crossword vids.

[@anaayoung9142]

I don't wanna to say much, just thank you, this video saved me today. It was the most beautiful 3hours sudoku video that you could have made!

[@travisporco]

It's fun seeing some of these fiercely difficult solves!

[@youngms7971]

this video and puzzle was amazing. thank you to the setter and you simon for the great solve

[@NerrisBBL]

That solve was incredible; possibly my favorite puzzle featured so far. What an incredible mix of rules and slow, consistent logic.

[@travisporco]

Wow, what a solve! Amazing that you have fog, deconstruction, & fillomeno all in one in such a natural way.

[@Jrakula10]

loved this adventure. I like working through the logic along side you while screaming at the screen when i see something you haven't. more long puzzles please!

[@Viremind]

Loved the video as well as it length. It was a perfect background for my current cross stitching project =)

[@tjwolfe2010]

What a great solve! Thanks Simon!

[@coconuts2513]

These marathon length movies are incredible, and I am here for all of them 🍿🍰🍹

[@LorisLaboratory]

I adore the epic long videos. Well done Simon! :D

[@olivierloignon6237]

Very good Simon! I can personally handle 1-2 of these extended editon sudokus a month. Always a treat to watch, but I do love the shorter ones I can watch during my lunch break!

[@dudbike]

Really enjoyed this one. I could follow the logic and in some places could see the next step. Great puzzle that kept my attention.

[@Kaspian1828]

Loved this puzzle. Thank you.

[@5starheadhat]

Absolutely loved every minute of this solve. Mind blowing how you figured it out and yet made it understandable to the average sudoku player! Keep up the great content

[@roberickson93]

This is such an impressive puzzle and solve! Made for a very pleasant Sunday evening.

[@iancampbell4114]

I absolutely loved that one of the very last deductions was where the final sudoku box was! Astonishing solve, well worth the watch 👍

[@minavladimir]

Absolutely love the long videos.

[@yehwellwhatever]

I love the long videos. Really hope this doesn’t get buried by the algorithm because it’s posted at an unusual time for you, because this solve deserves to be seen.

[@danitajaye7218]

Fun all the way through! Great solve!!!

[@Justin-ju8ef]

Great puzzle, and very entertaining solve. Enjoyed this to the end.

[@anaisakaclotolphe519]

What a brilliant solve of an even more brilliant puzzle! As someone who plays a lot of video games involving lots of grinding and repetitive tasks to perform, having long videos to watch to occupy my mind while playing is amazing so I'd be overjoyed to get more long videos like these ones. There has been a trend of very long videos these past few years on KZbin, with 5 hours video essays becoming quite common and a lot of people love them so I feel like there is definetely an audience for this type of videos!

Ofc I still want to see videos like this!

[@MaddieSheaVB]

so happy to see this on the channel! count me in as a fan of long solves

[@Harry-qq2ww]

Brilliant setting, brilliant solve path. 2h:40m for us, what a pleasure. What a puzzle. Simon: Longer = better!

[@theskyisteal8346]

Just in case this happens to be the straw that keeps these long, monstruous solves coming: I love these long, monstruous solves and always look forward to making time for watching them. (This time it only took me a week!)

[@AugustoValentini]

This was truly a journey! Of course a 3 hour video every day is not reasonable for either you or the audience but it's lovely to embark on one of these journeys from time to time!

[@annesorensen4004]

I Will save this one for the quiet hours saturday morning when everything else is quiet. Waking up to Soduko-madness (and a coffee ☕️☕️) - nothing better ❤

[@pipebernal]

Wonderful solve and puzzle. I love these puzzles in which it almost never breaks. Even at the end you need to really think about each digit. I couldn’t solve it of course

[@KrisCadwell]

That was crazy, thanks for posting it.

[@GraemeMcRae]

Yes, please post more 2+ hour videos. This was very entertaining.

[@biaberg3448]

Interesting to watch from beginning to end.

[@kevinswisher5035]

Simon’s brilliance is truly impressive . It’s a pleasure to see how his mind works tackling these

[@MaierFlorian]

Yes, now I will have some good stuff to do for the day! Thanks Simon ♥

[@xerodeus2337]

I can't believe I just watched this whole thing... that was wildly a blast

[@user-ox9oo6wp6d]

This is the best gift for me to spend my time in weekend!

[@annagiousi9518]

Yes! It's finally here! Best way to spend a Saturday morning!