Top Nine Most Often Used Strategies for Solving Expert Sudoku Puzzles 

What your channel Rife

The subtitles make it difficult to follow your strategies, because they block cells in your examples. If that's not fixed it makes your video pointless

@@norman4628 The video looks just fine on my desk top. Thank you for your interest in sudoku.

My best for an easy sudoku is 1:10 is that good because google never gives me a straight answer

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

You are smart. I'm happy for you,

ALL of these?

@@N0Xa880iUL yup, ALL of those

@@meli6089 You're smart

*just* by playing? so you discovered them? 👁👄👁

Thank you.

4x

Thank you

2x

Trust me, just skip this video

Thank you for your comment. Regards,

actually the difference between claiming pair and pointing pair wasn't quite clear to me at first. Eventually understood though that with the pointing pair the conclusion is based on the block while for the claiming pair it is based on rows/columns

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

Thank you so much for your comment. Regards,

omg me too!

Me too I thought I was the only one using them 😂😂

Yes me too

Same.

Last three seems to be derivatives only. (Not useful)

@@3s-sahajselfstudy ur mom

@@3s-sahajselfstudy 9 months late, it this is completely wrong. They are all useful (a lot actually, in id say 1/2 sudokus you will find a hidden pair.)

What about Y wing technique?

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

Thank you for your comment.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

I do not think those techniques are for those who are solving easy or medium level players but also for hard and expert players as well

you just hate dishwashers

Me too 😭

Me too but the content on this video is perfect. I'm now solving diabolical puzzles

Chris Kibb k

@@Kevergy5 Thanks!

I am proud of you too. Congrats!

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

So after 5 years what does your brain feel like?

Thank you for your comment.

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Thank you for watching and commenting. Much appreciated.

MackNNations How good are they i like them a bit because speak like robotic person Are TheyROBOTS?

Your information helps me in preparing my sudoku notes. Thk you.

I legit was flying through the comments section looking for a comment like this knowing it would be here somewhere. Thank you.

MackNNations....thanks for the "Table of Contents"

Kenney - Thank you so much for your comment. You are a very smart man.

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everyday you learn smthng new

I'm glad my video helped. Thank you so much for your comment.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

You are so kind. I'm very touched. I wish you the best. Thanks for the kind words!

rock123y - Thank you for the comment.

Thank you so much for your comment.

Joel Hershberger - Thank you very much for your comment.

@@RFC963 hombre espanol

These are all standard strategies. Nothing special is shown in the video.

@@Blubb5000 You are right, but for me at the time, I was just learning and had good info for me. We all start somewhere and this is one of the places that I was starting. It is special to people that are just learning. No need to downplay the content. It isn't special unless it is new material to someone. That is when it is special.

@@JoelHershberger Look for the channel 'Cracking The Cryptic'. It's a channel from two UK Sudoku masters. They are awesome (and real life humans in flesh and blood). I guess you will enjoy Simon's method to explain the strategies to solve all sorts of Sudoku puzzles. From super easy to OMG!

You are smart!!! You may like to know what other techniques you might have thought up on your own. Go to my channel and you will find techniques such as Swordfish, XY-wing, XY-Chain, BUG+1, Uniqueness, and more.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

Thank you so much for sharing your opinion on sudoku. You may be interested in my other uploads.

Damn, the fact that you used these strategies before watching this vid, makes u very smart.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

LA times, AARP, NYTimes, etc. provide online sudoku designed to play with this technique. You can set the settings such that the marked candidates are managed for you. We make mistakes if we try to fill or erase the cells ourselves.

You may want to visit my channel where you will find more strategies explained. Thank you so such for your interest in sudoku.

@@RFC963 Thanks, I find this video already well explained. I put the x-wing technique in my program for now, I'm gonna see if it works.

@@RFC963 Thanks, I find this video already well explained. I put the x-wing technique in my program for now, I'm gonna see if it works.

@@eliebordron5599 There are many more powerful strategies this video has not discussed. They are X-Chain, XY-Chain, Swordfish, Finned X-wing, Skyscraper, 2-String Kite, XY-Wing, XYZ- Wing, and more. I wish you luck with your program.

@@RFC963 OH how wrong I was! Thanks, I will check these out for sure!!

Thank you for watching and commenting.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

The eliminated candidates must be in the same house as the naked tripple, which is in row H only. Thank you so much for your interest in Sudoku.

