Are all Sudoku puzzles the same?

Are all Sudoku puzzles the same? Realistically, no! There are 6,670,903,752,021,072,936,960 possible solvable Sudoku grids that yield a unique result (that's 6 sextillion, 670 quintillion, 903 quadrillion, 752 trillion, 21 billion, 72 million, 936 thousand, 960 in case you were wondering).

How many versions of Sudoku are there?

There are exactly 6, 670, 903, 752, 021, 072, 936, 960 possible solutions to Sudoku (about 10^21) .

Do some Sudoku puzzles require you to guess?

Can all Sudoku puzzles be solved without guessing? According to Sudoku Of The Day, “Sudoku is a puzzle involving logic—no arithmetic or guessing is required!” While you can, guess, of course, if your guess is wrong, it will throw off the rest of the puzzle and you'll need to start over.

What's the trick to solving Sudoku?

The easiest way starting a Sudoku puzzle is to scan rows and columns within each triple-box area, eliminating numbers or squares and finding situations where only a single number can fit into a single square. The scanning technique is fast and usually sufficient to solve easy puzzles all the way to the end.

What is the 45 rule in Sudoku?

The 45 rule is a basic solving-technique in Killer Sudoku. Each house (row, column, nonet) must add to 45 (the sum of the digits 1 through 9).

How to Play Sudoku for Absolute Beginners

What is the rule of 3 in Sudoku?

"Hidden triples" applies when three cells in a row, column, or 3x3 block contain the same three Notes. These three cells also contain other candidates, which may be removed from them.

What is Sudoku rule of 1?

Rule 1 - Each row must contain the numbers from 1 to 9, without repetitions. The player must focus on filling each row of the grid while ensuring there are no duplicated numbers. The placement order of the digits is irrelevant. Every puzzle, regardless of the difficulty level, begins with allocated numbers on the grid.

What is the swordfish technique in Sudoku?

A Swordfish is a 3 by 3 nine-cell pattern where a candidate is found on three different rows (or three columns) and they line up in the opposite direction. Eventually we will fix three candidates somewhere in those cells which excludes all other candidates in those units.

How do you solve a hard Sudoku without guessing?

How do you find hidden pairs in Sudoku?

If you're looking for hidden pairs, you're looking for two numbers which only exist in two cells within that area – even though there will be other candidates in the same cell “hiding” them. For triples, you'll be looking for three cells, and so on.

Are you smart if you can solve Sudoku?

From this case study it can be concluded that an individual who is skilled at solving Sudoku puzzles likely has a high general IQ. The results of the weak correlation between Sudoku scores and the WAIT test indicates that in some cases a high Sudoku doesn't necessarily mean a high general IQ.

What is an evil Sudoku puzzle?

What is Sudoku Evil? Sudoku evil is a 9×9 grid sudoku puzzle with the highest possible level of difficulty. It's an advanced level only for experienced sudoku solvers.

What is the fewest clues in Sudoku?

The fewest clues required for a proper Sudoku is 17, but not all completed grids can be reduced to a proper 17 clue Sudoku. About 49,000 unique (non-equivalent) Sudokus with 17 clues have been found. (A proper Sudoku has only one solution).

Can there be 2 solutions to a Sudoku puzzle?

A well-formed Sudoku puzzle is one that has a unique solution. A Sudoku puzzle can have more than one solution, but in this case the kind of logical reasoning we described while discussing solving strategies may fall short.

Is there a pattern in Sudoku?

Patterns are essentially a series of completed numbers (either givens or numbers that have been filled in) in a specific order in one of the boxes on the sudoku grid. Patterns help you organize the remaining numbers and eliminate possibilities in a box, and in related boxes, rows and columns.

Is Sudoku always 9 by 9?

The given board contains only digits 1–9 and the character '. ' . You may assume that the given Sudoku puzzle will have a unique solution. The given board size is always 9x9.

Why are some Sudoku impossible to solve?

Multiple Correct Solutions

Another example of a puzzle that can not be solved is when it has multiple legitimate solutions. Following all the rules you end up with two or more different solutions from the same starting squares.

Is it possible for a Sudoku puzzle to be unsolvable?

Nope, it's impossible. By definition, a Sudoku puzzle has one and only one solution. If you find something that looks like a Sudoku but has multiple solutions — or none — it is not an actual Sudoku puzzle.

What is a jellyfish pattern in Sudoku?

If a particular candidate is present in four or less Cells in four Rows and if these Cells belong to the same four Columns, then whichever Cells the candidate is the solution for in any of these four Rows, these Cells must be in different columns.

What are the ghost numbers in Sudoku?

Ghost numbers are empty cells in a row, column or box that are the only cells that can hold a specific digit. Ghost numbers can be used to narrow down the possible places in other rows, columns or boxes where the same digit can exist.

What is the 159 rule in Sudoku?

Normal sudoku rules apply: Each row, column, and region indicated by thick borders in the grid must contain the digits 1 to 9 once each. 159: Digits in column 1 indicate the column in which the digit 1 appears in that row (e.g. if r4c1 is a 6, r4c6 is a 1).

What is the rule of two in Sudoku?

The game of Sudoku consists of a grid of nine rows and nine columns subdivided into nine 3x3 subgrids. It has two basic rules: Each column, each row, and each box (3x3 subgrid) must have the numbers 1 to 9. No column, row or box can have two squares with the same number.

What is the last possible number rule in Sudoku?

Last possible number is a simple strategy that is suitable for beginners. It is based on finding the missing number. To find the missing number you should take a look at the numbers that are already exist in the 3x3 block you are interested in, and in the rows and columns connected with it.

What is the minimum time to solve Sudoku?

Normally it takes 4–6 minutes, but the really hard ones sometimes take 15 minutes to be solved.