The Miracle Sudoku

You can try one of the most extraordinary puzzles we've ever seen by Mitchell Lee here:
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▶ABOUT US◀
Hi! We're Simon Anthony and Mark Goodliffe, two of the UK's most enthusiastic puzzle solvers. We have both represented the UK at the World Sudoku Championships and the World Puzzle Championships. We're also "cryptic crossword" aficionados. Mark is the twelve-time winner of The Times championship and Simon is the former record holder for most consecutive correct solutions to The Listener crossword. We hope we can help your puzzle solving while also introducing you to some of the world's best puzzles.
Thank you for watching!
Simon and Mark

[@zachattack7511]

"There's no way this has a unique solution... and if it does it's not solvable by a human" ... although

[@elisahaugenborges4432]

...there IS a 1 there...

[@xXKIKOXx0]

I want a shirt that says that.

[@hubbcap18]

I've watched Simon solve this a few times now (and I've also solved it myself before), but I swear every time I come back to it I get goosebumps watching. I saw a comment on a different video comparing chess and sudoku that stated while both chess and sudoku use logic, chess is beautiful while sudoku is not. To which I replied with a comment of a link to this video. If this isn't sudoku being beautiful I don't know what is :)

[@benshapiro8506]

@Anifco67 it doesn't prove he's not human, just that he claims he's not human. he still may be right, he's superhuman.

[@springplus300]

What's truly fascinating about this particular puzzle is that it's beautifully intricate, without being hard at all. It's a perfect gateway drug to more advanced Sudoku puzzles. I'd only ever done regular Sudoku's before. After stumbling upon this gem, I've disappeared down the rabbit hole!

[@FlashNerd]

“He’s clearly trolling me” “Although I can place a one...” And so it begins...

[@Lady8D]

I wanted to like your comment but my ocd won't allow me to mess up the 369 so pretend this is a like. And also, I apologise for my crazy EDIT: Thank you to whomever liked my comment! That enabled me to come back & like the above comment now that the numbers have changed =)

[@jonasdj2950]

@@Lady8D aww, thats cute, thank god Im not the only one who does stuff like this

[@Twertle]

Reddit moment

[@korriganmarsh6934]

@@Twertle wdym, 69 is the single most comedic thing in the world

[@ericbright1742]

He goes from "He's clearly trolling me" to "There's no way this solves" to "What is happening?" to "We are watching magic happen here" so beautifully.

[@giantnerd14]

I love the dawning horror when he realizes the puzzle is solvable.

[@DoctorNarwhal123]

just barely started watching this channel and this is already one of my top favorite moments in my KZbin viewing timeline

[@AnomAnomMTG]

I've watched three of these straight, and I'm proud of it

[@anthonyvrooman8119]

@@AnomAnomMTG same lmao

[@fundus3422]

8:19

[@Summer_Skiwi]

Same, I never thought I would laugh during sudoku

[@jackdog06]

“I’m going to stop this video and Mark will get an angry phone call.” 20 minutes later “This puzzle is a work of sublime genius.”

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

Lmao true

[@stampycaunthe1950]

He said he'll give him five minutes and got sucked right in. Definitely an impressive puzzle that looks impossible

[@LappleOwingsL]

I will never again feel such a rush of joy and adrenaline as when he put in all the 3's. Nothing will ever live up to that moment.

[@RCassinello]

That moment has forever shadowed in my memory the moment I first held my newborn son.

[@Human-gu2cx]

Nicsaii Men just like he said the feeling of believing something is impossible and then bam it’s almost trivial, it’s humbling

[@tyspaulding2025]

Im confused but satisfied

[@toddrenshaw4029]

@@RCassinello kinda feel bad for your kid if all it takes is a youtube video

[@dejremi8190]

One day, when it is the end of the World and atomic bombs will explode all over the place,we'll all sit together and Say:"remember when he placed all the 3's? This was beautiful wasn't it?" And then we'll all die happy

[@dieke8978]

He thinks really fast, but the cool thing is that following his thoughts is actually doable? Idk how to explain it but I understand what's happening and that feels good

[@jarchive4267]

I feel the same thing. Awhile he was slowly moving through the threes I could predict where many of the threes were but for most of the video he just thought way to fast for me 😅

[@Toska432]

feels like early stages of a smooth interface for artificial cognition boosting

[@akaoni1218]

you should look at the numbers, on the horizontal lines they go up one row in the same column, find one, you find it all

