Solve this sudoku

omyim1637/Shutterstock Sudoku puzzles There’s a lot more to Sudoku than simply writing numbers in a row and column. Sitting down before a fresh Sudoku grid and playing Sudoku requires logic, not guesswork, and a substantial knowledge of Sudoku solving techniques. Once you know these Sudoku tips, you will be able to solve even the most challenging puzzle—though you’re on your own when it comes to these Shutterstock, rd.com What is pencil marking in Sudoku? Sudoku pencil marking is a systematic Sudoku solver strategy in which puzzle doers use a pencil to write small numbers inside the squares, denoting which numbers may fit in. Conceptis Puzzles says that, “After pencil marking the puzzle, the solver must analyze the results, identify special number combinations, and deduce which numbers should be placed where.” Pencil is, of course, easy to erase in a hurry once you find the solution—or realize you made a mistake. Your pencil won’t help you Shutterstock, rd.com What is the swordfish technique in Sudoku? You won’t need a Sudoku strategy involving the swordfish technique when just learning how to play Sudoku—not every puzzle has a swordfish pattern—but as you progress, you may run into this technically challenging puzzle pattern—and it may confound you.  “A Swordfish pattern occurs when three rows (or three columns) each contain two or three cells that hold a matching locked candidate,” according to • More Items • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • More Items •...

Advanced solving techniques As seen on InNovember 2006, The Times introduced a new extreme level of Sudoku giving players a moredifficult level of logic: Super Fiendish. Many have welcomed the new challenge but some have asked for help. So, as we increase the difficulty Super Fiendish, the time has come to present the essential techniques for solving the most difficult Sudoku puzzles. Please be reassured that all Sudoku puzzles published in the Times are always solvable by logical means. Here we present the techniques that will help you solve the hardest puzzles using only logic and no guesswork. First a couple of preliminary points: if you have ever completed any Fiendish or Super Fiendish Sudoku, you will be familiar with noting down candidates or pencil marks. Pencil marks are small numbers, usually written at the top of each unsolved square, listing all the possible values for that square. With many advanced techniques, the key is to spot patterns within your pencil marks to eliminate possibilities within other squares. Whenever you solve a square, you must remove that number from the pencil marks in all other squares in the same row, column and block. The x-wing technique Essentially, this method uses the fact that in certain cases, there are only two possible ways of placing two numbers in four squares which form a rectangle. There is a relationship between the diagonally opposite squares, hence the “x” in x-wing. The term x-wing itself derives from the x-wing fighte...

To play our free online Sudoku game, tap and hold a number to lock it and you can use it for multiple cells.Use the numbers 1-9 in each of the 9 rows, 9 columns, and 3x3 boxes of the Sudoku grid. Use the orange guide to see which numbers you've already used in each row, column, and box. You can change the difficulty level in Sudoku from beginner to intermediate or advanced if you want to solve more difficult puzzles. Try timing yourself to see how fast you can beat a given puzzle. Tips for Playing Sudoku Try using the following techniques to solve Sudoku puzzles. Focus on a specific part of the puzzle When solving Sudoku puzzles, players often feel as if they need to solve the entire puzzle from the beginning. But that’s not the case. Any one Sudoku puzzle contains multiple puzzles within it. Start by focusing on a column, row or box. Once you’ve solved that piece of the puzzle, move on to the next part. Spot the missing numbers Beneath each puzzle are buttons you use to enter the numbers 1 to 9. Each of these buttons has a small number in the top right corner -- that’s the number of times that the big number already appears on the board. Start with the big numbers that appear most often. For example, if the 7 button has a small 5 in the top right corner, that means there are already five 7s on the board. You can click a 7 on the board to highlight all five 7s in the puzzle. Use this to figure out which rows, columns, and boxes don’t yet have a 7. That makes it easier to p...

Medium Sudoku is a logic puzzle which is harder than an easy one and requires certain tactics to solve it. Hard and Medium level Sudoku often require certain tactics to solve them. If you started with easy Sudoku, you will soon realize that you have become too quick to deal with these puzzles and want more! At this point, you can move to medium level Sudoku. The rules remain the same for medium Sudoku puzzles. The number from one to nine can appear only once in each of the 9 3x3 squares, in each individual line and in each column. The difference is only in the number of originally displayed figures. Tactics to solve medium web Sudoku game We would like to give you some tips to help you solve medium Sudoku. When solving printed Sudoku, use different colors for each digit. Thus, it will be easier for you to track whether a figure is really found just once. You can also mark solutions with a symbol that are based on others. This will allow you to track the sequence of your actions and facilitate the game. If you are playing web Sudoku, special notes are provided on Sudoku.com, with which you can put the possible numbers in the appropriate squares and verify the entered data, and then delete or replace it. Also there are tips on the site, using which it won`t be a problem for you to solve medium difficulty Sudoku! If you’re trying to get better at playing Sudoku, one of the best ways to improve your skills is to read Sudoku books. There are a wide variety of Sudoku books on th...

About this Sudoku Solver This solver offers a number of features to help you improve your solving skills and practice solving strategies. Solve Features Enter the numbers of the puzzle you want to solve in the grid. You can solve the puzzle completely, partially or solve a single cell using the buttons in the Solving section of the Features block. Button: Solve Cell Solves the cell of your choice. Click in the cell you want to solve first, then click this button Button: Solve Solves the puzzle completely Button: Solve Partially Solves the puzzle partially according to the preference settings. To set the preferences, click on the icon in the main menu at the top of the page. Helper Features The solver provides several analysis features which allow you to check if a puzzle is valid, rate the difficulty of a puzzle or get hints on how to solve a puzzle step by step. Button: Check Checks if the puzzle is valid, can be solved and has a single solution Button: Rate Difficulty Display a difficulty rating for the remaining unsolved cells of the puzzle. Ratings are based on the techniques needed to solve the puzzle logically. Below is the list of ratings and associated solving techniques: Button: Hint Request a hint to find the next cell to solve. A hint will either identify a cell which can be solved or a cell or cells where candidates can be removed. If candidates are entered on the grid, those candidates will be used to help provide a hint, otherwise the solver will generate the...

