Why is it called Sudoku?

The name “sudoku” is abbreviated from the Japanese suuji wa dokushin ni kagiru, which means “the numbers (or digits) must remain single.” Now there are sudoku competitions across the globe, and variations of the puzzle often appear side-by-side the crossword puzzle in newspapers and magazines.

What was Sudoku originally called?

Originally, Sudoku was called "Suji-wa-Dokushin-ni-Kagiru," which translates to, "Numbers should be single, a bachelor." In recent years, Sudoku, believed to be the world's most popular pencil puzzle, has come out in digital versions.

What is the meaning of the word Sudoku?

: a puzzle in which missing numbers are to be filled into a 9 by 9 grid of squares which are subdivided into 3 by 3 boxes so that every row, every column, and every box contains the numbers 1 through 9.

Why is Sudoku not actually a math puzzle?

Myth: You must be good at math to play Sudoku

But this is not true. Sudoku is not about adding or subtracting or doing arithmetic – it's about placing numbers 1-9 on a grid, without repeating any of the same numbers within the same row, column or square. Sudoku is not a “math” game, it's a logic game.

What is the old meaning of Sudoku?

Publisher Nikoli made two small improvements to the concept and renamed it Sudoku - in Japanese Su means a number and doku roughly translates as singular or unique. From its publication in 1984, it became a sensation in a country where the alphabet is ill-suited to crosswords.

A brief history of the Sudoku

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).

What are the 3 rules of Sudoku?

Is Sudoku an IQ game?

Sudoku is a great example of a game of logical thinking skills that helps evaluate one's cognitive ability. If you're looking for how to challenge your brain or how to test your IQ, then you've come to the right place.

What is the one rule in Sudoku?

Sudoku Rule № 1: Use Numbers 1-9

Within the rows and columns are 9 “squares” (made up of 3 x 3 spaces). Each row, column and square (9 spaces each) needs to be filled out with the numbers 1-9, without repeating any numbers within the row, column or square.

Is there a trick to Sudoku?

There are more than a few techniques to solve a Sudoku puzzle, but per Conceptis Puzzles, the easiest way to a Sudoku solution 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.”

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 plural of Sudoku?

Noun. sudoku (countable and uncountable, plural sudokus)

What is the difference between Sudoku and Sudoku?

Whereas standard sudoku on a 9x9 grid has 27 regions, in a sudoku X puzzle there are 29 regions instead. The key to solving them is to remember that these two extra regions exist and using the information they provide to help you reduce the options for squares and hence solve the puzzle.

What is each box in a Sudoku known as?

Boxes can also be called blocks or regions. Three horizontally adjacent blocks are a band, and three vertically adjacent blocks are a stack. The initially defined values are clues or givens. An ordinary Sudoku (i.e. a proper Sudoku) has one solution.

How many Sudoku puzzles exist?

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

What is not allowed in Sudoku?

You can use only numbers from 1 to 9. Each 3×3 block can only contain numbers from 1 to 9. Each vertical column can only contain numbers from 1 to 9. Each horizontal row can only contain numbers from 1 to 9.

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).

Does Sudoku have 1 solution?

A properly formulated Sudoku puzzle has a unique solution. One can assume that a given puzzle actually is properly formulated, and use that in the reasoning, to exclude branches that would not lead to a unique solution.

What is the average time to solve a Sudoku?

It is believed that the average Sudoku player spends approximately 20 minutes solving a typical Sudoku puzzle. For very hard puzzles, that number can be much higher. While the game itself can be challenging and complex, several strategies can be used successfully to find the solution.

What will happen if I play Sudoku everyday?

Sudoku keeps your brain active and reduces the risk of Alzheimer's, a most common cause of dementia that affects a person's thinking and behavioural skills. Stimulates your mind: The game works on your logical thinking process as you are absorbed in solving a puzzle and eventually improve your number skills.

Does Sudoku help prevent Alzheimer's?

“Just sitting down and doing Sudoku isn't probably going to be the one key thing that's going to prevent you from developing Alzheimer's disease,” she said. Moreover, doing only one type of puzzle or another is not the key either. The brain needs to be exercised, just like any other muscle in the body.

What is a swordfish 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.

What to do when you get stuck in Sudoku?

Check your puzzle for 3 separate rows or columns where a potential digit can only fit into 2 or 3 cells in each. You should be able to connect the cells if you drew lines through the columns and rows. After you connect all of the cells you can erase the potential candidate from any other cells in those rows or columns.

How do you solve a hard Sudoku without guessing?