[@The4stro]

indeed. i had to pause for a little while a few times, but even tho i barely understand sudoku, i can follow this. incredible

[@samuelbrown9454]

You put what I was thinking into words, it's amazing how he puts us into his world of thinking :)

[@reeveeakt7250]

I can't believe that a video about a box with two numbers had elevated my appreciation of numbers

[@uRDM]

Numbers must be burned

[@Humulator]

@@uRDM NUMBERS MUSTN'T BE BURNED THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL

[@Ducktor0102]

@@Humulator I agree, but why not burn em anyway

[@michaelball6309]

But its not at all about numbers, the numbers are just arbitrary place holders. Its about logical deduction.

[@Randomii666]

Alternative title: Man feels many emotions over a grid with numbers in it

[@nimm1135]

Me working on Excell sheets

[@mdreckow]

Sounds like a top gear intro

[@whoooshme8898]

This could so many things, anything with graphs tbh

[@ethankramer7923]

OMG guys this is the first cracking-the-cryptic that I actually was able to complete without watching him place any digits first. I did it 100% myself and I am so proud :))) It did take me 3.5 hours, but I did it

[@wabc2336]

i started doing it and it was going well till i realized i messed up with the 2s so i'm gonna restart after watching him go up to the 3

[@katrinaela]

great job! i have yet to try one of the puzzles he has done partially because of time but mostly because i’m not confident in my abilities

[@RO8s]

Well done! Took me three! I had to surmise at the end that the nine cannot be next to the one - i.e. that one and nine count as consecutive. Not mentioned, but makes a big difference!

[@GregJonson]

I did it in under 50 minutes. D:

[@RO8s]

@@GregJonson Well, aren't you the clever bunny! My next one might be quicker. Well done.

[@queenabaline9582]

Is this how people feel when they watch sports? I've never been so hyped watching a KZbin video.

[@scotttaylor7146]

I'm not sure there's a direct parallel, but big sports moments are certainly the only other times I've felt like this. Maybe after my first kiss. Holy shit.

[@gaeel330]

As someone who's been enjoying watching formula one for a couple years, it's a similar feeling, yeah. Or at least, it's a similar feeling when it's a fun race where unexpected things happen and one of the drivers I'm rooting for manages to fight their way to the front or something.

[@j_ordinary4252]

Make sudoku solving a sport

[@j_ordinary4252]

@@gaeel330 u mean like the race of today?

[@gaeel330]

@@j_ordinary4252 pretty gutted for Sainz tbh, but that was an exciting one at the end there, yeah!

[@matta5498]

Never mind the symmetry, the order of each row is the same.

[@DjTmoT]

Both horizontal and vertical...!... whaaat... he didn't even see that.

[@benry007]

Mind blown...

[@iankellymorris]

Tim Roelstraete No, just horizontal.

[@DjTmoT]

Ok, was wrong, looked like it, but isnt.

[@jackwild1770]

@@iankellymorris there is definitely a vertical pattern. It's not exactly mirrored, but there is a repeated pattern for sure

[@Stettafire]

I'm watching a man who really looked like they're enjoying themselves over sodoku and for some reason I find it infinitely wholesome.

[@omnidiscord]

for some reason? could possibly be because it IS infinitely wholesome!

[@applepieexplosion4030]

It's always beautiful watching someone do something they love

[@christiananderson8686]

What's with the they/them pronouns after calling them a man? Make your mind up 🙄

[@undergroundmonorail]

@@christiananderson8686 chill

[@urcolas8189]

@@christiananderson8686 overly critical for literally no reason whatsoever

[@TheRaker1000]

"this is where you can't go any further..." (wait for it...) (wait for it.) (wait for it!) "Although, having said that," :)

[@ScenicFlyer4]

I'm not sure what's more impressive. The fact that he can solve it or the fact that someone can come up with it.

[@ritvikmishra8388]

That was I was gonna say

[@MattRix]

Creating it is much more impressive than solving it... however solving this quickly, while giving a clear explanation of his thought process the whole time, is still super impressive.

