Sudoku Homework Walkthrough, 1.1
Tips and Tricks: Sudoku Lesson 1.1
On the right hand side (no, the other right, Einstein) of this lesson round-up, we have posted what Sudoku Lesson 1.1 Game # 1001 should look like after one full number sweep. Confused? Haven't read Sudoku Lesson 1.1? Didn't print out the game board? Go back and check it out here:
How to Play Sudoku: Tips and Tricks, Lesson 1.1
You may very well ask, "Sudoku Tips and Tricks Team, why didn't you fill in some of the other obvious squares? Did you guys miss them?" It's true, even the average first-time Sudoku gamer might have solved a square in the bottom-left 3x3 box or the bottom-right 3x3 box, or yadda-yadda-yadda. This is all well and good when you have an easy Sudoku puzzle to solve, such as this one.
It is very important for you to get into the habit of making these sweeps all the time. It is important not only when you are beginning a new Sudoku puzzle, but also after every step you take to solve a particular game. We want you to place your faith in the sweep method whether it seems too easy for you or not. Later, when your Sudoku bag of tricks is heavier and the puzzles you face are more challenging, you will pat yourself on the back for learning the sweep lesson NOW.
Sudoku Homework 1.1: Sweeping After Every Step
You have completed your first full Sudoku board sweep. What should you do now? You should do what you will always do after every step: another board sweep.
You can see where this leads: after every board sweep that delivers a brand new shiny number to your doorstep, you will go ahead and do another board sweep.
Yep. Keep sweeping the Sudoku board until you are no longer turning up new numbers. In the case of this particular puzzle, Sudoku 1.1 Game 1001, you will never get to a point where a board sweep fails to deliver.
Breaking Down Each Sweep
Give it a try. Make sure you have printed out the original Example and then get to it: do a sweep, 1 through 9. Once you have finished with number 9, consider whether or not you solved any new squares during the sweep. If you solved even one tiny new square, go back to the number 1 and perform another sweep. So on. So forth. Keep sweeping until you have done a full sweep without any new solutions.
Once again, as always, for the record: feel free to click on any or all of the Sudoku puzzle images: we will open them for you in a nice clean window. All you need to do is print them.
We have provided full Sudoku board images of every sweep you will need to do: there are only four full sweeps (five, if you count the last). The last image is the puzzle solution.
Please notice the following: even when you restrain yourself from filling in the obvious answers that do not directly link to a board sweep, by the end of your fourth board sweep you will have solved every square on the board, except for three.
. . .
Meditate on that for a minute.
Our board sweep technique asked you to proceed numerically from one to nine, adding only those numbers to the board that followed from a round of sweeping. And after only four sweeps through the board, you have already solved for nearly every square.
The remaining squares are as easy as pie (eating pie, rather than making pie). For all of your hard efforts, we have decided to post a nice, clean solution to Lesson 1.1.
What Comes Next
Once you have the Sudoku sweep down pat, you are ready to move on to Lesson 1.2: Counting your Eggs.
Counting your Eggs is another simple technique that you need to learn early in your Sudoku training. This technique harmonizes beautifully with your Sweeping technique. In fact, Counting your Eggs brings your sweeping broom out of the stone age and into the modern era.
When your Sudoku bag of tricks is heavier, and filled with advanced, awe-inspiring tricks, you will discover that the Counting your Eggs step will come quite naturally to you. Learning these two techniques together puts you on the fast track to Sudoku success.
Ready? Stroll over to How to Play Sudoku: Tips and Tricks, Lesson 1.2
1 comment:
nice tips, thanks!
Sudoku strategy tips
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