Do you want to try to solve a Sudoku puzzle but don't know where to start? This puzzle looks very complex because it involves numbers, but it doesn't actually involve any mathematical process. Even if you think you are a "landslide" in math, know that you can still be able to play Sudoku. In fact, you can replace the numbers with letters or symbols, obtaining the same result; it's just a matter of recognizing the puzzle pattern. Start learning the elementary rules and then move on to techniques for beginners and experts.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Understanding the Basics
Step 1. Learn the pattern
The traditional sudoku is made up of a table of 9 large squares, each of which is divided into 9 smaller boxes; when you look at the puzzle, you can see that some of these boxes have numbers from 1 to 9. The more complex sudokus have few numbers.
Larger squares are often surrounded by a bold border, while boxes are defined by thin lines; besides, the big ones can be colored just like a chessboard
Step 2. Align the rows and columns
One of the basic rules is that within each row and each column there must be all the numbers from 1 to 9 without repetition.
Step 3. Pay attention to the numbers of the large squares
Also in this case, all the numbers from 1 to 9 must appear within each sector. Each digit must appear only once, since each square is made up of 9 boxes.
If the number "2" appears in a large square, you can be sure that there cannot be another in the same sector
Step 4. Use a pencil instead of a pen
Since you are a beginner in this game, you are likely to make mistakes and, if you use a pen, you may mess with the diagram; opt for the pencil to be able to erase what you write.
Method 2 of 3: Start with Simple Clues
Step 1. Look for a square with only one empty square
Inspect the whole table to see if there is a sector that is missing only one number and fill it with the correct digit (from 1 to 9) proceeding by exclusion.
For example, if you can read the numbers 1 to 3 and 5 to 9 in a large square, you know for sure that 4 is missing and you can write it down in the blank box
Step 2. Check each row and column for a single blank box
Slide your finger along each horizontal or vertical row to find a single free space; if so, note which number is missing and write it down.
If in a column there are the numbers from 1 to 7 and 9, only the 8 is missing and you can write it in the corresponding box
Step 3. Keep checking the columns and rows to complete the larger squares
Look at a row of three large sectors and look for a number that is in two different squares. Slide your finger on the rows that contain this figure: the third sector must also show it, but it must not be in the two rows you just traced; it must necessarily be in the third line. Sometimes there are two numbers that occupy the other boxes, so you can easily write the value in question in the only one remaining.
If you can read the number 8 in two sectors, look for the same digit in the third square. Run your finger along the lines that contain each 8, as you know for sure that that number cannot be in the same lines as the third sector
Step 4. Check in the opposite direction
Once you have checked the table by rows or by columns, repeat the operation in the perpendicular direction. Consider the previous example but with a slight difference; suppose that, when you get to the row of the third square, there is only one square already occupied.
In this case, you cannot know exactly in which of the two free boxes you can write the figure, but you can proceed by exclusion by checking the columns. If the number is already present in a column, you know for sure that you cannot repeat it and you have to write it down in the other available box
Step 5. Proceed by groups of numbers
This means that if a digit is repeated often, you can try to fill in the boxes where the missing repetitions should be. If the table has so many 5s, check the pattern to try to place as many missing 5s as possible.
Method 3 of 3: More Complex Techniques
Step 1. Look at a series of three large sectors
Another method involves analyzing three squares in a row or column; choose a number and see if you can put it in all three.
For example, consider number 6. Check which rows or columns already contain it and use them to inspect three large sectors. Based on the information you have and the numbers already in the pattern, try to enter as many of the other 6 as possible
Step 2. Write the numbers in pencil
As the puzzle becomes more complex, you may realize that the techniques described are not always sufficient to solve it; in this case, you have to hazard a solution and fill in the boxes with hypothetical numbers. When considering a possibility, write the small figure in the corner of the box using the pencil; you may even end up writing 3-4 tentative numbers as you solve the quiz.
As you go along, you realize that some boxes have only one hypothetical number and you can then write it down definitively
Step 3. Check your work often
As you fill in the boxes, go through the logical steps and check for whitespace. Once you have added new digits, you can also complete the boxes that remain empty.
