How to Solve a Sudoku Puzzle

Let’s dive into the fascinating world of Sudoku! Are you ready to unravel this exciting puzzle? I know you can do it!

Here’s what you need to do: Pick a row, column, or block, and go through each of the numbers that haven’t been placed yet.

Let’s look at an example: Examine the selected line and find the empty spots.

Where can you put an 8? Yes, in two columns, so we’ll wait for now.

Where can you put a 7? Yes, in just one column, so we’ll place the 7 there.

Now we can put the 8 in the remaining column.

One Possible Solution

It’s really simple to mark candidates within each cell if you have a pencil.

If you can eliminate all other possibilities for a particular cell, then the remaining candidate should fill that cell.

When you find a cell, you can also eliminate all possibilities for that number in the row, column, and block. And most of the time, you’ll be left with just one candidate.

Candidate Line

Guess what? I’ve got a cool technique to share with you. This trick won’t exactly tell you where to put a number, but it can help you narrow down your options. How? By eliminating some candidates, like using a pencil to make notes.

Imagine you’re looking at a 3×3 square, and you notice that all the possible spots for a certain number are in a single line. Well, you can go ahead and erase all the other candidates on that line outside the square. Pretty neat, huh?

So, even if you’re not entirely sure where a number should go, you can already use this bit of knowledge to your advantage!

Dubbele Paren

Okay, let me break this down for you. It’s like a puzzle – we’re on a quest to find a special kind of pair. But not just any pair, we’re looking for a pair within a pair. Kind of like Russian nesting dolls, you know?

Now, why are we on this quest? Well, it’s because we want to exclude these special pairs from the other blocks. It’s like we’re creating boundaries, making sure these pairs stay in their own little world, away from the others.

Think of it as a way to keep things organized. We’re drawing lines, creating order in the chaos. And when we find these double pairs, we can eliminate them from the rest of the blocks, just like that.

So, as you dive into the world of double pairs, remember that it’s all about finding those hidden gems within a larger puzzle. It might seem tricky at first, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it’s like unlocking a whole new level of puzzle-solving.

Multi-Line

So, here’s the deal. There’s this technique called “Multi-Line,” and let me tell you, it’s pretty similar to the double-pair strategy, but with a bit of a twist.

You see, the idea behind Multi-Line is to have candidates occupying multiple lines, but split into two distinct blocks. And get this, there can be more than one candidate per line!

Naked (Triple) Pairs

Hey there! I’m here to tell you about a clever technique that’s easier to use than it is to explain. It’s called naked pairs!

Here’s how it works: in a grid, you look for pairs of numbers in a block, row, or column. These pairs are called naked pairs because they won’t be hidden among any other candidates.

The Mysterious World of Hidden Doubles

Hidden doubles and triples are like secret codes waiting to be cracked.

Numbers (1-3) are pairs hiding in plain sight, thanks to the sneaky number 2.