How to Play Sudoku: Tips and Tricks, Lesson 1.2

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Before Learning Sudoku Tips and Tricks, Lesson 1.2

Once again, make sure you are familiar with the basics of Sudoku and Sudoku puzzle rules. We are jumping directly into Sudoku Lesson 1.2, so we suggest you scan the following links to make sure you are on the right page, that there isn't a better place for you to begin:

1. Sudoku: Rules of the Game
2. How to Play Sudoku: Tips and Tricks, Lesson 1.1

You're in the right place? Good! Let's get to the good stuff:

Tips and Tricks: Sudoku Lesson 1.2

Sudoku White-Belts: on the right, labeled Sudoku Lesson 1.2 - Game 1005 is a fresh Sudoku puzzle for you to consider. We're certain (or nearly) that you've completed How to Play Sudoku: Tips and Tricks, Lesson 1.1. You are acquainted with our Sweeping the Sudoku Board technique, so why not give it a try with Game 1005? Click on the Sudoku puzzle, print it out, and proceed with your Sweeping. Remember two tricks: try to make mental sweeps rather than pencil sweeps; and do your best to trust the technique itself. See how far it takes you.

Adding Power to your Sudoku Method

Once again, please remember that cleaning up the Sudoku board is always the first thing to do when beginning a puzzle, and always the next thing to do when you've successfully completed a different step. Don't worry: this will make more sense as you proceed with these Sudoku lessons.

If you have tried to clean the Sudoku Puzzle #1005 board already, and if you stayed faithful to our method, you may be eying your results rather fretfully. Understood. Brothers and sisters, we feel your pain. After all your hard work, after three rounds of sweeping, you have only uncovered four new numbers. No, there's no point in attempting a fourth round until you've picked up a new Sudoku technique.

So. On your right, you have Sudoku Puzzle #1005 after three rounds of cleaning the puzzle board. Now it's time to add the Counting Your Sudoku Eggs tool to your Sudoku belt.

Counting Your Sudoku Eggs isn't difficult; however, whereas the Sudoku Sweep cashes your paycheck without any overtime work from you, Counting Your Sudoku Eggs greatly benefits from a touch of finesse and some intuition on your part. With that in mind, have another look at your Sudoku puzzle board. Take a minute to locate the 3x3 boxes, and the columns, and the rows, which at this moment have the most numbers already solved.

Sudoku Tips and Tricks gave our puzzle the old eyeball, in search of Sudoku Eggs. Intuition told us that the 3x3 box in the bottom-left of the Sudoku puzzle was a good bet (there are only two empty squares remaining), as was the seventh row from the top (three empty squares remaining). Check out the image on the right if you don't believe us.

Now that we've targeted two baskets that we hope will surrender up Sudoku eggs, what do we do? First, let's consider what information we have:
* In the bottom-left 3x3 box, the two remaining empty squares contain (1,3), in some order.
* The empty squares in the seventh row contain (1,6,7) in some order.

Can we use this information in any way?

Tips and Tricks: Using Sudoku Eggs

Simply stated: yes.

These Sudoku Eggs are the secret to Sudoku success. Right now, we're going to demonstrate only one quick use for your new Eggs. Have a glance over to the right. In the 3x3 box at the bottom-left of the Sudoku puzzle, we determined that those empty squares would one day be filled by the numbers 1 and 3.

Sure, we have no idea which number will go in which square. But we can still use that information, can't we? Let's use that information to help us complete a special Sudoku Sweep. Draw a mental line horizontally through the 1 and 3 across the board, and then complete full board sweeps for each of those two numbers. Remembering that the two empty squares in the bottom-center 3x3 box (again, consult the image to the right) must be filled with either a 1,6 or 7, we can now fill in a brand new shiny number 3 (in the yellow square).

What do you do after every successful step? That's right: do another Sudoku Sweep. And now you're on your way to solving Game #1005. If you make clever use of your Sweep technique AND the Sudoku Eggs in the seventh row from the top, you should be able to solve those three empty squares as well. Give this puzzle a try. DON'T FORGET: AFTER EVERY SUCCESSFUL STEP, DO ANOTHER SUDOKU SWEEP.

Finished? Check your work here:
Sudoku Tips and Tricks, Lesson 1.2 Walkthrough

Bag O' Tricks: Sudoku Links