[@diegogrigorescu453]

Pretty sure a machine creates it

[@rookere]

@@diegogrigorescu453 no

[@ivantimofeev2233]

@@diegogrigorescu453 eeh no, you are the sole definition of "talking without knowing a shit" every single puzzle that they put in this channel is created by a human being, and most of the times they just name the creator so you can go and try other puzzles of said setter for real, when will people star using their brains more often than their mouths XD

[@katam6471]

This is one of the first of the Cracking the Cryptic-videos I saw, and it was when Simon said "It's like the universe is singing to us" that I fell in love with the channel.

[@zimmicks3170]

I LOVE how the minute you see the given numbers you're like "Impossible, I'm being trolled." But then your brain sees potential patterns and you work a little, place a few numbers, then say "Ok now it's impossible this is where it stops". But then your brain sees more patterns and you work some more, revealing the genius of the puzzle. And then it cascades from there :-)

[@twirdman2]

Yeah I was able to get to the part where he placed almost all the ones and twos and we had to start on the threes and again I thought "This is impossible. It might have a unique solution but there is no way to get it without some type of forking argument." Then you look at it long and hard and suddenly you see things and you place things and it just makes sense. The threes just start falling into place and from there everything falls into place.

[@ojtheviking]

The whole video is the galaxy brain meme, lol

[@stevel875]

@Nathan-DTS "got published on the channel" is the main bit of info we start with that he doesn't....

[@6099x]

@@ojtheviking lmao this whole channel at times

[@ericpraline1302]

Yes it was funny how he kept on saying it will be impossible from now when every previous time he'd said it he'd proved himself wrong.

[@plestern08]

"Absolutely unbelievable" "You've got to be kidding me" "That *must* be a __" "That __ sees that square"

[@tomtucjr]

Seeing Simon's astonishment at this puzzle has made my night. Brilliant stuff.

[@FredMaHead]

This video was pure comedy!

[@thildamoon]

tom, it warms my heart as well. Totally with you.

[@newenglandpatriotz1221]

Make it a thousand

[@pkfitnesshub]

I got the satisfaction of clicking 999 to 1k

[@JediJess1]

Not gonna lie, I had a good chuckle at that moment... which actually lasted a decent amount of of the episode

[@rowanbrown5541]

There have been plenty of miracle sudokus following this, but none can capture the magic in Simon's eyes as he is led down the rabbit hole by the original

[@The55five5]

"The 3's are placable from that absolute jibberish we had in the grid" so good

[@aarondunn6353]

I like how he increasingly surprises himself by his ability solve the puzzle

[@amoswittenbergsmusings]

After six months and having been a devout follower all that time I came back to this video. We have seen epic solves, drama, Nori-Nori and much more but this episode is still unbeaten as a song of joy. A miracle on so many levels.

[@sushirunner]

Nori, nori, nori, nori, nori :-D

[@williambrown8249]

NoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNoriNori

[@liamfoster4024]

6:02 - "Although having said that" Might be the best part of this entire video

[@chocolatnoir93]

Just when we thought it was over

[@PinguinoSod]

why does the 1 have to go on 3rd row ?? why it cannot go on the 1st or 2nd row??

[@felizpanda]

PinguinoSod There has to be a 1 in every row

[@emmygreen5864]

Haha yeah

[@estellegrignon]

Not gonna lie, the part at 19:25 when he went clicking too fast and ended up placing line 8, row 6 in yellow even though there's a 3 right next to it got me incredibly stressed out

[@chrisvids184]

yes i noticed it but he solved the puzzle snyway

[@ayoubniyaz]

LOL yeah same. I was so focused on that too

[@coobk]

even moreso that he made the left space of the ones when the ones and twos were entangled yellow, since its either the one thats there or next to a two

[@maxlevine5728]

Happened a couple times I think

[@jimmywilliams4495]

Same lol

[@TiaMat99]

incidentally, I was just thinking a few days ago "wouldn't it be cool if someone made a sudoku where you had to solve the 1s first, then the 2s, etc... naaahhh that's impossible." Well egg on my face I suppose!

[@michaelrobertson714]

Well, he had to place the 1s and 2s at the same time, so...

[@honglianglim8637]

He did 3s before the 1s and 2s

[@ChristopherGermain]

@@honglianglim8637 I think this is as close as you'll ever get to a board that solves it like ta vh is thinking of. The 8's and 9's are solved congruently, but that's also going to happen.

