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How to Solve Sudoku with Pencil Marks. Using pencil marks to solve sudoku puzzles is an extremely common solving technique. Especially as you advance to more difficult puzzles where using pencil marks not only helps but is pretty much necessary.
- Tips and Tricks
Pencil marking possible candidates into empty cells will...
- Tips and Tricks
GETTING STARTED. To solve a regular Sudoku puzzle, place a number into each cell of the diagram so that each row across, each col-umn down, and each block within the larger diagram (there are 9 of these) will contain every number from 1 through 9. In other words, no number may appear more than once in any row, column, or block.
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You can learn more about solving Sudoku puzzles with pencil marking here. Hidden pairs. This is the first of many techniques that relies on proper pencil marking. A hidden pair is when you have the same two digits pencil marked in precisely two cells within the same row, column, or 3×3 block.
- Know Where to Start Solving
- Look For Single Candidates
- Work on Your Scanning Techniques
- Don’T Focus Too Long in The One Place
- Keep The Momentum Going
- Make Use of Pencil Marking
- Look For Naked Pairs
- Look For Hidden Pairs
- Work Your Way Through More Advanced Sudoku Strategies
- Don’T Guess – Use The Process of Elimination
If you’re new to playing Sudoku, you might find you don’t know where to start whenever you first look at a new puzzle. Sometimes placing the first digit in the grid can be the hardest part. To make it easier, there are certain things you’ll want to look for. There are also certain things you don’t want to do. The first tip is to look for rows, colu...
Single candidates, also known as naked singles, occur when a particular cell can only has one possible candidate. This will be because all the other digits from 1 to 9 will have been ruled out by other numbers in the grid. If you look at the Sudoku puzzle below, you’ll notice that cell row 7, column 5 only has a single candidate – 1. This is becaus...
Don’t try to focus on the entire Sudoku grid at the one time. Instead, it’s better to scan different rows, columns and 3×3 blocks one at a time. This way you’ll be able to identify which areas are easier so that you can tackle them first. Taking this tip a step further, when you feel confident, you’ll also want to scan a couple of areas at the one ...
Effective scanning also means that you don’t spend too long looking at one part of the grid. If you’re doing this, then it likely means that the part of the grid you’re focusing on requires you to place digits elsewhere in the grid before you can resolve it. That’s why it’s important to learn how to shift your focus around the grid to identify whic...
Because some areas of the grid will require you place other digits elsewhere first before they can be resolved, it makes Sudoku a puzzle of momentum. Once you start placing digits in the grid, it will become apparent that you can resolve other empty cells almost in a cascading manner. This is why it’s important to scan along rows, columns and withi...
Pencil marking possible candidates into empty cells will help work your way through Sudoku puzzles through the process of elimination. When done right, pencil marking will also help refine your scanning techniques and identify naked pairs as well as hidden pairs (both covered below). To learn more, check out our guide on how to pencil mark Sudoku p...
A naked pair is when two empty cells can only contain the exact same two possible candidates. An example of a naked pair has been highlighted in the Sudoku below. Because these two empty cells in row 8 can only contain either a 2 or a 3, it immediately rules 2s and 3s out of the remaining empty cells in both the 3×3 block and the entire row. This i...
Related to the concept of naked pairs is the idea of hidden pairs. The difference between a pair being naked or hidden is whether the pair is the onlytwo possible candidates or not. If in the example above there was no 7 in the bottom right box, then there would be no naked pair, but we would still be able to place the 6 in the first cell of the gr...
As you work your way up from easiest levels to the hardest levels, you’ll have to new and deploy new and increasingly advanced Sudoku strategies. While pencil marking and X-wingsare fairly basic strategies, the harder the puzzles get, the more complicated the strategies you’ll have to learn. This is part of the fun of cracking Sudokus where you get...
Our last Sudoku tip is simple: Remember that Sudoku is a puzzle of logical deduction that uses the process of elimination to arrive at an unique solution. That means you never have to guess when solving a Sudoku. Instead, remain patient and think about the puzzle in front of you logically and carefully all while keeping the Sudoku hints and tips ab...
Just like with solitaire or mahjong there are strategies out there that you can use to help increase your chances of solving the sudoku puzzle. It just takes some practice and research to figure out what the strategies are and how they work.
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Jun 25, 2023 · Use a Pencil: When solving Sudoku puzzles, it’s best to use a pencil instead of a pen. This allows you to easily make changes and erase any mistakes without creating a messy grid. Start with the Basics: Begin by focusing on the empty squares that have the most given numbers.
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Explore our collection of free printable Sudoku puzzles and solutions in various difficulty levels (easy, hard, evil), formats (2, 4 or 6 per page), and themes (kids, large). Our Sudoku books are available in PDF format, ready for you to print and play off-screen.
