SUDOKU
|
HOW TO PLAY SUDOKU (BRIEF RULES)
Sudoku is the new puzzle craze, originating from
Although the puzzle looks like a giant magic square, in fact there is no mathematics involved. In a typical grid, approximately 30 of the numbers will be given to you. From thereon, you can deduce the other digits using logic alone
To begin, look at the digit which occurs most frequently in the grid. In which rows, columns and boxes is it missing? Also look at rows, columns and boxes which are almost complete – which numbers are missing and where could they go? The rest is up to you!
Welcome to Sudoku, the new puzzle craze. A standard grid consists of 81 squares in a 9x9 arrangement (see Figure 1). You’ll notice that the grid is split up into nine 3x3 boxes, and that some of the cells already contain digits. This particular grid is about average in difficultly , but don’t worry – we’ll guide you through it. The aim of game is surprisingly simple: to fill each row, column and 3x3 box with the numbers from 1 to 9 inclusive. The best-devised puzzles allow you to complete the grid logically, without resorting to guesswork.
Let’s take our first steps to the answer (see Figure 2). Remember that each row, column and box must contain every digit. You’ll note that there is a ‘1’ in the second and third columns. Therefore, there must be a ‘1’ in the first column too, and the only 3x3 box it can go into is the bottom-left one. There’s only one free space it can go (circled).
On that same diagram, we’ll also look at some of the other ‘1’s. There isn’t one in the sixth row, and – by drawing imaginary lines crossing out all those rows and columns that already contain a ‘1’ – you can clearly see that there is only one place it can go in that middle-right box. |
