Get the Str8ts App
Welcome to the home of Str8ts
Str8ts Explained
Play Here...
Android & Apple Apps
Our Service
Print Version
Page Index

#658, January 29 - February 4:
The Weekly Extreme Str8ts Puzzle

by Andrew Stuart
WARNING: This is the Weekly 'Extreme' Str8ts.
Only attempt this puzzle if you have time and patience.
Using the solver will not help you. (much).
Archive
Since there has been interesting strategy discussion on these puzzles and by popular request, I have opened an archive on the last thirty weeks. The discussion section is open for continued posting.
Share and Enjoy
Puzzles 1 to 250 are available as Puzzle Packs, just $5.49. Pack 3, 4 and 5 just released!

Discussion...
Posts you have NOT read are in normal colors, older ones are in grey.
Please email me if you experience problems or bugs. Cheers, Andrew Stuart


Your Name or Handle

Your comment or question

Enter these letters arrow

Please keep your comments relevant to this article.
To state your solve time use the smaller form at the top right of this page.
Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted. No need to use <p> or <br> tags.
No full solutions please!

by: Klaus

 29-Jan-2023, 08:43  

seems hard. but thinking about a possible 8 in F9 and its consequences with Setti on 7, 5 and 8 makes it quite manageable
 

by: Toni

 29-Jan-2023, 09:21  
 
Really? You spoiler the key move shortly after the puzzle has been released? ;)

 

by: pax

 29-Jan-2023, 09:24  
 
I did it the same way, not too difficult. I still don't know, what the word "decision" means in the posts, is it a guess?

 

by: Klaus

 29-Jan-2023, 09:30  
 
Hi Toni,

welcome back, though, still a bit pissed it seems...

 

by: Klaus

 29-Jan-2023, 09:32  
 
Hi pax,

i read decision as guess.

Doing this WC, i tip my hat. what about chess.com?


 

by: pax

 29-Jan-2023, 10:02  
 
I let you guess if I did it WC :). I closed my account at chess.com, didn't get it coordinated with my other interests, in particular with my job.

 

by: effchen

 29-Jan-2023, 12:09  
 
@ Klaus I would call it a hidden x-wing compained with a setti :)

 

by: Rübennase

29-Jan-2023, 12:28  
 
Welcome back, Toni! You were missed.
I guess my key move was the same as Klaus', except I had Setti 4 in the mix: 847, in that order. The rest was relatively straightforward. I wouldn't call a puzzle easy if it requires a three-digit Setti consideration...

 

by: kris

 29-Jan-2023, 12:29  
 
@effchen: no x-wing needed; 8 on F9 would lead by Setti 8, 5, 7 to 5 AND 7 in col 1, which is not possible.

 

by: hp

 29-Jan-2023, 14:14  
 
Klaus, very elegant
I just wonder how you can come up with this solution, I think my brain is too small for that, I stared at the puzzle for a long time, unfortunately without the clever trick
nevertheless thank you very much for the hint

 

by: Klaus

 29-Jan-2023, 14:41  
 
Hi hp,

you must not forget that i have a little silicon friend in my backyard whom i always can ask for a bit of help if need be.

 

by: Toni

 29-Jan-2023, 15:25  
 
@Rübennase: Thank you. I really enjoy just being a "quiet str8ts connoisseur" every Sunday and I am very sure that i never posted anything, that others couldn't do instead of me. So I am doing all fine and there is no reason for me to be "pissed" at all. Enjoy doing is.gd/kst_658 - it's a great puzzle!! And I don't want to miss another "Thank You, kst!" What would Sundays actually be without our extra str8ts bundle?

 

by: BP

 29-Jan-2023, 21:12  
 
Great puzzle. Used setti considerations similar to Klaus and kris though not as short and elegant. Our way: "7 in col 1" or "7 not in col 1": Both choices quickly lead to "5 not in col 1". Many thanky, Andrew!

