Master Sudoku: Step-by-Step Instructions for Players at All Levels [Paperback]

Carol Vorderman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 13, 2005

Master the Numbers Game That’s Taking the World by Storm

Whether you’re one of the millions of people already obsessed with the number puzzles called Sudoku (a Japanese logic game that’s like a combination of a crossword puzzle and a Rubik’s Cube) or you’re just being introduced to this addicting game, Master Sudoku has a puzzle for you. Here, the UK’s leading Sudoku expert, Carol Vorderman, offers 200 puzzles for Sudokuists at every level, ranging from easy to super difficult, with clear instructions and crucial secrets that will help you finish puzzles in record time. The faster you are, the higher your score! Engrossing, challenging, and totally addictive, Master Sudoku is chock-full of fun.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carol Vorderman is Britain’s leading female television host. For twenty-three years she has been known as the “Numbers Queen” on the hit quiz show Countdown, where she performs mental arithmetic at lightning speed. She has also presented science and technology shows for many years, including BBC TV’s Tomorrow’s World, as well as top-rated entertainment programs such as Stars and Their Lives. Carol hosted the world’s first live Sudoku television show in July 2005. She holds a degree from Cambridge and she is hooked on Sudoku.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (September 13, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307339807
• ISBN-13: 978-0307339805
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #676,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #95 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Puzzles & Games > Trivia

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

132 of 135 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thorough Explanations for Solving Sudoku + Lots of Puzzles!, November 1, 2005

By 

Colleen McMahon ""Omnivorous Reader"" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Master Sudoku: Step-by-Step Instructions for Players at All Levels (Paperback)

If you travel around some of the online sudoku websites you hear a lot of esoteric-sounding solving techniques thrown around--x- and y-wings, forced chains, swordfish. I've read and re-read the explanations of these and still can't make sense of them.

So I bought this book, since it was advertised as one that will take your sudoku abilities to higher levels by providing detailed explanations of solving strategies.

I was a little disappointed that it doesn't venture all the way into the x- and y-wing/swordfish etc. realms becuase that was what I was most hoping to see explained. So if you are trying to progress to those levels of solving, this book won't help (and so far I haven't seen a book that does explain that stuff, it all seems to be online).

HOWEVER, if you are just starting out with sudoku or can easily solve the 1- or 2-star puzzles but get stuck on the more difficult ones, this is an excellent book. It walks you through an entire puzzle solution for each of the four levels of difficulty in the book, and although it went over techniques I had mostly figured out for myself, it did help me systematize them. For a beginner, or a beginner advancing to higher levels, I can't recommend this highly enough. If you are trying to reach the truly esoteric levels, that book is still not out there, or at least it's not this one.

And, having whetted your appetite by showing you how to solve the puzzles, the book provides 200 puzzles to play with. The paper is good quality and stands up to the inevitable erasing. My only complaint is that with a thicker book like this, it's a little awkward working on puzzles on the go, on the train or in the car. This book is one leave at home or at work where you can open it on a table or desk. (Tuck one of the thinner books or magazines in your car for portable puzzling!)

And Ms. Vorderman did something truly diabolical with the puzzles in this book--she included suggested solving times and point amounts for solving each puzzle in a particular time range. You score points for each puzzle depending on how long it takes you to solve it. This has added a whole new level to my addiction and makes even the easiest puzzles a real challenge as I try to beat my own times. The puzzles make this book worth a look by even experienced solvers who don't necessarily need the explanations of solving strategies.

In short, I definitely recommend this book, particularly to novice and intermediate sudoku fiends, but I'm still waiting for the explanation of the highest level solving strategies in a way that I can understand!

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide!, September 21, 2005

By 

M. J KILLEEN (Collingdale, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Master Sudoku: Step-by-Step Instructions for Players at All Levels (Paperback)

I started doing Soduku puzzles while vacationing in the U.K. I picked up Carol's book for the plane ride back to America. I was already able to finish these puzzles, but the techniques presented in the book allowed me to do so much faster and more efficiently. The guide to super-difficult Soduku puzzles is a godsend.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FINALLY!!! A Sudoku book that explains every level of difficulty!, September 13, 2005

By 

Book Bum (CA, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Master Sudoku: Step-by-Step Instructions for Players at All Levels (Paperback)

This is my 13th Sudoku book... And it is the first one that includes complete step-by-step instructions and very specific tips on how to do every level of difficulty of Sudoku puzzles! This, alone, was well worth the price of the book!