Sudoku is a math game very interesting for both children and adults. The objective of sudoku is fill in the empty boxes with the numbers from one to nine in all rows, columns, and all rectangular boxes where a series of random numbers occurs.
Classic sudoku consists of a 9 × 9 matrix divided into 3 × 3 sub-matrices in which you have to place the numbers from one to nine inside the boxes without repeating any.
The objective is to place the missing numbers in those boxes without repeating them in any of these three cases. That is the challenge that this game presents us and that many find it very frustrating, but with patience and mental training it will end up coming out. Everything is a matter of practice!
The origin of Sudoku
Sudoku appeared for the first time in 1979 in a magazine in New York (USA). This game was invented by Leonhard Euler in the 1970s and designed by architect Howard Gardner. Later, a Japanese company exported the game in the 1980s and from then on it became popular in Japan. Several changes were made to the said Game until it became what we now know as Sudokus and it was precisely the Japanese who were in charge of changing its name to Sudoku. By 2005, Sudoku was already known around the world.
How to Play Sudoku: Easy / Beginner Level
The first thing you are going to do is look for an easy sudoku puzzle. We will teach you a very useful trick called sweeping to find unique positions that some numbers can go into. If, for example, we realize that only three numbers are missing in a row, then those missing numbers are the ones that must be put in without repeating them, neither in the row nor in the column. Once you have figured out what the missing numbers are, then all you have to do is find a position that each one can go to.
To carry out the sweep, we must clear the number that is already positioned in each box and make sure that it is not repeated either in the row or in the column in which it is. Do exactly the same sweeps for any number you want to clear, and thus you will solve the missing numbers one by one.
Sweep can be done by rows first and continue discarding the numbers in the columns and so on until the Sudoku is completed.
How to Play Sudoku: Medium and Hard Level
In these grids, the numbers that are provided are reduced a little to guess which ones are missing. By grid it could be provided between two to three numbers, and the rest will depend on our skills and strategies to be able to solve it. In the case of the difficult level, only one number per grid is provided, so you will have to put more emphasis and attention on which number to place, taking into account that this is a number puzzle, we repeat that no number can be repeated in any box.
Tips to better play Sudoku
1. Solve one by one: The best thing is to get rid of yourself number by number. The first that We advise you to start with the highest number, which in this case for example is nine. Once we are more or less clear where all the nines will go, we will move on to the eight. And so with all the numbers from highest to lowest. Remember at all times that no number can be repeated, neither in the same grid nor in the same column, so the one you select is supposed to help you clear numbers as quickly as possible.
2. Think and take note before. It is important that you think hard, but even more so that you take note of the numbers that you suspect could be in those boxes. With a pencil, write the number you think will go in each box in a tiny little one so you don’t forget it later. This will help you when it comes to having all the numbers clear and you will be missing the last ones by filling in the board with the ones you are missing.
3. Organization: Do not go from one grid to another like crazy because that way you will get overwhelmed and you will not be able to advance with the sudoku in an orderly way. The best is focus all your attention on a single cellSo instead of having a big box of 3×3 boxed grids to focus on, you will only have a single 3×3 boxed cell. This will help you not lose your attention and you will better process the strategies you need to move forward with the game.
4. Material: If you are going to play with a pencil and paper never start the game using a pen, even if you have all the certainty in the world that this is the number that must be placed in that box. Use a pencil and eraser in case you have to correct a number and go back.
Where to find sudokus
If technology is not your greatest ally and you are one of those who prefer pencil and paper, there are also thousands of magazines and newspapers in which there are sections of hobbies and games to speed up and train the mind. There are also mobile applications available in both the Play Store and the App Store.
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
