With the pairs techniques, you can only eliminate candidates. It is called “hidden” because other candidates create noise making it harder to spot. In this case, you can have several candidates per cell, but one digit has only a single possibility within that row, column or group. Hidden singles follow the same logic but backward. In that case, you have found the solution for that cell, regardless if that digit is also a candidate for other blocks within the same row, column or group. You have a naked single when you find one block with one single possible candidate. In Sudoku jargon these are called naked single, hidden single, naked pair and hidden pair and they all require you to note down every single candidate for each cell in order to apply them. There are 4 main techniques to achieve this. They can be used to either find the solution for a cell or to eliminate candidates and remove unnecessary information from the grid. The techniques to solve medium Sudoku levels are all based on pencil notes. Sifting through the grid will no longer be enough and notes and tactics become more important. However, there will be less allocated digits at the start of the game, making it more challenging to find the correct position of the missing ones. The rules remain unchanged at this level as you still must fill the cells with numbers from 1 to 9 without any repetitions per column, row or group. Logic will still prevail to solve these puzzles, but you must work harder to reach your goal. This is the starting point.Medium Sudoku Puzzles are ideal for intermediates or beginners who are craving for more after the easy levels stop being a challenge. Here is the Easy Sudoku Sample puzzle that you printed earlier (print it out now if you haven't already done so). Sudoku Instruction: #1 - Check Each Number 1 Through 9 methods explained in the next set of instructions, which covers how to solve Medium-difficulty Sudoku puzzles. NOTE: If a Sudoku puzzle labeled as "Easy" cannot quite be solved using those two techniques alone, it might be necessary to make light use of Ghosting, RC Counting, Tagging, and Line Checking. In our sample puzzle, as you will see below, we end up using each technique twice. Repeat the two techniques until the puzzle is solved. Two main techniques are used when solving an Easy Sudoku puzzle:Ĭheck for one missing number in each Row, Column, and Quadrant. After that we'll move on to the methods for solving Medium and Hard puzzles. Using our sample puzzle, I will explain how to solve Easy puzzles and finish them completely, showing the basic techniques you will use on every Sudoku puzzle. The easier the puzzle, the more numbers are provided harder puzzles start with fewer numbers provided. If it is not clear to you yet, believe me, it will be once we start the puzzle.Įvery Sudoku puzzle starts with some numbers already filled in. I will refer to Column 1 as "C1", Column 2 as "C2", and so on. I will refer to Row 1 as "R1", Row 2 as "R2", and so on. For future reference I will refer to Quadrant 1 as "Q1", Quadrant 2 as "Q2", and so on. Now let's break down what I mean by 9 Quadrants, 9 Rows, and 9 Columns. There are 9 Rows and 9 Columns.Įach Sudoku puzzle has only one solution. The puzzle has 9 large squares (I call them "Quadrants"), and inside each Quadrant are 9 little squares. I'll start with the basics in case this is your first time playing Sudoku. Grab a pencil, and print the Easy Sudoku Sample (page 1) of the Sudoku Puzzle Samples document so you can follow along and fill in the puzzle as we go. Sudoku Instructions: Solving an Easy Puzzleįirst, let me welcome you to the wonderful world of Sudoku. When you are ready to put your new skills to the test, print out some of the 100 free Sudoku puzzles on this site or play Sudoku free online. Or, work your way through all three parts to learn all Kevin's tips and strategies. If you already know how to solve basic Sudoku puzzles, feel free to go straight to the Medium or Hard Sudoku instructions. The instructions have been divided into three pages on this site, based on level of skill: Easy, Medium, and Hard Sudoku. Thank you for sharing these wonderful Sudoku instructions, Kevin! As an example of his skill, Kevin is able to solve "insane" (6-star difficulty) Sudoku puzzles in 8-10 minutes. These Sudoku tricks and strategies are the methods used by Kevin Rush, an expert-level Sudoku player. Whether you are a beginner at Sudoku or an experienced player, the skills you need to solve these puzzles are described right here. Take your time to understand the examples. Want to get much better at Sudoku? Then study the explanations in this guide carefully.
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