Thank you for your interest in sudoku.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

Thank you very much for your comment.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

you played pokemon ur a virgin 4ever

😂

so would i but i don't have the juice for all that, a single empties my tank....just sayin'.

This made me laugh very hard

lol

Just a tad late to answer this, but it's because the 3 and 8 in H6/I6 form a hidden pair mentioned later in the video. Basically in this example since there's a 3 and 8 in both of those squares in the same block, there are only 2 possibilities: either top is 3 and the other's 8 or vice versa. With that said, that means that there couldn't possibly be any other candidates because there's no other situation where those 2 possibilities don't occur

Congratulations, Meriem talin!

Sudoku Guy - So nice of you to visit my channel. I am very honored. Thank you so much for the comment. You are right, there are many strategies to solve Sudoku puzzles as you have shown in your channel, which is nothing less than awesome. Congratulations!

@@RFC963 pls subscribe and promote my channel also..m a big follower of ur videos and passionate about sudoku ..plssssss 😊😊

Good catch!

But it is not in the same column

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

Thank you for watching and commenting.

Thank you so much for your comment. Much appreciated.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

Thanx.

Congrats!

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Thank you for your comment.

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Thank you very much for your interest and the comment.

I neglected to say that I think your graphics are brilliant and explanations excellent. This video should be useful to a lot of people.

You must be a very smart man to have taught yourself to solve Sudokus. Thank you so much for watching the video and commenting on it.

Thank you so much for your kind words. Much appreciated.

I haven't got around to watching your next viseo yet. Something to look forward to. I have been solving sudokus for so long I don't remmber when I started. I bough puzzle books initially when I had some time in hospital. I'm a messy person which is a major reason not to write anything in but the solution. It can take longer the way I do it but that is not a worry. I do two daily sudoku, three on Sunday in the local papers, plus an excellent monthly produced by Lovatts in Australia. They alternate hard and quick issues and the had is overdue by two weeks now. I should ge a subscription. I do recommend weaning off writing in numbers as soon as possble. It is more challenging but also more satisfying. My wife, who is some years behind me in sudoku is doing pretty well that way. When I get around to the next video I'll give some more feedback.

yep ......... I also just listened to the names used for known techniques

Or I’m a complete idiot and got lucky. 😂

Congratulations, if you think you have discovered a new strategy although I don't follow your reasoning. You may be way over my head!

what

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

Where is the delete button?

Thanks, have a nice day!

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

Thank you so much for your comment. Have a nice day.

A5/B5 are not the only cells containing a 9 in the block. H5/I5 are. Thank you for your interest in sudoku.

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your comment. You made my day.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

Comment like this makes the effort making the video worth its while. Thank you so much.

Wow, you are a very smart man! What you have described is a strategy known as Unique Rectangle, UR for short. It is a very advanced technique. There are several variations under this title. I shall upload videos on UR in the future. Thank you so much for you comment.

Dont know about smart, but i do enjoy logic. I actually came to this UR thing because i was trying to figure out if there is a system of linear algebraic equations, put into a matrix, that would describe any given puzzle. That is, we are solving N equations in M unknowns, where N is greater than M, which implies redundant solutions, otherwise, if they were equal, then their would be one unique solution, but it would take a computer (or a handy matrix, but I never got that far) to solve in a reasonable amount of time. The greater N, the more redundancies, the easier the puzzle. In the process I began to play with how to create not solve them. I noticed that for any solved puzzle, you could transpose any pair or any three rows or columns 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 and generate a new (different) solved puzzle. Kind of like if you shuffled, within the "boxes", row or columns. So I am thinking that this would be a great bar bet, how fast could you create a puzzle, (would have to be a certain kind of bar i guess) Thats when i realized the requirement for unique rectangles. Then i tried to figure out what is the fewest number of clues you could provide (known cells) and still create a solvable puzzle? i ran across one that offered only 22, and that took me almost an hour to solve! Most of the others rated as difficult I have seen offer 24 or 25. I understand that this must be a function of which cells you choose to offer as known, and that at least one be redundant, and the fewer redundant you offer, the fewer you will need to offer in order to solve. Conversely, the more non-redundant cells your offer, the easier the puzzle. Intuitively, I can see that the absolute fewest number of known cells you must offer is going to be somewhere between 10 and 18, and I am guessing closer to 18. And virtually every puzzle i have seen has clues offered in cells that are symmetric about the upper left/lower right diagonal axis. So this tells me that there is a clear logic to which cells are offered as clues, and that all puzzle makers probably use the same algorithm for making their puzzles. I was starting to get pretty adept at solving, and times were coming down, and oddly, i was solving the harder levels faster than some of the easier ones. The UR was really accelerating the solutions. So I am liking it and thinking, i wonder if i could compete? I go online, and I do some "evil" rated puzzles and my times are around 20 minutes, and I see that the average, for "evil" is 7 minutes. What? if the typical puzzle has 25 knowns, then it has 56 unknowns, and that means you are entering cells at the rate of one every 7.5 seconds ON AVERAGE! I tried to game it by writing down the puzzle on a separate sheet, hitting pause, solving off-line, and reopening the puzzle just to transcribe the answer. Granted my ipad app is slow and hangs up, but it still took 3 minutes, leaving four minutes to solve. I don't buy it. Either they are gaming the system, or these are just savants. But that is the AVERAGE---how many savants can there be? Or, somebody developed the matrix i was working on. Is that out there on another You-tube? Just wondering

