Puzzles

One piece at a time, we learn so much from solving puzzles

Dear word explorer,

Have I mentioned that I solve a Sudoku puzzle most days? I took up this practice about eight years ago when Martin and I went on a holiday in north Co. Cork together. The house we stayed in was an old stone folly near a forest and had a spotty phone connection. It featured a wood-burning stove and shelves stuffed with books and board games. Martin brought a battered copy of a book of Sudoku puzzles with him. In between periods of quiet and drinks in front of the fire, we toured around the area, exploring parks and villages, and enjoying each other’s company.

This is one of my favourite activities: a car trip with Martin. I love having or being a copilot on a journey, paced by a number of music playlists, and just shooting the breeze about life, the universe and everything. Plus, the joy of a companionable silence as the landscape rolls past. Long ago I was less enamoured of a conversation gap and words would bubble up to fill any hush, but as I’ve learned patience and developed a more secure sense of self I often do not feel the need to say anything.

Of course, this is often not the case when you are catching up with friends or family. It’s when you have extended period of time with people that you can refine your conversational discernment.¹

‘Fire Foxes’ taken by Maura McHugh

During that vacation Martin first demonstrated to me how to complete a Sudoku puzzle, and after a period of consternation, I came to enjoy the challenge.

A note regarding my brain dynamics: I rarely remember how to spell Sudoku. I swap and ‘o’ and ‘u’ all the time, so I think it’s Soduko instead. It’s frustrating to me because I can’t remember how to pronounce it properly as a result. I’ve attempted to memorise it and it slips out of my mind all the time. I’ve mentioned my weird issues with spelling before, and it’s why I dislike filling in forms or why I’m a poor Scrabble player and crossword solver. Breaking words down into component parts is a struggle for me.

I’m not naturally gifted when it comes to Sudoku (yes, I initially misspelled it again) either, and I would rate myself as a moderate player. I’ve become better from practice and if I go through a period of not doing Sudoku regularly the knack of it rusts up again.

I returned to the challenge a couple of months back, partly to keep my ‘little grey cells’ active. I’m often amused at how the difficultly of the puzzle is oddly categorised. An ‘easy’ one can be completed in a flash or take far longer than expected. A ‘medium’ can be more testing than a ‘hard’ one. Expectations for how quickly it will take are best parked, although you can usually tell at a glance its potential for maximum frustration.

I’ve also been using the puzzle as a simple way to take a breather in between tasks and to re-orient some time-wasting tendencies. Instead of being tempted to scroll mindlessly (much harder now without ‘the apps’) I might tackle a Sudoku on my phone instead.

Yesterday, I experienced a classic flip flop when I took ages to solve an easy Sudoku and immediately followed it by completing another easy in one of my shortest times ever. Perhaps my brain was primed after its first labour, or it genuinely was a super simple puzzle. Either way I went from perplexity to glee in a short period of time. It seemed like a micro example of life’s vicissitudes.

Now, when I’m working on a Sudoku I enact a simple habit of congratulating myself on conquering any significant breakthrough during the process. When I’m at an impasse I tell myself ‘you will find the solution’ and I disengage any frustration. I welcome solutions and do not give myself a hard time when I make a mistake. I tell myself ‘you have learned from that error and now you will solve this more easily.’

Yes, I’m using this daily practice to instil better thinking. I’ve never been particularly good at complimenting myself when I achieve any success. I would not celebrate career wins except in offhand ways, and would immediately refocus on what goal needed to be assigned next, or to agonise over the most becalmed project. In the past I’ve replayed mistakes in my mind and tortured myself over my stumbles. I reserved forgiveness for other people.

I’ve mentioned before the need to be one’s own personal cheerleader, so this daily brain challenge is simple positive reinforcement. As I practice a can-do spirit on smaller challenges my hope is that it will be cemented when I face larger and more complex issues.

When you believe that you will be able to solve a problem despite its fiendish qualities it is easier to consider it from different angles. Dropping the unhelpful narrative in your head might be the first step. It could mean re-framing the conundrum entirely. Walking away from a quandary could be a win when it enhances another part of your life or allows you to let go of an unnecessary burden. That option may not even be considered initially.

Chipping away at the smaller pieces of the puzzle and celebrating every tiny movement forward is a winning strategy.

And oh, the satisfaction of solving a mind-boggling challenge!

‘The Artist’s Mother Playing Checkers’ by Édouard Jean Vuillard, 1890-91.

It wasn’t until I was writing this piece that I remembered the 2022 book I read, The Puzzler: One Man's Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life by A. J. Jacobs. I’d heard him interviewed on a radio show and bought the book immediately. If you enjoy any kind of brainteaser then this is a fun book to delve into, and it’s chock-full of stories about obsessives who create and solve intricate problems.

Jacobs posits that the desire to resolve enigmas is a deep need in humans, and notes that our brains get a dopamine hit whenever we have the eureka moment that allows us to understand the underlying pattern or solution. It also encourages us to bond with other humans, since we often collaborate when it comes to flummoxing issues (especially if they pertain to our survival).

Puzzles can teach us lessons about fresh perspectives, compassion, and cooperation. If we see the world as a series of puzzles instead of a series of battles, we will come up with more and better solutions, and we need solutions more than ever.

As I’ve mentioned before in my post about Games and Video Games playing solo or collaborative games/puzzles can teach us so much about connection and determination.

And it is why readers love mysteries so much. We watch the unpicking of a problem and it suggests that we too could be a detective in our own lives, if we develop our intuition and logic and practice applying them to life’s riddles.

What is your favourite game or puzzle that you enjoy solving?

Section of ‘Figure with Guitar II’ by Henry Fitch Taylor, 1914.

1. Or when you are in the company of a detestable person… there’s an art to saying nothing or steering a conversation out of choppy waters.