[@honglianglim8637]

@@ChristopherGermain Yeah, but u get what i mean ;)

[@ChristopherGermain]

@@honglianglim8637 for sure man. Very cool puzzle here

[@jacobblunden563]

This was my first video for the channel. I fell down the KZbin rabbit hole while I had covid in January 2022 and now I watch it religiously every single day trying to do a new puzzle. I can't always do them (lets be real, can't do most of them) but this has been an incredible way to start my mornings when I was in Australia and now its my afternoon break since moving to America. I love coming back to this puzzle every once in awhile because it was so incredible in how effortlessly it can show the power of rules and logic. Simon being almost mad at the puzzle actually unintentionally helps make it that much more special. Not sure why I'm commenting on such an old video but, I guess I just wanted to say thank you. This channel has helped me through a lot of dark times and it all came back to the simpleness and effortlessly of this original puzzle.

[@Kolateak_]

"I suspect this is going to be a short video because he is trolling me" Video: 25 minutes

[@coloripple]

Tbh compared to some other vids on this channel, thats on the shorter side

[@karissajohnson7961]

Wait until you find the "movie" length ones that are just as exciting

[@hubbcap18]

@@karissajohnson7961 yea he had one like a month ago or something where it was like an hour to an hour and a half and he didn't place a single digit till the last 3 minutes of the video where he put in ALL of the digits lol (some coloring technique)

[@typhoontyph]

@@hubbcap18 can i have link? Thanks in advance

[@PixieCinnanom]

@@typhoontyph I think they mean this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a3WTk6yGaNWmpLM

[@kryptonsa36]

"There's no way this is solvable by a human being." Well you're not wrong ;)

[@toneloc7910]

Perhaps he is not a human being !?

[@TheLostSoul0]

@@toneloc7910 That was the implication of the original comment, yes.

[@akshatkumar7463]

@@toneloc7910 same thought I had

[@Kellestial]

He is of the high race of lizard people

[@randomstranger623]

@@Kellestial REPTILES. OH DEAR.

[@ZenoDovahkiin]

"This is definitely not solvable by a human." Good thing such mortal limitations aren't a concern to him, then.

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

LMAO

[@carlwilliams9642]

No wonder this is called the Miracle Sudoku. Watching him solve the 3s was nothing short of magical.

[@broski89]

Simon at4:04 "This will probably be a short video because I believe that he's trolling me." Also Simon: Proceeds to solve the puzzle in 20 minutes from that point.

[@petrescuework-difficultcas6581]

Love that he continued and finished it

[@NicholasSouris]

It's so great to hear the joy in his voice. This is why I started watching

[@_Astrum]

I don't know why I was recommended this. All I know is that I laughed, I cried, and I witnessed a supreme display of skill.

[@mrjoe332]

This was like watching a hero finally understanding his newly found powers and overcoming what looked like an impossible foe.

[@toprak3479]

This is a sudoku anime

[@leodaric5447]

The moment when Simon first sees the grid was hilarious. However, I think it would have enhanced the experience if the thumbnail had also not shown the grid, so we could have shared in his shock and awe.

[@killerblue]

Well, i clicked because of the thumbnail though...

[@space_1073]

This guy made sudoku the most exciting thing I've watched today.

[@nicholaspierce483]

This guy is the Bob Ross of puzzle solving Much love

[@KCML82]

That's probably one of the best comments i've read lately hahaha

[@annlanzi3590]

I was lowkey having a depressive episode and you getting the 3’s literally make my week. I’m so invested. I am now a subscriber

[@shawnheidingsfelder8179]

I like coming back to this video occasionally. Mark and Simon have gone from looking at a puzzle like this and thinking about making angry phone calls to each other to not even being phased by so little given information in the grid. Quite a leap in a couple of years of crazy sudoku setting.

[@sonalita_]

I've watched this three times. He was like a little child at Christmas - the pure and utter joy and surprise as he discovers it was solvable is so moving. An absolute pleasure to watch and rewatch - so glad you stuck with it Simon!! Now we need to see Mark's reaction video!!!

[@phaustho]

Indeed! I've watched this twice in two days. Wonderful video!

[@decalice4272]

He almost seemed pissed at times

[@saulboy3606]

When he filled in all the 3’s I felt my life peak, never again will a moment live up to that standard for me again

[@leothetiger13]

The look on his face when he loads the puzzle.....Perfect.

[@SamudroEntertainment]

“We’re gonna try this for 5 minutes and turn it off” Me: *sees the video is 25 minutes long* Well, that escalated quickly.

[@coolkid363.]

