Advanced Solving StrategiesThis is a featured page




There are actually only 7 techniques that combined will solve any puzzle....

For an in-depth video tutorial teaching you the most advanced Sudoku Secrets Take a look at the Sudoku Video.

Exclusion [Singleton]
1
2
3
4
5
6
?
8
9








































































Simply put, if there is only one option for a cell, it must be that option.
Likewise, that option is not allowed for other cells in a given constraint(row, column,grid)
In this case, the cell in question (?) can not be a 1,2,3,4,5,6,8 or 9 so it must be a 7.

This alone will solve the easy puzzles.

Uniqueness [Singleton]
1










1





8





?



6

1





?















2


1





42











The reverse of exclusion, here the cell in question could be any number, but it is the only cell in the grid that could be a 1, therefore it must be the 1 for that grid.


These two techniques will solve most medium & hard puzzles








1 2 3


? -
* * 6 - - - - - -
7 8 9
4

-







-







- 4







-






1 * 7






2 * 8






3 6 9

Exclusion [Doubles]
two options for two spaces affecting others
Here is a variation of the above but for doubles. Namely, you have two spaces with only two options [4 & 5] therefore the rest of the constraint (column, row, grid) must have neither the 4 or the 5.

Exclusion removes options from the other cells (-) in a constraint.






? *







*
3





6




3
2







9

















2







9






3







Uniqueness [Doubles]
two options for two spaces affecting self
Again, an other variation of the above uniqueness, here we have two spaces (*) which are the only spaces in which a 2 or a 9 are possible for the constraint (grid) therefore, the remaining numbers 1,3,4,5,6,7,8 must be removed, leaving the ? cell the only one where a 3 is possible.

Uniqueness removes options from the unique cells in question.







1 2 3


? -



- - - - - -
7 8 9
4

-







-







- 4







-






1
7






2
8






3
9
Exclusion [Triples]
three options for three spaces affecting others
Variation of the above but for triples. Namely, you have three spaces with only three options [4,5 & 6] therefore the rest of the constraint (column, row, grid) must have neither the 4,5 or the 6.

Be aware that this can show up in a slightly trickier form of three cells, three options such as
[4,5] [4,6] [5,6]. This is harder to recognize than the more repetitious [4,5,6] [4,5,6] [4,5,6]

Exclusion removes options from the other cells (-) in a constraint.




? *







*
3





*




3
2







9







6








2







9






3 6






Uniqueness [Triples]
three options for three spaces affecting self
Again, an other variation of the above uniqueness, here we have three spaces (*) which are the only spaces in which a 2,6 or a 9 are possible for the constraint (grid) therefore, the remaining numbers 1,3,4,5,7,8 must be removed, leaving the ? cell the only one where a 3 is possible.

Again, remember that three options for three spaces could also be [2,9] [6,9] [2,6,9].

Uniqueness removes options from the unique cells in question.



*
^
^






*
^
^






*
^
^






1








2












8




4








5















8

Cross Constraints
Row or Column intersecting a Grid
^ = not an 8
This is an interesting issue where a grid is intersected by either a row or a column. In this case, the 8 must appear with in the intersection (*'s) of the cross constraints, and therefore must not occur in the non-shared cells of the two constraints (^)

With these 7 techniques you can now solve ANY sudoku puzzle


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Anonymous Tough one!! 1 Oct 30 2009, 5:10 PM EDT by Anonymous
 
Thread started: Sep 17 2008, 10:06 PM EDT  Watch
I've used all these techniques (except I'm not sure what the 7th technique was talking about). If this techinique could really help, I'd like some better explaining. I have a Mensa sudoku book that started easy and gets VERY hard. I am at #330 out of 600, and I am coming to where I cannot solve any more and was looking for a good tip on another method of figuring. If anyone knows an additional tip or could explain this 7th one, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.
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Anonymous Typo - 'Advanced' 0 May 31 2009, 2:27 PM EDT by Anonymous
 
Thread started: May 31 2009, 2:27 PM EDT  Watch
The real typo here is calling these 'advanced' strategies. These are beginner's strategies for finding what we call the 'freebies' - the cells you can fill in on a Sudoku board without ever requiring 'candidates', where you know a cell is one of a few numbers, and pencil those in small. Any Sudoku of 'Difficult' or above is likely to require candidates; and the techniques for solving those range through pairs, triples and quads, naked and hidden - none of these techniques covered here. At 'Fiendish', you generally find you can't solve the candidates as you go, unlike 'Difficult', and have to fill them all in and start looking. Beyond 'Fiendish', at 'Super Fiendish', expect to start needing X-Wings and Swordfishes. For the Mensa books, these are just starter techniques all over again. To find out what's *really* needed to solve these puppies, try www.scanraid.com/AdvanStrategies.htm

Don't be intimidated by the *really* advanced stuff, though. For anything you find in a newspaper or general puzzle book, techniques beyond X-Wing generally won't be needed.

I'm on the Mensa book 3 however; and X-Wings don't even scratch the surface there. But I'll be trying the scanraid techniques, and expecting a few more victories soon.
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Anonymous Advanced techniques? 0 Mar 20 2009, 12:32 AM EDT by Anonymous
 
Thread started: Mar 20 2009, 12:32 AM EDT  Watch
Do you have use for techniques such as swordfish, forcing loops and chains, conjugate pair chains, xy and xyz wings? I have used the above techniques for any basic, medium and hard puzzles, but often they are not enough for the fiendish puzzles I enjoy doing. Do you find these are enough?
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