Sudoku may seem difficult at first glance, but actually it is not as hard as it looks!
The aim is to fill in the whole grid – and depending on the difficulty of the puzzle this can be quite easy (just counting and checking), or later on for more tricky puzzles require a bit more logic and reasoning
Fill a number in to every cell in the grid, using the numbers 1 to 9
You can only use each number once in each row, each column, and in each of the 3×3 boxes
The three red questionmarks are in places where there is a missing value – but it is easy to see which number to place in each. If the rest of the line or box is complete, then by a process of elimination, you know which value must be left!
In this case, the only number missing from the horizontal row is a 3.
The number missing from the vertical column is a 9.
The value missing from the box is a 4!
All you really need to get started is a Sudoku puzzle (preferably an easy one!), a pencil + eraser, and a spare half-hour when you think you can get away without being disturbed!
Getting Started – its easy!
Here are 6 beginner puzzles, starting off really easy, and ramping up bit-by-bit!
Until you’ve had lots of practise filling out puzzles, here are some questions that you can ask as you play to help you to make progress:
Where could I place the value X in this row / this column / this box ? (Go through the numbers 1 to 9, and scan to see if the number is already in that row / column / box)
What value could I put in this cell? (If there’s just one acceptable – put it in!)
What row / column / box is nearly full, and can I fill it?
Finally some thoughts:
Don’t Panic! The solution is in there somewhere!
Don’t Guess! For everything up to expert level, you don’t need to guess!
Don’t Worry! It might look hard to begin with, but as you fill in more it gets easier and easier
How did you do?
Was it as tricky as you thought it would be? Hopefully you didn’t make too many mistakes, but if you did don’t worry – everyone does to begin with!
You can tell if you’re already a Sudoku addict if you got a little bit of satisfaction every time you placed a number, a smile every time you completed a row, column or box, and a big grin of smugness when you filled out the whole puzzle!
If you’re ready for some more, click here for plenty of free Sudoku!