 

by: Ben

 2-Feb-2023, 01:56 Add to this thread
 
Great puzzle. My approach, very similar to Klaus's. Knowing that 8 was missing from either E or F - I saw that in either case, 7 would be missing from col 1 - and 7 can only be missing from one row.

by: kst

 29-Jan-2023, 08:39  
is.gd/kst_658_BX
 

by: kris

 29-Jan-2023, 11:51  
 
Very nice puzzle, (B-)Settis, X- and B-Power-CE, thanks kst!

 

by: kmr

 29-Jan-2023, 11:57  
 
Like kris. J1 was the key for me.

 

by: Loser

 29-Jan-2023, 14:03  
 
Thanks again for this nice set. :)

 

by: Martinus

 29-Jan-2023, 14:49 Add to this thread
 
Like kmr. Took some time to spot why J1 is important. Thanks, nice puzzle, kst!

by: kst

 29-Jan-2023, 08:39  
is.gd/kst_658_B
 

by: Martin

 29-Jan-2023, 13:21  
 
Needs VCE and good look on the boxes. Thanks a lot!

 

by: kmr

 29-Jan-2023, 19:43  
 
Absolutely agree with Martin. VVVCE and it works without chain. Thanks, kst.

 

by: Rübennase

 30-Jan-2023, 11:49  
 
Harder than this week's BX. Key move for me was a two-digit Setti to decide hi/lo in E after VCE and a separate, interesting B-Setti on another digit. Pretty sweet. Thanks, kst!

 

by: Neunmalneun

 31-Jan-2023, 12:38  
 
Key for me was the question where is the 6 in box 6 if there is a 6 in box 6? Thanks to kst!

 

by: BP

 1-Feb-2023, 18:18 Add to this thread
 
Just CE and settis for me. Nice!

by: kst

 29-Jan-2023, 08:37  
is.gd/kst_658_X
 

by: pax

 29-Jan-2023, 10:03  
 
Doable, thank you kst!

 

by: jgrab

 29-Jan-2023, 11:10  
 
Very nice.Setti by Setti.

 

by: Martinus

 29-Jan-2023, 13:37  
 
Very nice, good x interactions. But needed a small chain in the end.

 

by: BP

 31-Jan-2023, 08:16 Add to this thread
 
Nice and relaxing after kst_658.

by: kst

 29-Jan-2023, 08:37  
is.gd/kst_658
 

by: Flo

 29-Jan-2023, 15:43  
 
was ein Brett! Mein Kopf qualmt...:D

 

by: Rübennase

 30-Jan-2023, 23:11  
 
Oh, wow, this is really quite the puzzle!
I don't think I've used a single fish, but lots of CE and a key Setti. Nice!

 

by: BP

 31-Jan-2023, 08:15  
 
Tough indeed, CE and settis didn't do it for me, needed two SIs in cols 5, 8 as well.

First: E5=3 => J5>=7 => J8=4 => no 4 in E5678, contradiction.

Second: A similar argument + CE in col 5 => 3 and 4 must be in col 5.

Thanks, kst, for this great challenge.

 

by: Rübennase

 31-Jan-2023, 09:19  
 
@BP: two key steps for me, too. Neither was easy to find.
First like yours. Note this decides hi/lo B/C; hi/lo 4 isn't hard anymore (B4!=8). [I had spent quite some time CE'ing BC, only to find that it wasn't needed after E5!=3]
Second: GHJ5!=789, otherwise Setti 4 conflict (F9=4 but no 4 in col 1). Maybe you mean the same thing?

 

by: BP

 31-Jan-2023, 13:43  
 
@Ruebennase: I am not sure anymore, because my notes are rather meagre, but I think the second SI worked like this: If 3 not in col 5 then CE in col 5 yields B=5, E5=1, J5>=7, J8=4 and no 4 in E5678 as above. And 3 in col 5 implies 4 in col 4, because DE5<>23.