Advanced solving techniques As seen on InNovember 2006, The Times introduced a new extreme level of Sudoku giving players a moredifficult level of logic: Super Fiendish. Many have welcomed the new challenge but some have asked for help. So, as we increase the difficulty Super Fiendish, the time has come to present the essential techniques for solving the most difficult Sudoku puzzles. Please be reassured that all Sudoku puzzles published in the Times are always solvable by logical means. Here we present the techniques that will help you solve the hardest puzzles using only logic and no guesswork. First a couple of preliminary points: if you have ever completed any Fiendish or Super Fiendish Sudoku, you will be familiar with noting down candidates or pencil marks. Pencil marks are small numbers, usually written at the top of each unsolved square, listing all the possible values for that square. With many advanced techniques, the key is to spot patterns within your pencil marks to eliminate possibilities within other squares. Whenever you solve a square, you must remove that number from the pencil marks in all other squares in the same row, column and block. The x-wing technique Essentially, this method uses the fact that in certain cases, there are only two possible ways of placing two numbers in four squares which form a rectangle. There is a relationship between the diagonally opposite squares, hence the “x” in x-wing. The term x-wing itself derives from the x-wing fighte...

About New York Times Games Since the launch of The Crossword in 1942, The Times has captivated solvers by providing engaging word and logic games. In 2014, we introduced The Mini Crossword — followed by Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, Tiles and Vertex. In early 2022, we proudly added Wordle to our collection. We strive to offer puzzles for all skill levels that everyone can enjoy playing every day. New York Times Games • The Crossword • The Mini Crossword • Spelling Bee • Wordle • Tiles • Letter Boxed • Vertex • Sudoku • Crosswords • • • • Community • • • Learn More • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

About this Sudoku Solver This solver offers a number of features to help you improve your solving skills and practice solving strategies. Solve Features Enter the numbers of the puzzle you want to solve in the grid. You can solve the puzzle completely, partially or solve a single cell using the buttons in the Solving section of the Features block. Button: Solve Cell Solves the cell of your choice. Click in the cell you want to solve first, then click this button Button: Solve Solves the puzzle completely Button: Solve Partially Solves the puzzle partially according to the preference settings. To set the preferences, click on the icon in the main menu at the top of the page. Helper Features The solver provides several analysis features which allow you to check if a puzzle is valid, rate the difficulty of a puzzle or get hints on how to solve a puzzle step by step. Button: Check Checks if the puzzle is valid, can be solved and has a single solution Button: Rate Difficulty Display a difficulty rating for the remaining unsolved cells of the puzzle. Ratings are based on the techniques needed to solve the puzzle logically. Below is the list of ratings and associated solving techniques: Button: Hint Request a hint to find the next cell to solve. A hint will either identify a cell which can be solved or a cell or cells where candidates can be removed. If candidates are entered on the grid, those candidates will be used to help provide a hint, otherwise the solver will generate the...

Medium Sudoku is a logic puzzle which is harder than an easy one and requires certain tactics to solve it. Hard and Medium level Sudoku often require certain tactics to solve them. If you started with easy Sudoku, you will soon realize that you have become too quick to deal with these puzzles and want more! At this point, you can move to medium level Sudoku. The rules remain the same for medium Sudoku puzzles. The number from one to nine can appear only once in each of the 9 3x3 squares, in each individual line and in each column. The difference is only in the number of originally displayed figures. Tactics to solve medium web Sudoku game We would like to give you some tips to help you solve medium Sudoku. When solving printed Sudoku, use different colors for each digit. Thus, it will be easier for you to track whether a figure is really found just once. You can also mark solutions with a symbol that are based on others. This will allow you to track the sequence of your actions and facilitate the game. If you are playing web Sudoku, special notes are provided on Sudoku.com, with which you can put the possible numbers in the appropriate squares and verify the entered data, and then delete or replace it. Also there are tips on the site, using which it won`t be a problem for you to solve medium difficulty Sudoku! If you’re trying to get better at playing Sudoku, one of the best ways to improve your skills is to read Sudoku books. There are a wide variety of Sudoku books on th...

omyim1637/Shutterstock Sudoku puzzles There’s a lot more to Sudoku than simply writing numbers in a row and column. Sitting down before a fresh Sudoku grid and playing Sudoku requires logic, not guesswork, and a substantial knowledge of Sudoku solving techniques. Once you know these Sudoku tips, you will be able to solve even the most challenging puzzle—though you’re on your own when it comes to these Shutterstock, rd.com What is pencil marking in Sudoku? Sudoku pencil marking is a systematic Sudoku solver strategy in which puzzle doers use a pencil to write small numbers inside the squares, denoting which numbers may fit in. Conceptis Puzzles says that, “After pencil marking the puzzle, the solver must analyze the results, identify special number combinations, and deduce which numbers should be placed where.” Pencil is, of course, easy to erase in a hurry once you find the solution—or realize you made a mistake. Your pencil won’t help you Shutterstock, rd.com What is the swordfish technique in Sudoku? You won’t need a Sudoku strategy involving the swordfish technique when just learning how to play Sudoku—not every puzzle has a swordfish pattern—but as you progress, you may run into this technically challenging puzzle pattern—and it may confound you.  “A Swordfish pattern occurs when three rows (or three columns) each contain two or three cells that hold a matching locked candidate,” according to • More Items • • • • • • • More Items • • • • • • • • More Items •...