FOZUDOKU

What is a FOZUDOKU?

This new property that The FOZ Magic Square has, that no colour is repeated, is a great innovation, unique among magic squares and it is ideal for use with the traditional Spanish deck of 48 cards, with which can be formed three FOZ Magic Squares as the four suits has the same colours (copas/cups = red, oros/gold = yellow, espadas/swords = blue, bastos/clubs = green).

This is in what “The FOZUDOKU” is based on, where only 18 cards are shown (6 cards in each Magic Square) and the other 30 cards missing (10 cards in each Magic Square) are to be placed filling the Magic Squares.

Many people already identify these three Magic Squares with the Spanish deck of 48 cards with a sudoku, because it´s similar to a sudoku, although is NOT the same thing, because a sudoku has no colours and their numbers are not to be added.

In the Galician Radio program “Parolando” where I was interviewed by Pepe Peinó, he described it as a sudoku, but although I would very much like it to call it a SPANISH SUDOKU, I cannot do so because the word SUDOKU has a copyright, property of NICOLI, a Japanese Company.

It was a Japanese friend of mine, Chieko Miyatake, (who designed and maintains this webpage ), who suggested the name FOZUDOKU as an alternative name.
I thought that it was an excellent idea to use the village´s name where The FOZ Magic Square to also name “The FOZUDOKU”

 

How to do a FOZUDOKU?

PFirst download the Excel file "FOZUDOKU".
You will need a Spanish deck of 48 cards (the Spanish deck of 40 cards is NOT suitable as it has no 8´s or 9´s)
(You can buy the Spanish deck of 48 cards, normal size on the Internet and there is also a miniature small size on sell in most Chinese Shops in Spain)
Open the Excel file and select a FOZUDOKU.

This Excel file is for selecting and copying the cards to do The FOZUDOKU on a table, NOT to do it on the computer.
The FOZUDOKUS selections are in the pages that you can access from the main MENU by clicking 1 FOZUDOKU (this FOZUDOKU is in colour, so the four suits are easily seen) or 104 FOZUDOKUS (these FOZUDOKUS are in black and white, to make it easy photocopying)

In the pages 1 SOLUCION and 104 SOLUCIONES are the solutions.
If the cards used are miniature small size, then you can photocopy a matrix in page TABLERO that has the empty spaces for the cards marked to make it easier the placing of the cards.

Place on a table the 18 cards shown in the same position, leaving the same empty spaces, where the other 30 missing cards are to be placed.

The same as The FOZ Magic Square, each of the three magic squares in the FOZUDOKU has the same groups of 4 cards, that add the same, where the suits (or colour) are NOT repeated.

These groups are:

  1. –The four horizontal lines.
  2. –The four vertical lines.
  3. –The two diagonal lines.
  4. –The four corners.
  5. –The small little 2x2 square in the centre of the 4x4 square.
  6. –The four small little 2x2 squares that form a quarter of the 4x4 square.
  7. –The four corners on each of the four 3x3 small squares that are inside the 4x4 square.

 

All these groups of 4 cards that has NOT a colour repeated twice add up the same:
22, in the Magic Square on the left.
26, in the Magic Square in the centre.
30, in the Magic Square on the right.

In these groups of four cards where they have three cards already shown, the fourth card can be calculated and “guessed” as they cannot be the same suit (or colour) as the other three cards and together the four cards must add up to 22 in the Magic Square on the left, 26 in the Magic Square in the centre and 30 in the Magic Square on the right.

Each new card placed is, like in a sudoku, where “what you know is a clue to help you find what you do not know” and helps to place the cards, so little by little all cards can be placed and The FOZUDOKU completed.

The FOZUDOKU can be done by one person, like a Solitaire.
The FOZUDOKU can also be played with two people, in this case the 30 missing cards can be distributed among the two players, 10 cards each, leaving the other 10 cards face down on the table.

Taking turns the players place one card on the FOZUDOKU and when they do not have a suitable card to place(or they do not know they have…), they have to take cards from the remaining 10 cards that are face down on the table, until they find a card they can place.

The winner is the one who finish first placing all his cards.

The same way as with the DOMINO game, the player has to think before placing a card so he does not facilitate the game to the other player.