N p e s t a

[@JohnRandomness105]

"... and you'll never see it." Me: sees the video. Also me: leads to one conclusion.

[@Beaut_Beau]

18:41 Dad: How are you feeling today son? Me: Disambiguated.

[@kupopo1]

I dunno, I use the word "disambiguate" all the time.

[@unnaturallynatural8885]

@@kupopo1 i've only NOW learned that word by his usage and context

[@ericeaton2386]

Hey, that's a pretty good way to feel!

[@myreadingisodd]

This might sound sort of silly but I was beginning to have a panic attack and I found this found, watched the whole thing, and it really calmed me down. Thank you.

[@wilczus222]

Maybe cause it shows You that no matter how scary a problem may seem, it can be solved! Wish You all the best and no panic attacks in the future 💛

[@prestokrevlar]

This man's brain, and the guy who made this sudoku, brilliant, brilliant. The way the pattern slowly emerges for the placement.

[@yoavshoham5748]

Orgasmic Sudoku Roller Coaster: 03:50 - He's got to be joking 04:05 - I suspect this is going to be a short video because he's trolling me 04:20 - I'm gonna give this 5 minutes and then we will probably turn the video off and you'll never see this and he's gonna get an angry phone call 05:16 - There is a little bit we can do here 05:45 - This is where you probably can't go any further 08:28 - Your'e kidding 08:45 - I don't believe it 09:22 - I don't believe it 10:48 - Oh my goodness, what is going on with this puzzle? 12:44 - This is just not gonna solve 12:54 - There's too many places 13:43 - No way 15:14 - That's amazing 15:41 - You have got to be joking 17:30 - This is just staggering, this is absolutely staggering 18:05 - I don't beliebe this 18:17 - This is magic. We are watching magic unfold 18:46 - Oh my goodness 19:00 - You could not believe it 19:20 - This is gonna solve isn't it? This is going to solve 19:42 - I'm not sure I've got the adjectives to describe what is going on here. This is like the universe is singing to us. 23:43 - We are watching something extremely special 24:00 - Wow. Oh my goodness me 25:12 - That is an unforgetable puzzle 25:35 - I don't know what to say. Absolutely amazing

[@drucejuice4434]

yoav shoham oww, this is so cute

[@DipanGhosh]

Thank you for the ride sir.

[@Risk87]

these are the most english comments ever.

[@felipedesoto5999]

this has a better arc than some movies

[@jacobsauce6757]

Damn this was great

[@elliegate6630]

I love that in the final product, the numbers are all in the same order, just starting at different points in the sequence each time

[@videogamechess6422]

Solving this over a few days and then watching you do it in 25 minutes was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

[@jenningssun953]

The part where the 3s are solved grants me huge satisfaction. LOVE this puzzle!

[@thelakestv13]

Zhining Sun and it took him only nine seconds to place them all after one another!😱

[@MelinaENJ]

I’m commenting just to help the algorithm. The world needs to see this

[@emirchill1045]

maybe it was your comment that made this recommended to me, thank you anyways, this is brilliant

[@ironfistgaming8945]

Lol so now i know how it works

[@bofibofinger2946]

You know, actually you are helping the algorithm to sort out your comment by marking your comment with the word "algorithm".

[@sukhmanb5939]

Yup

[@mosesfox52]

yep

[@spelldaddy5386]

I just need to hear the phone call that took place between Mark and Simon after this solve. Holy crap that's an amazing puzzle!

[@SilkSpyder]

"this is imposib---hang on .. its not " never enjoyed seeing a man loose his mind more

[@SilkSpyder]

thank you all for the likes

[@camdenjones1246]

The sequence that starts at 17:48 is just amazing, how quickly it cascades into a solution ....

[@Adrian_Grey]

Simon: "he's trolling me" Simon: solves it in 25 min

[@GopherAtl]

This was one of those rare times I actually managed to solve the puzzle myself before watching the video. For all that it seems impossible at first glance, it was, by the channel's standards, actually a fairly easy puzzle!

[@AdrianWoodUK]

@@GopherAtl I got everything up until he got the first 3, and once I saw him figure that out I went "oooooh" and went away to complete the puzzle :D

[@PAB712]

Live 1st attempt, with commentary on how to do it.

