Where can I create Sudoku / Kakuro for free ?

Question

Is there any website or program where I can create my own Sukus, Kakuros and crossword puzzles.

Where can I create software crossword puzzles and get answers for existing software crossword puzzles ?

Answer 1

Creating good Sudoku is not at all easy. It isn't for me, maybe you'd be better at it than me.

Say I'm trying to create a Sudoku and I've only filled in a few numbers so far. The x and - are blanks.

- x x/ - - - / - - -
- 7 x/ - - - / - - -
- - - /1 8 3/ - - -
----- ----- ----- -----
- 2 4/ - - - / - - -
3 - - /8 - - / - - -
1 - - / - - - /8 - -
The rest is still blank.

It is not obvious to me, unless I study it a little, that the squares with x, can not have a 5 in them. There is not a 5 anywhere in the puzzle yet, but still the squares with x in them can not be 5.

It's because all three have to be 1, 3, or 8.

The - to the left of 2 and above 3 has to be an 8. This blocks 1, 3, and 8 up the left of the x's. Across, below the x's are blocked by 1, 3, and 8. So the three x's have to be a 1,3, or a 8, since nothing else within that three by three can be 1, 3, or 8. Since they have to be a 1, 3, or 8, they can't be anything else.

This is a very, very simple example, that uses fairly simple blocking. It's very direct. Sometimes more than one number can chain through several different blocks. Some times when you create a Sudoku you might put in an X-Wing, Swordfish, Nishio, etc., and not even realize it. Those are even harder to see.

There's also a danger that a puzzle will have more than one solution, a pretty big no-no unless you let people know that you meant for it to have more than one solution. Some of the better free solvers, that can solve the really advanced Sudoku, do not indicate whether a puzzle has more than one solution or not. Most of the stuff that you pay for is not very good, and the free stuff is even worse.

The itmed, link below, is one of the better free solvers, but it solves multiple solution puzzles and does not let you know about multiple solutions. You could try to use it to create puzzles, but good luck there.

The `Ntractiv Sudoku Computer Program is the only one that I've seen that does a good job of letting you create your own Sudokus.

Answer 2

The sudokuessentials link tells you to create a completely solved puzzle first!! Okay. Good luck there, unless it's really, really simple. The www.puzl.be link doesn't protect against the error shown by Mary J, and that's a really, really simple error.

Even if you finally create a completely solved puzzle, it says to remove numbers, but do not allow multiple solutions. But the www.puzl.be site is so bad, it doesn't tell you whether a puzzle has multiple solutions or not. If you accidentally create an invalid, puzzle it can't tell you that either.

Not only that check out the link below for www.puzl.be. It only has four numbers left to fill in at the very bottom. It has multiple solutions (two). Fill in either
3...7
7...3
OR
7...3
3...7.
The www.puzl.be site says that BOTH are valid. If it can't figure out things this simple, it isn't going to handle anything the least bit more complicated. Someone gives an answer and the two internet sites can't handle what the other says. She must not have checked them out very well. That's pretty bad.

Answer 3

I'm not sure I follow your question, but I play on http://www.puzzlerplanet.com which offers unlimited sudoku puzzles as well as a daily challenge.

Answer 4

These two sites www.puzl.be/en/index.html www.sudokuessentials.com/create-sudoku.html give you both the software and the knowlwedge to create your own sudoku puzzles.