Sudoku Tips and Techniques for the Average Player
So we begin at the beginning with the most logical tip. Each row, column and nonet must add up to 45. This is the sum of the numbers 1 through 9. This bit of logic is common sense in the most practical way. It doesn’t work however, when the cages fit exactly into each row, column or nonet. This tip is Sudoku winning 101 and is employed by many just beginning to play the game. To say that it is always helpful would be a misconception since each game varies based on the player and their sense of logical reasoning
The second tip involves working with pairs. The easiest cages to begin with are the ones that have set pairs, the ones containing just two numbers. If you find that you have two or more of them in the same nonet, row or column it can be a start to eliminating possibilities. According to the experts the easiest ones are 3 which are where a 1 and 2 are the only possible pair, 4 where a 1 and 3 are the possibilities and 17 where the pair consists of 8 and 9. There are multiple possibilities. You just have to run through them all to ferret out a pattern.
Discovering the right possible combinations for the game is fun if you know it can’t include particular numbers. This of course would make for an easy game but that is beside the point. Do it wrong and you’ll end up with a large list of possibilities that is impossibly huge. There are ways of narrowing down possible combinations and one should embark upon that quest first. You do have to be careful of certain combinations which are dead certs.
The best tip anyone can offer a new player is to get a good grasp of all of the regular Sudoku techniques first. There are hundreds of sites on the web and books that will walk you through the more complex ways of playing the game. Nothing however beats actually spending time with the game and figuring out your own techniques for winning.