[@ro_thing]

honestly clicking onto the video i was like "i feel like calling a puzzle miraculous is overselling it" and then it turned out you were underselling it that was a thing of beauty

[@jayschalla5929]

When he figured out the threes I started giggling like a little girl

[@armanaryan4663]

i was actually struggling not to burst out laughing it was so insane

[@mattyyoungcloudsart3008]

Oh that was me. My wife was ashamed lol

[@kellyhorvath7637]

It was such an amazing buildup to narrowing it down, and once the information mounded and tipped, it was just suddenly threes everywhere, and his face was PRICELESS

[@hubbcap18]

I literally got goosebumps at the part where he solves the 3s

[@gregoryhenry8464]

I just got the that part where he adds all the threes at lightning speed. What a moment

[@PatrickPease]

Ive been avoiding this recommend for a month but it's like the universe was singing to me

[@drek7361]

"it feels like the universe is singing to us".. that sentence made me fall on my knees and weep

[@moltencucumber6514]

3:45 is one of my favorite moments of this channel, even all these years later

[@MadSpectre47]

Man coming back to this one after 3 years+... this one's like the gateway into the power of Variants. There were other grids with limited givens before, but this one truly sort of... demonstrated what you can do with a grid. Immense kudos to Mitchell Lee.

[@Adam-wt5id]

Plato speaking with Socrates Plato: What is knowledge? Socrates: Check this out

[@NebDaMin]

I have no idea why KZbin recommended this to me. Am I upset? Not at all. This was extraordinary.

[@emmiranda2]

Same here. Thanks KZbin algorithm

[@matthewclaridge4437]

"Right, I'm going to give this five minutes and then we will probably turn the video off and you will never see this and hes going to get an angry phone call, otherwise this is going to be a work of sublime genius". Sees that the video is 25 mins long. . .I guess its the genius then!

[@osogeo]

This is about the top level of logic I can muster

[@ethanhenard5888]

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was when he said that there was “no way we would see” this video, meaning this was gonna be a dozy.

[@rubenschlitz3324]

I always catch myself writing down here, that "this was the best Sudoku I've ever seen". But this one today really is something special. Because it seems (even for Simon) pretty much unsolvable at the start, but actually isn't to complicated throughout. Just love the channel so much, thank you guys for the beautiful content!

[@GopherAtl]

that's the really amazing thing, not only is it solvable but it's actually not even that hard a solve, and just gets easier as you go along.

[@damnedlord2717]

this one is crazy, the pattern on the horizontal and vertical lines is BEAUTIFUL as it unfolds

[@danidanfm4005]

4:51 ... this is where i paused the video, went on sudoku9x9, and tried solving it on a blank grid. ... i assumed i was going to fail. im not very smart, but i do enjoy playing sudoku every now and again, though usually easy ones. it took me about 35 minutes, but i solved it. i have not felt this smart in a loooong time. ^^ in about 5 minutes i had most of the 1s and 2s and learned how to use the pages funktions, but thats where i got stuck. it took me another 25 minutes of typing tiny numbers and messing about with colours to finally figure out how to get the 3s, and then it snowballed and i had it done in 5 minutes. thank you mr crack and thank you mr/s lee ^^

[@davidbjacobs3598]

Yeah once you get the 3s, the rest falls into place pretty quickly. I filled in all the potential 3-squares (same as the vid) and then just focused on that center-left section where there's only two possibilities. I figured "if I try them both, one or the other is bound to fail, proving that the other is correct." I followed the logic of the top box for a minute, got stuck, then switched to the bottom box. That's where I found that magical all-important trick that you can eliminate certain boxes if they eliminate all possibilities in some other section. My expressions were similar to the video.

[@dylankagan9695]

I would have never expected to come watch a sudoku solving video dozens of times

[@SharkyDaddy]

Me: doesn’t even know how to do sudoku This guy: that MUST be a four! Me:👁👄👁

[@aok76_]

This cracked me up. xD

[@russian_potato6651]

I just learned how to do classic sudokus today and did not know that there even was more than one type

[@madeofcastiron]

@@russian_potato6651 same. my whole life, i thought there was only one kind of sudoku i.e. the kind you see on newspapers. watching this man solve this video's sudoku makes me feel like i just discovered a new world

[@dhoom-z7221]

Noob lol

[@SharkyDaddy]

DHOOM- z7 yeah, and?

