The Sudoku solution

Mathematicians use Sudoku to understand a mysterious, powerful algorithm

You’re under a deadline, but your daughter will never forgive you if you miss her soccer game. Either obligation alone would be no problem, but trying to find the solution that satisfies everyone — or least minimizes their dissatisfaction — makes your stomach churn.

SUDOKU SCIENCE A powerful but mysterious computational algorithm may reveal its secrets when it’s applied to Sudoku puzzles.