Sudoku Cube - Nutting it Out

Sudoku cube templates

You can download the image of your choice below and edit it in paint by selecting and copying any number and pasting it into each six of the same coloured boxes (Ie. The 2's can go in the dark blue boxes and the 5's can go in the yellow boxes and so on giving you a multitude of combinations), or just follow the colour pattern as you place your number stickers on the cube paying particular attention to the position and orientation of the numbered stickers.

The template on the left is in the configuration of the example on the page, "3x3x3 Understanding the Sudoku Cube", on this site, which is the latest version of the commercial Sudoku Cube having the following colour combination.

All numbers should be copied upright and the stickers arranged on the cube in the matching orientations.

The template on the left is in the configuration of the stickers for sale titled, "Sudokube II", from Oliver's Stickers having the following colour combination.

When you compare this layout with the one above, you see an up and down face, swap and rotate and there is a swap of the two equator edge numbers on the back face.

The variations have taken into account the required Sudoku rules required to identify the correct positions for the top, bottom and equator, layer edges, something that can be lost if you are not careful playing around with the layout.

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On-line Solutions?

Here is a list of solutions from those with a limited understanding of the Sudoku cube.

I am not offering this list to belittle these people but to demonstrate that you should be very wary of any information you glean from the Web unless it comes from a reputable source. So don't trust what you read on this site either, until you have tested it and found it to be reliable.

http://anttila.ca/michael/sudokube/ Similar to John Perkins solution with a lot of asumptions and it does work if the assumptions are correct.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30gVrTCKehQ

http://www.ehow.com/how_2228227_solve-sudoku-rubiks-cube.html

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-solve-sudoku-cube.html

If you think there is another Sudoku cube solution worthy of a mention on this page please contact me and provide the URL and I will check it out.

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Alleged Sudoku Cubes

Basis for my assessments

Sudoku: A Sudoku puzzle should be solvable, if there is any guesswork or trial and error required to solve a Sudoku puzzle then it is not a genuine Sudoku puzzle.
Based on this if you think that many Sudoku puzzles are not genuine then check out Simple Sudoku, you can download the puzzle maker and solver and link to the step by step guide to Solving Sudoku to see if you have a full arsenal of Sudoku solving tools at your disposal.
Rubik's Cube: The basic solution for a Rubik's cube starts with establishing which centre is going to be your first layer centre, then solving the first layer cross and then the first layer corners followed by the equator edges and then the final layer.

Sudoku Cube: With no knowledge of the solved cube, it doesn't matter wether the cube solve is achieved bottom up or top down (based on the side face orientation) each of the steps should be solvable without guesswork or trial and error and the Sudoku challenge should go beyond that which only orientation provides, for me to consider a cube to be a fair dinkum Sudoku cube.

There is another cube with a number layout I am giving it the benefit of the doubt to. It is recognisable when you solve either the top or bottom layer. Two opposite side faces on each layer will contain the same numbers and when the numbers on one of these faces on a layer is combined with the numbers on the two adjacent faces on the layer you will find all of the numbers 1 through 9.

Solution For Alleged/Non-genuine Sudoku Cubes

The two links to the folowing solution below are, John Perkins page and John Perkins' solution on Twisty Puzzling's YouTube channel.

This method is not a genuine sudoku cube solution, however it can be used to solve a genuine sudoku cube. It is a two step process that requires using the cube to create a template and then solving the cube according to the created template.

John Perkins page http://www.johnperkins.com/Documents/Scube.htm
Twisty Puzzling YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMmAYuRN7l4

Reviews

Sudoku On A Puzzle Cube

The Sudoku Cube sadly is a poor quality cube using 80's technology¹.

Sudoku logic, yes excellent
Cube quality, very poor
Recommendation, make your own

The Sudoku Cube Puzzle

This cube is made in China for a German company. I received a faulty cube, some of the stickers had detached, and a replacement was provided. The replacement was fine, however, about four months later I noticed a couple of the sticker had fallen of so I picked it up and at least half of the stickers fell like leaves from a tree in autumn. From the the image and both cubes it appears that this supplier uses minor variations on the, "Sudokube II", from Oliver's Stickers, (layout in the templates above), but I am sure they aren't using Oliver's Stickers', stickers because they don't detach like the ones on these cubes.

Sudoku logic, yes
Cube quality, extremely poor
Recommendation, make your own

Sudoku Cube by Jay, American Classic Toy - YES

Sudoku Cube by Jay Both the top and bottom layers are completely solvable on their own. However, it appears the equator has to be solved using one of two possible equator edge placement solutions to determine the actual equator edge placements because no equator edge has a unique position. The fact that the front and back face, (yellow) vertical and horizontal rows have the same numbers to satisfy the additional horizontal and vertical 1-9 series passing through them, knowing this makes the equator edges solvable, but I consider this is foreknowledge of the solved cube. Benefit of the doubt Sudoku cube.

Not a fan of the incomplete information contained in the accompanying booklet, a poor attempt at, "God blessed America". In this case if He did, then He did it only after blessing Hungary, Great Britain and France.

Sudoku logic, yes
Cube quality, good
Recommendation, worth it but I prefer the, "Sudoku On A Puzzle Cube", layout.

Sudoku Cube by Jay, American Classic Toy - NO

Sudoku Cube by Jay See the description in, "Sudoku Cube by Jay, American Classic Toy - YES", above and then come back here and continue.
Possibly the worst quality cube I have come across falling into a category I would describe as, a poor quality 80's technology¹ cube.

Sudoku logic, yes
Cube quality, extremely poor
Recommendation, Avoid this cube if the above cube is available.

KOKO - Super Sudoku, Merffert's Puzzles

This cube has no Sudoku challenge for the top and bottom layers other than their orientation to the rest of the cube. The up and down faces have coloured numbers reducing the challenge and has similar layout properties to the Sudoku Cube by Jay instead of the front and back faces it is the up and down faces (yellow) that have the same horizontal and vertical numbers, however, this layout provides the equator with Sudoku edge solutions. With this layout the equator edges solve in the following order 4,7 first then the 9,9 second, if you are solving top down then third is the 2,2 and finally the 6,6, if solving bottom up then the third is the 6,6 and finally the 2,2.

Sudoku logic, yes a little
Cube quality, poor
Recommendation, regularly jams and catches poor Sudoku challenge, give it a miss.

Magic Square, Merffert's Puzzles

Interesting layout each number is reflected or reflected and flipped on the opposite face. The centres are all 5's and like the two cubes below presents little more than an orientation puzzle and the problems that orientation can present. For example when the final layer just won't come together, the secret with this layout is the two interchangeable 7,3 equator edges, just swap their positions.

Sudoku logic, no
Cube quality, poor
Recommendation, if you don't want the Sudoku challenge grab one, otherwise give it a miss.

The Following Are Not Sudoku Cubes

These cubes present no more than an orientation puzzle and the problems orientation presents. Easily picked because all the centres are 5s.

Sudoku logic, no
Cube quality, who cares?
Recommendation, if you don't want the Sudoku challenge grab one, otherwise give it a miss.

Untested

If you own an cube I have not reviewed here and would like to comment on your experience with it, please contact me.

¹ 80's technology means, "a 1980 style Rubik's Cube", in 1980 the cubes did not rotate smoothly and would catch if not perfectly aligned before you started the next rotation. In some ways it is nostalgic, because it reminds me of the frustration along the course of solving it, however, today the frustration is when the mongrel just wont turn.

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