Hard sudoku

Hard sudoku is where notes become essential, and the first patterns appear: digits locked into one line of a box, and cells that share the same two digits.

A thousand Hard puzzles, free in your browser. No sign-up, nothing to download.

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A Hard puzzle as it starts, with 27 digits given.

What it takes

How often each technique is needed in the game’s Hard puzzles, counted over 300 of them:

Hard puzzles start with 26 to 30 digits given, 27 on average. Every one has exactly one solution, and none needs a guess.

Tips

  • Fill in notes for the whole board before you look for patterns.
  • Check each box for a digit that is stuck on one row or column.
  • Two cells in a unit with the same two notes: those digits go from everywhere else in it.

Other levels

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