—and a guide on how to get started.
I’ve just recently started playing Suduko. Not regularly; only when I have some extra time up my sleeves. I’d draw one on paper ( my device is incompatible with most Suduko apps ), would crack my neck, and begin to solve the puzzle. And, most of the time, it’d take me up to an hour to solve one.
Suduko seems scary and time-consuming, I know. Then why do I sit behind a screen, writing about why you should start playing it?
Here’s Why:
1. Suduko Doesn’t Requires Math.
Contrary to what beginners might believe, Suduko requires no understanding of math, although it does require logic ( a lot of it ) which is a branch of maths. The numbers you see on the puzzle are mere symbols, they can be substituted with any other symbols. However, numbers are the easiest symbols to work with.
Most simply, know that you don’t have to be good at Maths to play Suduko, and once you start playing it, you wouldn’t find it scary at all.
2. It’s Relaxing
I’ve heard a lot about the other benefits of Suduko, and never this one. I’ve found Suduko to be oddly relaxing, especially when I’m solving one on paper ( anything mobile-related just strains my eyes ). Even when I’m stuck I don’t feel mad, and the best-case scenarios are the one’s where I just keep filling in blocks --filling them to reveal the final Masterpiece, which relieves me even more.
3. Suduko’s Good For Your Brain
To keep your brain healthy, play Suduko. A study published in 2019 identified a 'close relationship between frequency of number‐puzzle use and the quality of cognitive function in adults aged 50 to 93 years old’. This suggests that playing these number games might improve your cognitive abilities.
According to an article published on Everyday Health, Suduko can delay dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It must be noted that although some studies have shown that puzzles can delay the progression of dementia some have shown no connection at all. Source: Harvard Health Publishing.
Generally, do remember to try different and new puzzles to stimulate your brain. If you’re already good at Suduko it wouldn’t stimulate your thinking as much as it would if you were entirely a beginner.
If you’re new to brain puzzles, Suduko is a great place to start.
How To Play Suduko
Okay. Take a deep breath. Here We Go.
Suduko is this 9×9 grid containing symbols 1-9. The grid is further divided into nine 3×3 boxes. Depending on the difficulty level of the puzzle, boxes are filled with a certain amount of numbers and all you have to do is to fill the remaining boxes is. Simple, right? There’s few rules: In one of the 3×3 box, use the numbers 1-9 only once and atleast once. In a row and column, do the same; fill the box with these numbers such that no number is missing and none gets repeated.
This is what a completed Suduko Puzzle looks like:
Look for yourself and see that within each 3×3 box, row, and column, no symbol repeats itself. Now that I've emphasized this point enough, let's test you.
What's the missing letter in the following box?
Guessed it? I won't give you the answer yet.
Let's Solve this one:
Answers:
Well, if your answer is 1 for the column, you are absolutely right!
For the box, the answer is 4.
Before You Go
Let’s be real, anyone could’ve solved the problems above. Like, anyone. Those were pretty easy.
Try the next two:
Here's what they like once solved:
The ones you’d encounter (even the easiest) are going to be harder than the ones above. I recommend you start with the 6×6 puzzle and progress on to the classic one once you’ve gotten comfortable with solving those.
The basic trick is to pinpoint the missing symbols. If there are more than two, observe the corresponding row and column to identify where to place the symbols.
Another trick I suggest remembering is:
The top two rows both have a 1. And two of the three boxes do too. We know that the left 3×3 grid (box) has to contain a 1. Where should we place it? Not in the first two rows of the box because the corresponding rows each already have a 1. So we place it in the third row, in the left 3×3 grid.
Now celebrate!
To simplify, if there’s a symbol in only two of the three boxes and two of the rows that make up those boxes, you might know exactly where to place the symbol, or at least narrow down the possibilities. Do remember to always check the corresponding columns too. For the sake of simplicity ( and aesthetics ) I’d only focus on rows here.
Okay, now you must be wondering how to get your hands on a Suduko Puzzle. There are tons of resources! You can download the apps, play online, or can buy books containing these puzzles. And if you want to learn more Suduko tricks to alleviate your skills, I suggest you head to Cracking the Cryptic and The Suduko Guy. These are the YouTube Channels dedicated to Suduko Puzzles.
Have fun solving puzzles!
All pictures except for the header are courtesy of the author.
