Alex Holland - Technical Challenge Submission

[alexwholland]

Sudoku Implementation

The Go implementation introduces a Sudoku solver that combines cross-hatching and recursive backtracking for improved performance. It efficiently scans rows and columns to identify potential values, employing systematic prioritization of almost-filled elements for enhanced solving. The solver validates board dimensions and numbers, using recursive backtracking to find a solution. The printBoard function aids in displaying the solved board in a readable json format.

Test Cases

The Sudoku solver test suite covers a range of scenarios. It ensures correct solutions for standard puzzles, including those with incomplete rows, columns, and blocks. Additionally, it checks the solver's ability to handle puzzles with a single empty cell, already completed puzzles, and challenging ones like the world's hardest Sudoku by Arto Inkala. The suite also assesses robustness by testing invalid board dimensions, layouts, and numbers, providing comprehensive validation of the solver's functionality.

Instructions

Execute the tests: go test
Run the program and display output: go run sudoku.go

Component Name

sudoku.go
sudoku_test.go