 

by: Ben

 1-Feb-2023, 02:52 Add to this thread
 
I used three SI's/head chains - the 2nd isn't actually needed, but makes the 3rd chain a bit shorter:
1. Similar to BP, E5=3 means E8=4, B8=5, but also GHJ5=789, B5=5 - conflict in B
2. If FJ4 low, J4=1, so GJ5 also low, which is impossible due to col 9.
3. If GJ5 is 789, J9=3,...F9=4, but J9=9, and C1=3 - setti 4 conflict

by: pax

 29-Jan-2023, 08:29 Reply to this post
Something seems to be wrong today with the page. I saw some comments here, but they are gone, don't get them back. Windows, the same on my phone.
Page created on 27-June-2010.
This page was last modified on 08-Jan-2023.
All puzzles on this site are trademarked and cannot be reproduced without permission.
Copyright Syndicated Puzzles Inc, 2010-2023
Caution!
Boast or Rant!
Tell everyone if you solved this puzzle, how long it took or if you gave up.
Name or handle:

Comment,
including time to solve (or not :)


For questions or discussion, please use the main comment form.
  • 17min, second try
    - Martin
  • 21min with right guess on F9
    - hette
  • Golly. Took me several tries over a few days.
    - Essie
  • 43:12 without hint impossible for me ...
    - Latimer
  • 15 mins with the speculation on cell F9.
    - Miss P
  • 32' with the hint on a8/a9 and a lot of settis
    - Emma
  • 30' hint sei Dank
    - Richard
  • 39:00 settis with pen & psper
    - Jpe Reitzl
  • 38' using Korbi's hint
    - selecti
  • Habe D9 glücklich geraten, damit kann man das Rätsel mit vielen Settis lösen. 2 Stunden, Danke
    - S. Walt
  • The Setti cascade after F9 is decisive - once you see it.
    - jgrab
  • 37 min using the A89 hint.
    - GiddyG
  • 33 min - Dank an Korbi!
    - Rot
  • 20' settis and hint, second try
    - Bassam
  • nach drei Anläufgen geschafft!
    - meli
  • 34', deciding what digit to choose for F9 is key
    - Ute
  • 42'. Appreciated the hint
    - Maven
  • 27 min, after right decicion in A 8/9. Solveable without hint.
    - Susi
  • 28min - Korbi and a lot of Settis did it, thx
    - Haubentaucher
  • 43 min. without hint
    - Nessie
  • 29min my 3rd attempt. Important for me E9 and to look at the 2.Thanks for this nice one! No guess.
    - barbara
  • 30', but had to guess hi/lo on A, then easy
    - optimator
  • 40', took me a while to find the key move mid-game. Very nice puzzle!
    - Rübennase
  • 34 min. - using a bear's hint (Thank You)
    - Axel
  • 53' - was stuck pretty fast, but Klaus hint helped
    - COM
  • 21 min - Korbinians hint helped a lot
    - Susan
  • 49‘ without hints possible, using many settis…
    - Flonik
  • 50min-chainless solvable with one hidden x-wing and a lot of settis. Thank you, much easier than last week
    - effchen
  • 34 min with right hilo-guess in upper right corner
    - EC
  • 42' WC
    - Tati
  • A Long Time (with interruptions). Chains, etc. Thanks!
    - triemers
  • 60 min, after setting the 1 as late as possible it works. not so difficult as last weak.
    - dersoloist
  • 24 min - after application of Korbi's hint about A89 a very nice puzzle
    - Beate
  • 57' - Settis und der Tipp von Korbinian Bär (Danke). Echt nicht leicht....
    - Zoglbert
  • 35' following Klaus' strategy
    - Hel
  • not complicated
    - Loser
  • 15 min - very nice puzzle
    - Nessi
  • 53 min with correct hi-low guess in A
    - juehe
  • 34 min; with Klaus' hint
    - Michael
  • Decision on F9 made it solvable.
    - Benny_42
  • 29min, Sorgfältiges Eliminieren und Settis
    - Andreas
  • 32 min; like Alex high-low guess in A89. Couldn't find a way without guessing :-(
    - Onkel Emma
  • 30‘ with high low decision in F9 it runs smoothly and with good rhythm
    - HiLoOne
  • Hard nut. After application of CE and mind-twisting logic: Thinking big in A8/A9 and E9 has been the key for me.
    - Korbinian Bär
  • 31' nach 2. Versuch. Schwer
    - zoo-pony
  • 32' WC
    - pax
  • 35min; it took my time, but step by step with careful eliminations I made it
    - Martin
  • 21 min, with a lucky high-low decision in A89
    - Alex