Braille Sudoku Set
Product Features
- A game of numerical strategy.
- Engeniously designed for ease of play tactily.
- Copy any Sudoku puzzle onto board, then solve at your leisure with complete flexibility.
- Includes tactile playing board with braille number tiles.
- Consists of a 9X9 grid board divided into 9 individual squares measuring 3X3.
- Playing board measures 9" square and 1/2" thick.
- Each braille number peg is marked with a raised line at the top and an indent at the bottom.
- Textured rings distinguish between numbers from a puzzle and numbers you've filled in.
- Compact in size; easily tuck into a backpack.
- Blind players will probably also need companion Braille book of Sudoku puzzles (sold separately).
- Package Weight: about 10.6 ounces.
Product Description
SUDOKU ... Just the mention of this word excites millions of puzzle-solving fans around the globe. First introduced in 1986 and popularized by a Japanese company in 2005, Sudoku is a game of numerical strategy, consisting of a 9X9 grid, divided up into nine individual squares measuring 3X3. The idea is to take a printed Sudoku puzzle (which has some numbers filled in and other squares left blank), and solve it in such a way that each column and each row contains the digits 1 through 9 only once. In addition, there can be no duplicate numbers in each of the nine individual 3X3 squares.This has all been well and dandy - until blind players have tried to play the game or solve a puzzle. But accomplishing the task of doing a Sudoku puzzle in Braille has been challenging to say the least, because there's never been an easy way for blind players to write in a number on their puzzle, then erase it and move it somewhere else when needed. But now, at long last, that puzzle is solved!
Discover the world's first portable, fully accessible Sudoku puzzle set for blind players! It's a straightforward concept, yet a revolutionary one at the same time. Simply copy any Sudoku puzzle onto the board, then solve at your leisure with complete flexibility to rearrange numbers as often as necessary.
With our brailled Sudoku set, you'll receive a quality plastic playing board that's nine inches square and half an inch thick. The board has holes for all eighty-one numbers, divided up into the required nine 3X3 separate squares with raised, easily-felt dividers. Also included is a drawstring cloth bag containing oodles of round braille numbers. That's right, to set up a new Sudoku puzzle, or fill in numbers as you work on it, all you do is insert the appropriate braille number into the desired hole in your playing grid. The number pieces fit snuggly into the holes in the board, but aren't difficult to pull out to move somewhere else. Each braille number peg is marked with a raised line at the top and an indent at the bottom to help you quickly orient it and insert it into the board so all the braille numbers can be read straight up-and-down.
Okay, you're thinking, that all sounds pretty good. But how do you tell the difference between a number that was presented in the original puzzle you've copied onto the board, and a number you've filled in yourself? Aha, we've solved that one, too! The braille number pegs have a cut-away diameter with a raised line at the top. Included are 45 textured rings that can sit on any number piece to distinguish it from others. As you're setting up a puzzle from the book, simply place a ring around each number. Then, as you try various numbers, insert them into holes without placing rings on them. In this way, numbers from the original puzzle are surrounded with a tactile ring, and numbers you've added have no ring. You can tell at a glance, or by touch, which sets of numbers are which, and it's a snap to make changes anytime you wish!
Low vision players will also appreciate the multi-color design of this set. Each numbered piece (from 1 through 9) is a different color - with white print numbers and Braille dots. The playing board and textured marking rings are also white.
Small enough to easily tuck into a backpack; just the right size to place on a tray table while on a train or plane, and large enough to allow you to solve an entire Sudoku puzzle on your own ... That's our brand-new Braille Sudoku Puzzle Set! Take the board and pieces with you (along with a brailled book of Sudoku puzzles - sold separately - to copy a new puzzle out of) and you can solve a puzzle anywhere, anytime, and at your own pace.
Product Directions
Directions for the Braille Sudoku Set From Future Aids, The Braille Superstore.
What is Sudoku?
Sudoku is a number placing puzzle. It consists of a 9 by 9 grid, having 9 horizontal rows and 9 vertical columns, which are divided into boxes of 3 by 3. Thus, it has 9 boxes and a total of 81 small cells. The digits 1 to 9 are so placed that every row, every column and every 3 by 3 box has one digit without repeating the numbers in the same row, column or box. It becomes a puzzle when few numbers are placed and other cells are left empty, requiring you to think logically and provide the solution.
Getting Started
Your Braille Sudoku Set consists of a wooden playing board and a canvass bag of Braille number pieces. Unless you have another source of puzzles, you will probably also need a Braille book of Sudoku puzzles to get you started (sold separately).
The Sudoku board is divided into nine 3 by 3 grids (or boxes), each containing nine holes. These nine different boxes can be identified by the engraved (or indented) lines surrounding each box.
The bag of numbered pieces each feature a number from 1 to 9 in Braille (complete with number sign). For easy orientation, there's a raised line at the top of each piece, and a notch at the bottom. The peg on the back of each piece fits snugly into any hole on the board.
There's also a pin in the center of each piece that goes up and down. Think of this center pin as a handy marker that helps you tell the two different sets of numbers used in each puzzle apart. Many players like to have the center pin up to denote original numbers from the puzzle, and down to indicate numbers they've filled in. The pin is easily identified by touch, since it appears as a sharp dot directly below the Braille number on each piece. To adjust the placement of the center pin, simply push on the bottom of each piece to bring it up, or on the top to send it down and out of sight. Pro tip: sometimes the pins can be a bit stiff, in which case using the flat edge of a butter knife to push them up and down works like a charm - and saves your fingers from getting sore!
Playing the Game
Select a puzzle from your Sudoku Puzzles book that you would like to solve. Each puzzle will have some numbers already filled in. Place the corresponding number tiles in these holes on the board. Be sure to have the center pin up for each of these number pieces, so you'll know which numbers were part of the original puzzle.
Now that the puzzle is recreated on the board, it's time to solve it. Simply put, you must fill in the holes that have a blank. To start, ensure the center pin is down on any pieces you want to try. The down center pin will remind you that these tiles are only place markers. This will help you if you have several number possibilities in your puzzle, and are not sure yet which number it should be.
Ultimately, what you need to do is fill the empty holes with number tiles so each row, each column, and each box contains the numbers 1 to 9. No two numbers may repeat themselves in any row or column. All the squares must be filled in. When every 3 by 3 box has no repeat numbers, you have solved the puzzle. Congratulations, now it's time to try another one - if you dare!
