{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.sudoku","code":"thing-q44914","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q44914/","name":"sudoku","alternateNames":["sudoku video game","Argyle sudoku","Non-Consecutive Sudoku"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Activities and processes","entryKind":"thing","plane":"ACT","domain":["ACT.ACT"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"Sudoku is a logic-based number-placement puzzle in which a partially filled grid is completed according to declared row, column, region and variant-specific constraints, normally with exactly one intended solution; standard sudoku uses a 9-by-9 grid with the symbols 1-9 appearing once in each row, column and 3-by-3 block, while variants can change grid size, region geometry or constraints.","purpose":"Enable an AI agent to recognise a sudoku puzzle, assess its rules and current solving state, and choose justified solving, checking or editing actions.","scope":{"in":["Grid topology, symbol alphabet and declared sudoku rules","Given symbols and their distinction from editable entries","Row, column, region and variant-specific constraints","Candidate symbols, deductions and unresolved placements","Consistency, solvability, solution multiplicity and completion","Permitted hints, solving moves and puzzle-authoring changes"],"out":["A solver's identity, skill profile or learning history","Tournament administration, rankings and prize rules","The software interface, storage format or printed page carrying the puzzle","General constraint-solving algorithms independently of their application to this puzzle","Collections, publication licensing and commercial distribution","Other puzzle families whose rules do not establish a sudoku structure"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["For a standard 9×9 instance, test whether every row, column and 3×3 region must contain each of the nine symbols exactly once.","Test whether symbols act as distinct labels rather than quantities; standard sudoku does not depend on arithmetic relationships between their numeric values.","Test for region constraints in addition to row and column uniqueness; row and column uniqueness alone describes a Latin-square constraint system.","Distinguish an initial puzzle from a solution grid by recording which entries are fixed clues and which are supplied during solving.","For a claimed variant, identify its sudoku constraints and explicit additions or replacements instead of assuming standard box geometry or rules."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"sudoku-rule-identity","name":"Sudoku rule identity","description":"The topology and rule commitments that establish what counts as a solution to this sudoku.","layers":[{"id":"grid-and-symbols","name":"Grid and symbols","description":"The playable cells, their grouping and the symbols they accept.","findings":[{"id":"constraint-topology","name":"Constraint topology","description":"Record the cell layout, alphabet and membership of each row, column and region without inferring missing geometry from appearance alone.","questions":[{"text":"Which cells exist, which symbols are permitted, and which rows, columns and regions contain each cell?","id":"constraint-topology-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Does the supplied layout establish a standard 9×9 grid with nine 3×3 regions, or does it require a different explicit topology?","id":"constraint-topology-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"base-and-variant-rules","name":"Base and variant rules","description":"The exact requirements imposed on the topology.","findings":[{"id":"declared-rule-contract","name":"Declared rule contract","description":"Record the applicable all-different requirements and any additional or replacement constraints, including the interpretation of visual markings.","questions":[{"text":"Which groups must contain each permitted symbol exactly once, and which variant constraints also apply?","id":"declared-rule-contract-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What supplied instructions establish the meaning of diagonals, cages, paths or other markings, including any rules about unmarked cells?","id":"declared-rule-contract-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"givens-and-solve-state","name":"Givens and solve state","description":"The fixed puzzle information and the mutable entries belonging to a solve attempt.","layers":[{"id":"initial-clue-baseline","name":"Initial clue baseline","description":"The original fixed placements against which solving work is interpreted.","findings":[{"id":"fixed-given-map","name":"Fixed given map","description":"Identify the value and position of every given, together with any uncertainty in transcription or extraction.","questions":[{"text":"Which cell values were supplied as fixed givens rather than entered during solving?","id":"fixed-given-map-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"What original puzzle representation supports the given map, and which symbols or positions remain uncertain?","id":"fixed-given-map-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"editable-solving-position","name":"Editable solving position","description":"The current entries, assumptions and candidate notes of a particular solve attempt.","findings":[{"id":"entries-and-candidate-meaning","name":"Entries and candidate meaning","description":"Distinguish committed entries, branch assumptions and candidate notes; record whether notes are complete and how candidates were