Sudoku

I love sudoku. Back in 2014, I used to be able to solve a sudoku puzzle in 10 minutes or less. I would pick up the Evening Standard, sit in the tube, and work through a puzzle before my stop arrived. It used to be like a fun game show for me. With the tube being my timer.

Of course there were times when I did not solve a puzzle by the time my stop arrived, or the most frustrating thing I’ve solved the puzzle all wrong. Hence, I’d do it in pencil, always better to erase and start over.

This was before any fun apps around the game were available. In 2019 I discovered the Sudoku app on my phone and it was like a different world opened up to me. I’d solve more than four puzzles a day. And if I got stuck, I could always restart. But only recently I realised how this app is problematic.

I have started travelling by the tube again, and this time when I pick an Evening Standard (or the Metro on a lucky day which has three Sudokus!) I find myself joyless. Not the same excitement I had in 2014. And the reason is the app. On the app, it will signal immediately if I got the answer right or wrong. And whenever I got the answer right, I’d feel small sense of achievement as I keep going. And if I got too many wrong, the app would restart the game.

On the other hand, offline Sudoku means I wouldn’t know if I am in the right direction until I am close to the end. And that is the real challenge. To keep trusting yourself and keep going.

This is sort of like a metaphor for life, we have all these hacks that could tell us whether we are on the right path or not. But the real challenge is to keep going and discover whether you made the right moves or not only when you’re close to the end.

Just a fun thought for the day. Let’s hope I get the Metro today!

Thank you for reading ☺