How To Play And Excel At Suduko
United States today. It doesn’t involve mathematics. But it
does require the use of your brain. Suduko has nothing to do
with knowledge, but it has everything to do with reasoning,
logic and critical thinking. So, awaken your gray cells and get
ready to play Suduko….
The Layout of Suduko
The regular Suduko puzzle board consists of a 9 x 9 grid. This
grid is further divided into 3 x 3 sub-grids bordered with bold
lines. They are called boxes or blocks or, at times, regions. A
total of 81 squares make up the game board. Some of these
squares have numbers in them already, while the remaining
squares are blank. The numbers generally used are from 1 to 9.
Rules of the Game
Start the game by filling the squares with numbers. Use logic
to decide the appropriate number for the square. You should
fill up the squares in such a way that:
• Every row must exhibit ALL the digits from 1 to 9.
• Every column must exhibit ALL the digits from 1 to 9.
• Every 3 x 3 block or box must exhibit ALL the digits from 1
to 9.
Point to remember: All nine digits can appear only ONCE in each
row, column, and block. Challenging.
Maddeningly so.
The ultimate objective of the puzzle is to have the numbers 1
to 9 properly allocated across each row, column, and block. And
you have to complete the game fast. You don’t have all day to
work on the puzzle..
Simple Rules, Complex Game
The rules of Suduko are quite simple. That’s its main
attraction. Games with lengthy and complicated rules turn most
people off. However, simple rules don’t indicate a simple
game—another powerful draw. Initially, you may feel it’s easy,
but as you proceed, you’ll realize how complex Suduko is.
Your mind will become consumed with a world of digits. You’ll
lose track of time, captivated with this amazing puzzle of
numbers. Once you start playing Suduko, you will fall in love
with it! You will become a Suduko-addict.
And addiction is just the beginning. There are many other
varieties of Suduko available. Some of them use symbols or
letters instead of numbers, while others use more than nine
digits. Such puzzles are highly complicated and can’t be solved
by just anyone. However, as you continue playing Suduko, your
mind will become hungry for more complex puzzles.
Ganbatte!
When you're attempting a difficult sudoku puzzle, first check out the digit that appears most frequently in the puzzle. Then look for the rows, columns, or 9-digit boxes that DON'T have that digit. The fact that there are more of the digit to begin with means it will be easier to discard possibilities. If a puzzle starts out with a digit that shows up five or more times, you've got a good chance to complete all the appearances of that digit, in all the columns and rows.
Next, look at the row or column with the most filled in boxes. If you're lucky, you'll have at least one that is missing only three digits. Now look at the empty box in that row that intersects the column (or row) with the second most filled in boxes. The large combined number of digits for the two is very likely to mean you can fill in that empty intersecting box.
Another tip is to alternate which group of empty cells you're concentrating on. Remember, there are three different dimensions of the puzzle that require nine different digits -- the columns, the rows, and the 9-digit boxes.
Let's say there's one digit in your puzzle that starts out appearing only once or twice in the initial array. You have little or no chance of just scouting out the rows or columns and figuring out which of them contain that rare digit.
But by concentrating on one of the nine-digit boxes that begins with five or more digits filled in, you will get down to a point where there are only two cells empty -- one with the rare digit and the other with a more common digit that is much easier to identify by process of row or column elimination. After that common digit is identified and filled in, you'll have an additional appearance of the rare digit that will really help with your continuing row and column work.
My approach is to basically ignore the rare digits, the nearly empty columns or rows, and the nearly empty nine-digit boxes, focusing all my work on the more populated ones. That focus helps you to fill in so much of the puzzle, based on firm logic, that the rest of it becomes much easier to do.
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