derived.","questions":[{"text":"Which cells are empty, committed or tentative, and which candidate sets are complete rather than partial notes?","id":"entries-and-candidate-meaning-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which entries or candidate removals may be reversed without changing the original givens or rules?","id":"entries-and-candidate-meaning-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"sudoku-validity-and-solutions","name":"Sudoku validity and solutions","description":"Evidence about direct conflicts, possible completions and uniqueness.","layers":[{"id":"position-consistency","name":"Position consistency","description":"Checks on the current entries and their ability to participate in a completion.","findings":[{"id":"conflicts-and-dead-ends","name":"Conflicts and dead ends","description":"Identify repeated symbols, violated variant constraints and proved impossibility, retaining the entries and reasoning responsible for each diagnosis.","questions":[{"text":"Which current entries directly violate a row, column, region or declared variant constraint?","id":"conflicts-and-dead-ends-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Has a dead end been proved, such as a soundly derived empty candidate set or a required symbol with no possible position, and on which assumptions does that proof depend?","id":"conflicts-and-dead-ends-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"completion-and-multiplicity","name":"Completion and multiplicity","description":"Separate assessment of a submitted completion and the original puzzle's solution set.","findings":[{"id":"solution-evidence","name":"Solution evidence","description":"Record whether a full grid satisfies all rules and givens, and whether the original puzzle has zero, exactly one or multiple solutions.","questions":[{"text":"Does the proposed completion fill every playable cell, preserve all givens and satisfy every declared constraint?","id":"solution-evidence-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What evidence establishes the original puzzle's solution multiplicity, and does it exclude solver-added entries from the premise?","id":"solution-evidence-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"deductions-hints-and-revisions","name":"Deductions, hints and revisions","description":"The justified next steps available during solving or puzzle authoring.","layers":[{"id":"justified-solving-moves","name":"Justified solving moves","description":"Placements and candidate eliminations with inspectable reasoning.","findings":[{"id":"deduction-support-and-hint-depth","name":"Deduction support and hint depth","description":"Connect each proposed move to its supporting cells, candidates and constraints, identifying any dependence on uniqueness or a branch assumption.","questions":[{"text":"Which placement or elimination follows, and what cells, constraints and assumptions justify it?","id":"deduction-support-and-hint-depth-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"Should the next hint identify a unit to inspect, name a technique, explain the deduction or reveal the placement?","id":"deduction-support-and-hint-depth-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"search-and-puzzle-revision","name":"Search and puzzle revision","description":"Controlled branching during solving and changes to clues or rules during authoring.","findings":[{"id":"branch-or-revise","name":"Branch or revise","description":"Record whether the next operation explores an assumption within the current puzzle or creates a revised puzzle requiring fresh validation.","questions":[{"text":"Does the operation assume a candidate for search, or change a given, region or rule and therefore revise the puzzle?","id":"branch-or-revise-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"After the operation, what must be restored or rechecked, including branch-dependent deductions, solvability, uniqueness and any difficulty rating?","id":"branch-or-revise-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of sudoku this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-identifiers","name":"Identifiers and schemes","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of sudoku this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-identifiers-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation","name":"Standards and regulation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of sudoku this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of sudoku this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of sudoku this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of sudoku this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of sudoku this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of sudoku this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Generate, check and solve puzzles, confirming each has a unique solution.","Explain solving techniques and grade difficulty."],"mustNot":["Publish puzzles with no solution or several as if they were valid.","Copy and republish another publisher's puzzles without permission.","Present puzzle solving as a proven treatment for memory loss or dementia."],"requiresHuman":["Republishing puzzle collections commercially."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Puzzle setters' work deserves credit even when the format is free to use."],"affectedParties":["Solvers","Puzzle setters and publishers"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the format; each setter or publisher holds rights in their own puzzles.