[@trdsf]

When he loads the puzzle, that's the closest I've ever seen to a human being going *tilt* like a pinball machine. :D

[@crazyforvideosdx]

Wow, I was wondering how someone could watch 25 minutes of this... then I realized it ended. Great job, I would have taken a few hours on this

[@ol1ver49]

First time I've laughed out loud when seeing a sudoku!

[@ol1ver49]

Got ghe ones and twos, but gave up too easily on the 3s.

[@brendabalzan1994]

The possibilities seemed endless and no matter how much colouring I do, I never think of colouring only the possibilities alone, if I did, I would still be stuck for fear of messing up. Amazing what these guys do.

[@Koltronn]

Sometimes I just come back and watch this one just for Simons reaction to this beautiful puzzle

[@auravulpes]

I started trying to solve it myself, only occasionally coming back here if I got stuck. I had to do it a few times starting off, but let me tell you, once that first 3 was in position, I have never felt more satisfied solving a sudoku. Like, you can't help but get giddier and giddier as you get closer and closer. I was just sitting there laughing at the sheer genius of this puzzle by the 8's and 9's EDIT: Before I forget, in case you're curious, it took me the better part of an hour (~54 minutes)

[@patchey8019]

I got stuck on the 8 and 9's, I just guessed. I guessed wrong, so I knew it was the wrong answer, so I undid it and put the opposite in, I know that wasn't the right way to do it but it worked. And then I watch the solution in the video and feel dumb for missing that, oh well!

[@hyesungkim]

Same!! I came back a few times when I needed an idea how to proceed, but placing the first three! Pure bliss! Then the logic kind of took a life of its own and it solved beautifully. It took me about an hour too.

[@sentinel7672]

The real magic of this is, as he solves it, you notice there's a ton of secret patterns followed by every number: in every box, each number will be located in the same row or column as it appears in the boxes in the same row or column (for instance, 1 is in the first column of *every* box on the top row, the second column in the boxes in the bottom row, and the third column of the boxes in the middle, while 6 is in the top row of every box in the middle column, the middle row in the left column, and the bottom row in the right column). Not only that, but the pattern of where they appear in the first row/column of boxes matches all the way down or across. Look at the ones in the top row of boxes and you'll see the movement pattern replicated in the middle and bottom rows. 6 always appears in an even wilder pattern: it's *always* in the bottom row of boxes on the right, the top row of boxes in the middle, and in the middle row of boxes on the left, but it's *also* always in the right column of boxes in the top row, in the middle column of boxes in the middle row, and in the left column of boxes in the bottom row. This is genius to the point of being arcane.

[@nofacee94]

the easiest pattern is that n+1 is always above and to the right (within a block of 9), so if you have a 1, the top right will be 2, and again top right 3, so you can fill it in diagonally like that.

[@x10mark24]

i have never seen another human being get so excided about a Sudoku, nor have i myself been so excided about watching a Sudoku, the symmetry was beautiful

[@ellieosh1985]

The speed with which your mind works is absolutely amazing!

[@pinceaux9010]

Im extremely happy right now because this is the first time I was quicker than that guy. Im an amateur solver but I've been practicing a lot lately and I managed to solve this fairly easy puzzle in a little less than 15 minutes.

[@ExodaCrown]

I love how the puzzle started out like a wall that was impossible to climb quickly turn into a self-working puzzle that snowballs numbers until completion. Simon's reaction made the journey even better.

[@drstkova]

What impressed me most is that Simon didn’t spot the very obvious pattern early on and let it lead him. He relied on logic to the last digit...

[@edwardbakadingo4261]

but the pattern doesnt fall until (all- well until 5s start) the 4s and 5s done

[@DuckInGameStop]

This is my first video of yours, and I am amazed! Only 8 minutes in and you've already figured out so much more than I ever could... Definitely subscribing!

[@domenicuetauherenakachi]

Watching him get progressively more excited just makes my day

[@SjimDeKat]

The puzzle is theoretically already solved after finding the 1s only! After solving the 1s and the 2s I became curious about the pattern. Every 1 and 2 had one space between them in the same order. After solving a few 3s it happened again! That's when I realized the whole puzzle could be solved moving left from the 1s, and have an empty space with every next number. Look at the final grid, you see the pattern in every horizontal row :) I was mind blown and felt a little bit like a genius (even though I had no clue what was going on). Once you have the 1s, and the already given two (that hints the direction for the pattern to go) you're there! Amazing puzzle for sure :D

[@neobullseye1]

Similarly, each column and each box has the triplets 147, 258 and 369 in it, in that order even (although the starting point can differ). Even better, if you look at the top triplet of any given column, the triplet in the middle of the colum one colum to the left will have the same numbers in that exact same order, and the bottom triplet of the column one spot to the left one has that same pattern too. All of this together with the rule you mentioned combines to make the middle three rows identical to the top three rows, just shifted one spot to the left, and the bottom three rows are shifted two spots. It's beautiful :D

[@smncameron]

Isn't that only theoretically solved if you accept that there's a unique solution?

