Henry Sudoku

aman · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 5:40 pm Post subject:

A more challenging version of my creation (LCM Sudoku) has been posted this month (November 2008) on the site http://www.chinasudoku.com/

aman · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:38 am Post subject:

My sudoku creation for the December 2008 NRICH http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=6368 is named "Bochap Sudoku" which combines all four arithmetic operations to obtain the solution.

aman · Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 2:14 am Post subject:

Back in 2006, only a few sudoku variants were invented as shown in http://www.maa.org/editorial/mathgames/mathgames_09_05_05.html

I can consider myself as one of the pioneers in the invention of sudoku variants outside Japan. After creating sudoku variants for NRICH and other websites for 3 years, it is time now to look back at what I have invented and achieved since 2006.

In addition to inventing the above LCM Sudoku variants, I also invented the Twin Corresponding Sudoku in November 2006 and designed it for the Second World Sudoku Championship 2007 at Prague.

Please refer to http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=5477

aman · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 8:41 pm Post subject:

One of my friends just pointed out that he found a so-called "Substitution Twin Sudoku" on one website. The puzzle is similar in every way to my "Twin Corresponding Sudoku" except for its name and its position in a vertical direction. This "new" puzzle was published in 2008 while my puzzle was invented and first published in 2006.

I have to thank that person for liking my "Twin Corresponding Sudoku" so much that he changed its name entirely. It won't be surprising that in the future I shall find other "fans" of mine playing similar jokes on me by pubishing my "Twin Corresponding Sudoku" under other names such as "Replacment Twin Sudoku", "Twin Replacement Sudoku", "Similar Twin Sudoku", "Twin Substitution Sudoku", etc.

Adak · Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:13 pm Post subject:

You understand that you can't copyright or patent an idea, however.

If you have an idea that you believe is worthwhile, you need to market it as best you can, as quickly as you can, if you want the exclusive benefits (for a short while), from it.

I don't see anything stopping you from writing that first book on "Twin Sudoku". If you believe it's worthwhile, something you'd like to do - then go for it.

You can't blame others for being enthusiastic about a great new puzzle, and wanting to write a book or put up a website, for it.

aman · Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:41 am Post subject:

Dear Adak, I guess that you are the person who likes my "Twin Corresponding Sudoku" so much that you changed the name of my puzzle drastically to "Substitution Twin Sudoku". I have to thank you first for praising my "Twin Corresponding Sudoku" as a "great new puzzle".

If you are so enthusiastic about my "great new puzzle", why the need to change the name? I cannot stop you or anyone else from trying to make some money out of my idea, but please be a gentleman and as the Chinese saying goes, "When you drink water, please remember the source." What's so difficult in "just writing a few words" in your book and website to thank the original inventor or give him credit for the invention. These few words will only waste a few drops of your ink, not tons of your profit.

To use an analogy, if a pickpocket picks a few dollars from somebody and wins a 5 million dollar lottery with the money, the victim will not ask the pickpocket to share the fortune. He will just be very happy if the pickpocket shows that he still has some morals left in the brain by returning the original money to the owner. Failing to find the owner, the pickpocket can advertise on a newspaper to thank the victim.

Whether you or anybody else succeed or fail to run all the way to the bank with my idea is not my business. My business is to see that I can due credit or acknowledgement for inventing my idea. That won't even cost you a cent for it !

aman · Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 3:48 pm Post subject:

With my friends and even some strangers, I have discussed the problem of my sudoku variants popping up here and there like mushrooms on some websites, in books and some international championships. Among them, the opinion of one person, who has a deep interest in Zen, is particularly interesting.

I almost fell off from my chair when he said that such happening shows that my sudoku variants are a great success and it should be viewed as a positive development. He said that my task is to make it "more positive" by thanking whoever is interested in my sudoku concepts and encouraging him to use more of my ideas, whether on websites or in books! He said that I cannot force others to advertise for me, but others cannot stop me from advertising myself . He said I can never stop others from using my ideas, and similarly others can never stop me from trying to get the maximum benefit out of the whole situation.

Now I am putting the advice of that "Zen master" into practice to see how successful it works.

First I have to thank http://www.sudokumasters.in for using my idea of "Twin Corresponding Sudoku" in its so-called "Substitution Twin Sudoku".

I also have to thank http://wsc2008.com for designing a so-called "Group Sum" which is identical to my "Corner Squad Sudoku" in http://www.ageofpuzzles.com/Collections/CornerSquadSudoku/CornerSquadSudoku.htm except that the small clue-numbers in the "new" puzzle are circled.

An article in http://www.notelay.com/articles/did_you_know/what_is_sudoku/ has this interesting comment about sudoku: "Because Sudoku is logic-based, other puzzles could be created that use the same concept and replace the numbers with other objects, such as colours, letters or shapes."

I have used graphics, Chinese words and the alphabet for my Twin Corresponding Sudoku. Please refer to the following websites:

http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=5518

http://www.ageofpuzzles.com/Collections/TwinSudokus/TwinSudokus.htm

http://www.chinasudoku.com/

I have to thank http://wsc2008.com for designing its so-called "Alphabet Substitution Twins". Whatever name the "new" puzzle is called, it is still identical to my "Twin Corresponding Sudoku".

Finally, I hope more people will use my sudoku ideas freely on their websites and in their books, but at the same time as the Chinese saying goes, "remember the source when you drink water", so please don't keep me totally out of your limelight.

lbgirlgamer · Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 10:52 pm Post subject:

Thanks for sharing these

aman · Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2009 6:29 pm Post subject:

For the second year in succession, my sudoku variants were used in the Czech National Sudoku Championship. One of the my 10 sudoku variants used in the Czech National Sudoku Championship 2009 is a new variant called "Rainstorm Sudoku".

It is found in http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=6547