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q11337542","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q1188693","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.sudoku","Wikidata: Q44914 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44914)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["Declared ruleset: Standard 9×9 sudoku; explicitly specified variant; unspecified","Grid topology: Cells mapped to rows, columns, regions and any additional constraint groups","Symbol alphabet: Explicit set of permitted symbols; conventionally 1-9 for standard 9×9 sudoku","Given count: Number of fixed cells","Entry role: Given; committed solver entry; tentative assumption; empty","Candidate basis: Immediate constraint filtering; justified deductions; exhaustive solution analysis; unverified notes","Current-state validity: Unchecked; no detected direct violation; direct violation detected; proved extendable; proved non-extendable","Original-puzzle solution multiplicity: Unknown; zero; exactly one; at least two, with supporting evidence","Difficulty assessment: Unrated or rating accompanied by solver method, technique vocabulary and rating convention"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["A standard puzzle has a square grid of nine rows and nine columns.","Heavier boundaries usually divide the grid into nine blocks of three rows and three columns.","An unsolved puzzle contains scattered given digits from 1 through 9 among blank cells."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Validate the grid and givens against the declared sudoku rules.","Compute or revise candidates while recording their basis.","Explain a justified placement or elimination at a requested hint level.","Apply, retract or branch on an editable entry while preserving givens.","Check completion and determine solution multiplicity with explicit evidence.","Revise clues or variant constraints in an authoring context and recheck the resulting puzzle."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Contradictory or insufficient clues can make a puzzle unsolvable or prevent a unique solution.","Incorrect deductions or recognition errors can propagate through the grid and invalidate subsequent entries.","Software that overwrites given clues can corrupt the puzzle and produce a misleading completion."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Sudoku appears in printed puzzle collections, newspapers and digital puzzle applications as a recreational logic activity.","Solvers complete a partially filled grid by satisfying row, column and block constraints.","It is also used in teaching and software development to illustrate deduction, search and constraint satisfaction."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Sudoku - Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudoku","note":"Specialist definition (Latin square plus block constraint), named variants in common use, Number Place / Nikoli / Times history, and the standard completed-grid and clue-minimum figures."},{"title":"Sudoku (Q13191) - Wikidata (Wikimedia Foundation)","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13191","note":"Canonical catalogue identifier for the puzzle type and links to equivalent names."},{"title":"Enumerating possible Sudoku grids - Bertram Felgenhauer and Frazer Jarvis (University of Sheffield, 2005)","url":"http://www.afjarvis.staff.shef.ac.uk/sudoku/sudoku.pdf","note":"The accepted count of completed 9×9 Sudoku grids (6,670,903,752,021,072,936,960) after reduction by the first-band symmetries."},{"title":"There is no 16-Clue Sudoku: Solving the Sudoku Minimum Number of Clues Problem - Gary McGuire, Bastian Tugemann and Gilles Civario (Experimental Mathematics / Taylor & Francis, 2014; arXiv:1201.0749)","url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/1201.0749","note":"Proof that no unique-solution 9×9 Sudoku exists with fewer than 17 given cells, which is the lower bound used for clue-count measurement."},{"title":"Wikidata item Q44914: sudoku","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q44914","note":"identity and sense of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Does this registry entry cover sudoku variants, overlapping grids and non-9×9 sizes, or should some link to separate registered concepts?","Should uniqueness be a required publication condition for an intended sudoku puzzle, or a quality state that permits ambiguous and unsatisfiable instances to remain represented?","Which technique vocabulary and solver assumptions should govern difficulty assessments, including whether uniqueness-dependent deductions are permitted?","What evidence standard should establish unsatisfiability or uniqueness: reproducible exhaustive search, an inspectable proof, or another accepted verification method?","Which changes of symbols, orientation or clue placement preserve puzzle identity for catalogue purposes, and which create a distinct puzzle?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q44914/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q44914/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex","Grok"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-07T13:33:05Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"not-applicable","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T12:16:33+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 5 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane ACT: no invented physical properties.","interaction.interfaces":"No generally applicable technical standard, law or official classification governs ordinary sudoku puzzles."},"score":1.0}}