[@stumbling]

I think you just broke P versus NP as you shouldn't have known that was correct until solving.

[@AxeBearingVoyager]

I noticed the exact same pattern after he placed the 123 in the top left! Amazing!

[@SjimDeKat]

Simon C It could be the language barrier, as english isn’t my native language. But with theoretically I meant to say that it’s highly unlikely that someone with use of an official theory behind it would solve it that way, but that on paper the 1s and just one 2 is all you’d need :) Sorry if I misused any terms (just a regular guy here, hehe)

[@magiv4205]

I figured out the ones and twos in about ten minutes and was so proud of myself. Then I moved on to threes and fours, more than an hour of that later I realized I had to have made a mistake somewhere along the way and that had completely thrown me off. I pretty much gave up after that, and came to watch this video instead. Seeing it come together quickly shifted my mood from bitterness to utter amazement and pure joy at his infectious happiness.

[@justinburnett2800]

Did anyone else start yelling in excitement when he placed all the 3s rapid fire??

[@gregboi183]

There's something truly magical about seeing a man brought almost to tears by what to me is simply a hobby

[@burgernthemomrailer]

oh my god I actually felt my brain enlarging during the video

[@Neshevv]

25:15 if you look at it in rows from left to right its the same string of numbers repeating on each row. 483 726 159 726 159 483 159 483 726 etc... So pretty

[@Simon-jr2oe]

I think a really cool thing too is that all of the numbers that reflect onto each other always add up to 9

[@fangz721]

This guy inspired me to play sudoku then I went on defeating a regional qualifier in a best of 3. But suddenly lost motivation and now I found it again. Thanks for the video

[@calvin1559]

Omg this might actually be the best video on youtube. The childish joy in a proper middle aged man with an accent might be one of the most heartwarming things there is to see.

[@ainsleymatthews8099]

nothing is more wholesome than seeing simon fall in love with a puzzle

[@rhenginal3699]

Awesome stuff! As soon as I saw it I stopped the video and solved it myself. Took me much longer (just over an hour), but it was cool to see you go through the exact same logic in the exact same order! Mitchell is a flipping genius.

[@Alexpf314]

18:18 "We are watching MAGIC unfold here"

[@ACorgi]

This is the video that got me into sudoku back when it came out. Watching it now still puts the biggest smile on my face. Love it.

[@HailG3]

I managed to do this in 31 minutes and I was giggling like a lunatic the whole time because I couldn't believe I was doing it lol

[@Irrdunkel]

Haha I was surprised too to solve it ! I'm going to look if Simon does it the same way now :)

[@anonymous38741]

@@Irrdunkel did he?

[@Irrdunkel]

@@anonymous38741 Generally, yeah. His approach to the 3s was more clever and thorough, using the colored markings.

[@tonikatzer1137]

So you didn’t stick to the rules as well? What happened to the consecutive digits next to each other?...

[@PMo-lk4jb]

@@Irrdunkel Same thing here i wanted to see his solutions because god my approach to the 3s was complicated, and Simon made it sound like it was super easy

[@Coltan1989]

Very impressed with the progression but the pattern was easy to trace without much thought after I noticed it. He doesn't notice the pattern till the end then discovers it. Nice work

[@nicoleslondon]

"the universe is singing to us!"

[@malvoliosf]

“He's got to be joking... There might be unique solution but it's not findable by a human being. I suspect this is going to be a short video, because he is trolling me. Although... I can put a 1 in this box, in the central box so.... Right, I'm going to give this five minutes and then we will probably turn the video off and you’ll never see this and, yeah, he’s going to get an angry phone call. Otherwise, this is going to be a work of sublime genius.”

[@Broteese]

Sublime genius indeed.

[@DriesGrobler]

Genius yes!

[@Zsy6]

I love how he calls it at the beginning, but still doesn't believe it!