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There is no straight up, easy way in
solving kakuro puzzles. You either sweat it out, thinking of possible
combinations, or do the tedious paper and pencil method. Usually, people
spend more time trying to think of combinations than actually filling in the
puzzles. You know the buzz people get after solving kakuro puzzles? It
usually comes after a person boasts of solving his puzzle just as his
friends pointed out that he got double 8's in a single block.
But there is a way to stop and prevent this
kind of frustration. This is not about a miracle kakuro trick; rather, this
is an age-old stand-by that few people take care to know. There are numbers
in kakuro puzzles that only have a single valid combination and possibly, a
limited number of cells. These number combinations and cells are called
kakuro blocks. Accordingly, there are people who swear by using kakuro
blocks to make puzzle-solving easier. This is not surprising since kakuro
blocks shorten puzzle-solving time, thereby allowing players to solve more
puzzles.
But before we get on with kakuro blocks'
advantages, let us first define what they are. Kakuro blocks, simply put, is
just a list of digits that provide special clues. These clues are often in
the form of possible combinations. Also, these are blocks of a definite size
and sum that only have a solution in terms of a single choice of digits.
These blocks are reserved for a definite combination; only one valid set of
digits can fill these in. Kakuro blocks come in cells that require as little
as two digits or in blocks that require as many as seven or eight digits.
Kakuro blocks base their combinations on the rules of the puzzles. In the
puzzles, only the digits 1 to 9 can be used. Also, each number can only be
used once in each sum. Consequently, each kakuro block uses only digits less
than 10 and assigns each digit to combinations without repetition.
After defining kakuro blocks and their
functions, let us examine the advantages of using them in solving kakuro
puzzles. Since the blocks follow the rules of kakuro, the risks or
possibilities of incurring mistakes are minimized. We all know that an
unnoticed mistake in a kakuro puzzle leads to other mistakes, especially if
the wrong block is not isolated. Basing other answers on a wrong block or
digit often causes problems in solving the puzzles and can eventually lead
to redoing the whole thing. Thus, more time and effort are wasted.
Kakuro blocks also save time. Since the
blocks provide the only legit combinations for some sums, players only need
to identify the digits' correct positions. The blocks also enable the use of
techniques such as "unique intersects", "locked values", and "reducing
combination". In using "unique intersects", the player only has to look for
kakuro blocks with shared cells. Logically, the common number of both blocks
is positioned inside the shared box. "Locked values" refer to isolating
block values. "Reducing combination" is usually employed if a non-kakuro
block intersects with kakuro blocks. Since the non-kakuro block has many
possible combinations, crossing kakuro blocks limits the choices. With these
tricks, solving kakuro puzzles is a cinch. |