+reconllc I have dubbed this one the unique solution rule and find it a useful thing to remember also for other Sudoku style problems. It doesn't necessarily work for coloured Sudokus as the numbers CAN be in same positions if they are different colours.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

The 9s in cells H5 and I5 in the middle-bottom block (Block VIII) are the only 9s in Block VIII, a requirement for a Pointing Pair. Being the only 9s in Block VIII, 9 has to be the solution to either H5 or I5. That means no 9 can appear in any other cells in Column 5 outside of Block VIII. But the pair of 9s in Block II are not the only 9s in Block II. They are not a Pointing Pair. Thank you for your interest in sudoku, and asking intelligent questions.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

andacomfeeuvou - Thank you so much for your kind comment. Much appreciated!!!

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

The two squares containing 5,6,9 at the top row do not meet the requirements of Pointing Pair. Thank you so much for watching and commenting.

but they have two 9's in a row exactly like the bottom, so what is the difference? I'm not understanding.

the upper middle block have three 9 (A5 A6 B5). but the lower middle block have only two 9 (H5 I5). So, the lower middle block's 9 have only two possibility, either it's H5 or I5, which is on the middle column (5th column). If you choose the upper middle block's 9 (A5 B5), the lower middle block will have no possibility of 9, which is against the rule.

Krista - Thank you so much for your comment.

Well it makes perfect sense now! Thank you. I really makes me wonder how I didn't understand that before now that I do. I appreciate the help.

There are websites where they provide free sudoku puzzles that you can play online. Some of them are designed to facilitate our way of playing. For instance, they fill the squares with all possibilities for us if you ask. There are buttons in the menu you can click. Try New York Times and Washington Post and see how you like it.

Thank you for watching and commenting.

do you habla espanol?

@@water2986 All I know how to say in Spanish is "No hablo espanol." BTW how do they get that funny little thing over the letter "n?"

@@frank124c thats what we call 'de la eñe' ~ this ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

No, I don't speak Spanish.

@@RFC963 Everyone should just speak English.

Many people told me the same thing. You guys are smart!

You have to have at last one 8 in any row so if all your options are together in one block you can be sure one of those 8 in your row are correct so you can delete all 8 that are in block and outside of row because you know your 8 has to be places in row. So you are just looking for any set of numbers that are missing in row and only span one area.

Thank you for watching and commenting. Please visit my channel where you will find many more videos that may also be helpful.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

Congrats! You are a genius!

There are advanced Sudoku strategies that this channel did not cover.

2:25 The bottom pair 9 is the only 9's in the block. Not so for the top pair 9. PS You may want to check out my other uploads if you want to know about XY-wing, Skyscraper, Swordfish, and others, such as XYZ-wing, X-chain, XY-chain, BUG+1..........

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

@@RFC963 there are two pointing pairs in #4, doesn't make any sense, sorry.

Thank you for letting us now.

Thanks for watching.

@@RFC963 you are welcome ✌

Practice is the key. Thanks for commenting.

Congratulations!

Glad it helped.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y4sorf-uj8c.html

6H and 6I can only be 3 or 8 due to the others in the block being cancelled (1G, 8G, 5C, 5F).

Thanks!

Thank you for your interest in sudoku.

Sorry, I don't have a printable version. Thank you so much for your interest in sudoku.