curious asked: Trying my first puzzle, and getting frustrated! Is there a strategy?
Stanley
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on Thursday, October 9th, 2008 at 12:21 am and is filed under Sudoku FAQ.
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October 9th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Pencil. And look for a commonality in the numbers for location of the missing numbers.
October 9th, 2008 at 11:03 am
To find the lone number. Write down all the possible numbers there could be for a square and then when you find the lone number, it is easy from there.
October 9th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
focus on 1 line at a time
October 11th, 2008 at 2:58 am
Yes. First, each row, column, and box (each square of a tic-tac-toe grid) must have the numbers 1-9 in it. So I start with “1″ going through and putting in all the number “1’s” where I know they go. (ie. there is a 1 in this row, and that row, and this column, and that column, so the only spot left is this one.). Then do 2, 3, 4,… After you are done, start at one again. When you filled in all the ones you know, then start putting tiny numbers in the corners for all the maybes.. (Maybe a 4, or 7 go here). And eventually it will all fit together. It is all logically figured out–if there is something here, then there can’t be another one.
October 14th, 2008 at 12:52 am
These two strategies are the two I generally use.
1. If there seem to be a lot of one number, say, 9, try to fill in every 9. Remember, there needs to be one and only one in every row, column and box. If you are working with a pencil, put a line through every row and column and scribble (lightly) in each box. This will leave a few spaces free of your marks. These are possible locations of the 9. If there is only one square left in an unclaimed area, that would be where the 9 goes. This new information can help eliminate other squares.
2. Fill in an entire row, column or box if four or less squares are empty. Try using shared numbers to get to this. Example: A row is missing 2, 5 and 8. Two spaces are missing in a box that needs a 2, 3 and 5. That means the 8 would go in the other “non-common box” square in the row and the 3 in the remaining box square.
It is best to work with a combination of these two techniques, so don’t only rely on one. Using two at the same time can be effective. Also, if you’re working on one on the computer, try copying it down with a pencil.
Hope you find these helpful!
-Blacksheepmatt