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Sudoku Difficulty Levels

beginner

What makes a puzzle easy or hard

Sudoku puzzles come in various difficulty levels, from easy to extremely challenging.

Understanding the Concept

Difficulty is determined by several factors:

1. Number of given clues - Easy puzzles have 30-35 givens, hard puzzles may have only 17-20.

2. Required solving techniques - Easy puzzles need only basic logic, while hard puzzles require advanced techniques.

3. Distribution of clues - Well-distributed clues make puzzles easier.

4. Logical path complexity - Hard puzzles may require looking many steps ahead.

Common difficulty levels are: Easy, Medium, Hard, Expert/Evil.

As you progress, you'll learn techniques that make harder puzzles solvable.

Examples

Easy Puzzle (Many Clues)

This easy puzzle has many given numbers. You can solve it with basic techniques like last missing digit and naked singles.

5
3
4
6
7
8
9
1
2
6
7
2
1
9
5
3
4
8
1
9
8
3
4
2
5
6
7
8
5
9
7
6
1
4
2
3
4
2
6
8
5
3
1
7
1
3
9
2
4
8
5
6
9
6
1
5
3
7
2
8
4
2
8
7
4
1
9
6
3
5
3
4
5
2
8
6
1
7
9
Solution

Hard Puzzle (Few Clues)

This hard puzzle has far fewer clues. You'll need advanced techniques like X-Wings or chains to solve it.

1
4
2
5
4
7
8
3
1
9
3
4
2
5
1
8
6

Pro Tips

  • •Start with easy puzzles to build confidence
  • •Learn one new technique at a time
  • •Don't jump to expert level too quickly
  • •Practice consistently to improve
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