TWO Baulkham Hills residents were named as top 10 finalists in the Berocca Focus 50+ Australian Sudoku Competition.
But Keith Pierce, 58, and Thomas Black, 50, were outsmarted by Jill Banks, 51, of Perth, who out-thought them all last Tuesday at the live final.
"She was doing them in 5½ minutes online [which is how the finalists were chosen]; it was taking me about 7½!" Mr Pierce told the News.
He intimated they didn't stand a chance.
"She ended up with 90 points, I ended up with 25 maximum," he said.
Sudoku is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle.
Each puzzle is made up of a nine-by-nine grid. Every box, row and column must contain the numbers one through nine, and no number can appear more than once in each box, row and column.
"I do them most Saturday and Sunday mornings when I get the paper," Mr Pierce said.
As a builder, he said he makes his living from solving problems: "I don't like crossword puzzles because I can't spell, but Sudoku I can do."
¦ Take the Berocca Focus 50+ Sudoku challenge for fun at: sudoku-challenge.com.au/PlayForFu n.aspx.
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