| Easy Puzzle #26 - One Possible Solution Approach… | ||||||||||||
| NB: There is only one final solution to this Sudoku puzzle… | ||||||||||||
| Rules: Place a number from 1-9 in each empty cell so that each row, each column AND each 3x3 block contains all the numbers from 1-9. | ||||||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||
| 1 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | AA | BB | CC | Reference to 3x3 Blocks AA, BB & CC | ||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | DD | EE | FF | Reference to 3x3 Blocks DD, EE & FF | ||||||||
| 6 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | GG | HH | II | Reference to 3x3 Blocks GG, HH & II | ||||||||
| 9 | ||||||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | Easy Puzzle #26 - October 26, 2005 | |||||||
| 2 | 6 | 9 | One possible Solution Method © joe-ks.com | |||||||||
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 2 | ||||||
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 7 | |||||||
| 5 | 9 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 9 | |||||||
| 8 | 5 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||
| 9 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | Step 1: #6 is in Rows 1 & 2: #6 MUST go in Cell I3… | |||||||
| 2 | 6 | 9 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 6 | |||||
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 7 | Step 2: #9 is in Rows 7 & 9: #9 MUST go in Cell A8 | ||||||
| 5 | 9 | 6 | (cf #9 in Column B @ B5 excludes use of Cell B8 | |||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 9 | |||||||
| 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
| 9 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | Step 3: #2 is in Columns G & H: #2 MUST go in Cell I7… | |||||||
| 2 | 6 | 9 | ||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 6 | Step 4: #9 is in Columns D & F: #9 MUST go in Cell E4 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | (#9 in Row 5 @ B5 excludes use of Cell E5, & | |||||
| 5 | 9 | 6 | #9 in Row 6 @ I6 excludes use of Cell E6) | |||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 2 | ||||||
| 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
| 9 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | Step 5: Complete Row 3: need #s 3 & 8… | |||||||
| 2 | 6 | 9 | #3 can't go in Cell A3 (cf #3 in Column A @ A1), so | |||||||||
| 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 6 | #3 MUST go in Cell E3, & therefore #8 MUST go in Cell A3 | ||
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | ||||||
| 5 | 9 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
| 7 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 2 | ||||||
| 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
| 9 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | Step 6: Column A needs #6: #6 MUST go in Cell A7 | |||||||
| 2 | 6 | 9 | (#6 in Row 2 @ C2 excludes use of Cell A2, & | |||||||||
| 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 6 | (#6 in Row 5 @ H5 excludes use of Cell A5) | ||
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | ||||||
| 5 | 9 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
| 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 2 | |||||
| 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
| 9 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 3 | ||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | Step 7: Block GG needs #1: #1 MUST go in Cell C9 | |||||||
| 2 | 6 | 9 | (#1 in Column B @ B3 excludes use of Cells B8 & B9) | |||||||||
| 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 6 | |||
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | Step 8: #1 is now in Columns B & C: #1 MUST go in Cell A5 | |||||
| 5 | 1 | 9 | 6 | |||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
| 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 2 | |||||
| 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
| 9 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 3 | |||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 8 | Step 9: Complete Column A: #7 MUST go in Cell A2… | ||||||
| 2 | 7 | 6 | 9 | |||||||||
| 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 6 | |||
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | Step 10: #4 is in Columns D & F: #4 MUST go in Cell E5 | |||||
| 5 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 6 | (#4 in Row 6 @ A6 excludes use of Cell E6) | |||||||
| 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
| 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 2 | Step 11: #1 is in Columns H & I: #1 MUST go in Cell G1… | ||||
| 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
| 9 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 3 | |||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 8 | Step 12: Complete Row 7: need #s 1 & 5… | ||||||
| 2 | 7 | 6 | 9 | #1 can't go in Cell G7 (cf #1 in Column G @ G1), so | ||||||||
| 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 6 | #1 MUST go in Cell E7, & therefore # 5 MUST go in Cell G7 | ||
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | ||||||
| 5 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 6 | ||||||||
| 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
| 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 2 | |||
| 8 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||
| 9 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 3 | |||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||
| 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 8 | Step 13: Complete Column G: need #s 3 & 4… | ||||||
| 2 | 7 | 6 | 9 | #3 can't go in Cell G9 (cf #3 in Row 9 @ I9), so | ||||||||
| 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 6 | #3 MUST go in Cell G5, & therefore #4 MUST go in Cell G9 | ||
| 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 7 | ||||||
| 5 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 6 | Step 14: #4 is now in Rows 7 & 9: #4 MUST go in Cell B8… | ||||||
| 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 9 | |||||||
| 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 2 | |||
| 8 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 1 | |||||||
| 9 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | ||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | ||||