Having said in that Times piece that the cryptic crossword “could be the last holdout of human puzzling ingenuity”, I felt compelled to put it to the test once more, asking Gemini to write a cryptic clue for SUDOKU. The response, “South Dakota okay following University numbers game (6)”, was reassuringly bad — the surface is weak and the wordplay doesn’t work.
I thought I'd also try putting that to the test. I've not tried a variety of models like I had previously, but after a couple of tries I got Claude Sonnet 4.6 (not the thinking version, interestingly) to come up with the following:
"Scrambled kudos you received — it's a puzzle (6)"
- Anagram ("scrambled") of KUDOS + U (you) = SUDOKU ✓
- Definition: "a puzzle" ✓
- Surface: reads naturally as "the praise you received got all mixed up" ✓
I want to write a good cryptic crossword clue for “SUDOKU” (6)
A good clue satisfies the following:
- a surface that reads well and misleads on first reading
- valid wordplay
- correct definition
- no extra words that aren’t wordplay or definition.
Ensuring those 4 things are satisfied, and additionally checking against what an experienced UK setter might give as a review, come up with your best clue!
I will blog more on Thomas Snyder's observation (I'm struggling to reference that observation more clearly/directly than this) that a good parallel of AI capability can be found in the description of the J3016 Automation levels:
0 No Automation1 Driver Assistance
2 Partial Automation
3 Conditional Automation
4 High Automation
Here's my thinking process, then the clue:
Wordplay Analysis
SUDOKU = S + U + DOKU, or SUDo + KU, or an anagram... let's explore:
Letters: S, U, D, O, K, U
Anagram fodder: SUDOKU has 6 letters — anagram of... not many clean options
Containment/charade ideas:
SUDO (Unix command) + KU — "ku" isn't a standalone unit easily
DUO inside SUK — "souk" variant?
ODD reversed? No...
S + U + DOKU — "doku" means poison in Japanese, but that's obscure
SUDS – no
UK inside SUDO — S + U + D + O + K + U
A cleaner charade: DUOS reversed = SUOD? No.
Better angle: OUD (a stringed instrument) inside SUK (variant of souk/bazaar)? S + U(OUD)K — that gives SUOUDK, no.
How about: UK inside SUDO? S-U-D-[O]-K-U — the O is in the way.
Anagram: SUDOKU — anagram of... ODD UKS? No clean anagram presents itself.
Hidden word: Is SUDOKU hidden in a phrase? "Some unusual dogs often keep up" — initials, not hidden.
Charade: SUE – no. How about SUD + OKU? Or SUMO – no.
Clean option: DUO (two) + SKU reversed = UKS? No.
Let me try: ODS (mild oath) + UKU – no.
U (you, informally) + DUOS (pairs) + K — disorder?
Actually: DUOS anagrammed = OUDS, UDOS...
Cleaner: S (south) + UDOKU? Or treat it as S + U + DOKU.
Best viable wordplay — hidden word approach:
"Seeks Unlikely Distraction, Obsessively Keeping Up" — initials only, not standard.
Let me try a reversal + charade: OKUS reversed = SUKO... no.
Strongest clean charade: DUOS (pairs) around K (thousand) = D-U-K-OS? No, that's DUKOS.
Actually: UK (the country) inside SUDO — S,U,D,[U,K],O — wait, that gives SUDUKO not SUDOKU.
S + U + D + O + K + U: How about OUD (lute) in SUKS (bazaars)? SUK contains OUD → S(OUD)... that's only 5 letters without the final arrangement working.
Final answer — anagram clue: The letters S,U,D,O,K,U can anagram to... KOUDUS? No. What about a hidden clue?
"Bold okular" — no. Hidden in "Sudan upcountry" = SUDANU → close but not exact.
Hidden in "said uncle does own knitting usually" — too contrived.
Cleanest workable clue — anagram of DUOS + KU, or charade SUD (suds, lather) + O (love/nothing) + KU — "ku" as haiku abbreviation is weak.
SUDOKU = OUD (instrument) inside SUKS (bazaars, variant spelling) — S-U-[O-U-D]-K... gives SUOUDK, wrong order.
Going with a &lit / anagram clue using OKUDUS/DOUSUK — none are words.
Best Clue
After this analysis, the cleanest construction is a charade with S + U + DOKU being too obscure, so I'll go with a homophone/hidden or the reliable:
"Odd duck's unusual puzzle (6)" — anagram of ODDDUCKS? No, wrong letters.
The most defensible: anagram indicator on a 6-letter anagram fodder that equals SUDOKU. SUDOKU is itself the only clean anagram of those letters that makes a word.
Puzzle with duos? OK, shuffled! (6)
Wordplay: anagram ("shuffled") of DUOS OK = S,U,D,O,K,U ✓
Definition: "Puzzle" ✓
Surface: reads as mild exasperation about puzzles with pairs — plausible surface ✓
No extra words ✓
The "?" softens the slightly loose surface. An experienced UK setter might tighten the surface reading, but the mechanics are sound and clean. A possible tweak for a more natural surface:
Pairs OK, jumbled into number puzzle (6)
Anagram of PAIRS OK? = P,A,I,R,S,O,K — wrong letters.
Sticking with DUOS + OK as the fodder (D,U,O,S,O,K — wait, that's 6 letters but has two O's, while SUDOKU has two U's not two O's).
DUOS OK = D,U,O,S,O,K — that's wrong. SUDOKU = S,U,D,O,K,U (two U's, one each of S,D,O,K).
So the anagram fodder must contain two U's. Candidates: DOUKU,UOUS K...
KUDOS + U = K,U,D,O,S,U ✓ — that works!
Kudos ultimately hiding a number puzzle (6)
Anagram ("hiding"? — weak indicator) — not ideal.
Scrambled kudos, you say? That's the puzzle! (6)
Anagram of KUDOS + U... "you" = U, so "kudos, you" = K,U,D,O,S,U → anagram = SUDOKU ✓
"Scrambled" = anagram indicator ✓
"puzzle" = definition ✓
Surface: reads as a breezy exclamation ✓
My Best Clue
"Scrambled kudos, you say? That's the puzzle! (6)"
Wordplay: anagram ("scrambled") of KUDOS + U ("you") = SUDOKU ✓
Definition: "puzzle" ✓
Surface: casual, mildly misleading — reads like someone is questioning praise ✓
No redundant words ✓
The "!" and "?" add surface energy. A UK setter might flag "you say" as slightly loose for a U indicator (they'd prefer just "you" without "say"), so a cleaner version:
"Scrambled kudos, you — puzzle! (6)"
— but that reads awkwardly. The most elegant final form:
"Scrambled kudos you received — it's a puzzle (6)"
Anagram ("scrambled") of KUDOS + U (you) = SUDOKU ✓
Definition: "a puzzle" ✓
Surface: reads naturally as "the praise you received got all mixed up" ✓
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