The Origins Of The Sudoku Puzzles

Chances are unless you’ve been hiding under a rock you’re probably familiar with the hugely popular number game called Sudoku. Just in case you’re not familiar with Sudoku it’s a puzzle game based around number placement and is a game of intense concentration, patience and steadfast thought.

Because of its wide spread following Sudoku puzzles can be found almost everywhere from textbooks, magazines and newspapers. In fact, Sudoku is now rapidly making its way across the Internet. The game is based on a series of grids with one big grid that is essentially a 9 x 9 grid that holds 9 smaller grids that are basically 3 x 3 grids.

The premise behind Sudoku is to place the numbers 1 to 9 into each of the grid squares or units. Although you might think that math is involved in this game it actually isn’t because you’re not required to add the numbers nor is it a requirement to try and figure out the sum of the columns and rows. So even though Sudoku is clearly a numbers game you dont need a Master’s degree in mathematics to fully enjoy it.

However, just like any game there are some rules that must be followed while playing Sudoku. They include the following:

1 Every number from 1 through 9 must appear at least one time in each row.

2 Each of the numbers (1 through 9) should only come out only one time in each column.

3 Each number from 1 to 9 should only appear once in each of the smaller 3 by 3 grids.

In order to increase the complexity of the game (the difficulty, excitement and challenge) the previously mentioned rules must be stringently followed in order to make sure that each 3 by 3 grid has the numbers from 1 to 9 to show only once in the series.

The beauty of Sudoku puzzle games lies in the fact that Sudoku can be played in different levels of complexity or degrees of difficulty. This is accomplished when the combined total of the numbers in the first level of the 9 by 9 grid matrix differ. Some Sudoku players believe that the game is easier if there are more numbers given on the first level. However, the reality is that this is not really accurate because the placement or assignment of each number is what creates the effect of increasing the complexity of the game and making the Sudoku puzzle more difficult to solve.

How To Play Sudoku Puzzles

Keeping in mind that you have to follow the 3 rules that were previously mentioned you are now ready to learn how to start playing Sudoku.

The Sudoku puzzle can be reasonably solved and doesn’t require you guessing everything while playing. Like most puzzles, the best way to begin is to start searching or looking for clues. Many experienced players start looking for the numbers that frequently appear in the first grid or puzzle. For example, lets assume you have several 5’s in the first puzzle. Now look in the 3 x 3 grid to see if the number 5 is also located there. Now start searching for other places where the number 5 appears. Check the columns and rows because these are designed to help you locate where the other 5’s are. Keep in mind that the number 5 can only appear 1 time in each of the 3 x 3 grid, columns or rows. If thee is already a 5 in columns 1 and 3 then there should not be any more 5’s in those 2 columns. So the final number 5 should be placed in column 2. This process of eliminating or removing all of the potentials in the box will leave you a bigger and better chance of solving the puzzle correctly.

While you are scanning or searching over all of the 3 x 3 grids you must make sure to only place the numbers 1 through 9 in the columns and rows that hold a majority of the numbers. If there are only 2 numbers left that are not in a column or row you must use a process of elimination in order to determine where to place the final 2 numbers. If you have ruled out one of the possibilities on each column or row there will be a chance to fill the line you are playing.

The steps explained above will help you solve simple puzzles and show you how to play the easy Sudoku. You will find that more advanced Sudoku puzzles are difficult and will require a skill set that experienced players use to look or examine the possibilities of the puzzle. These possibilities revolve around a player solving and winning the puzzle with all of the different choices given in every square. There will be instances where there is no way to remove a possibility so a number will have to be chosen. In this example, it is vital to remember where you have chosen that number in case that first choice was wrong.

No question about it, Sudoku is a game of careful thought and intense concentration requiring you to use your wits in order to achieve victory.

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Source: www.articlesbase.com