Sudoku Rules

Sudoku puzzles have long been a regular feature on the puzzle pages of daily newspapers. But what are the rules and what does the abbreviation Sudoku mean?


The number-based puzzle game Sudoku enjoys unbroken popularity - which is certainly also due to the fact that the rules are fairly uncomplicated.

Sudoku: Rules for the popular grid puzzle

The game consists of many squares. As a rule, nine square fields form a larger field and nine of these larger fields form another square, which is the entire playing field. Some of the smallest square fields have numbers on them. Depending on the difficulty of the Sudoku, sometimes there are more, sometimes fewer numbers in the squares.

The goal of Sudoku is to fill all the empty squares with numbers. And to do so in such a way that the numbers 1 to 9 appear only once - in each column, in each row and in each of the nine small squares.

Simple rules, but not always easy to solve

But just because a game has few rules does not necessarily mean that it is easy. easy. There are different levels of difficulty in Sudoku puzzles. For example, if there are hardly any Sudoku puzzle, it can be quite complicated to fill in all the fields correctly. fields correctly.

Example: A quick introduction to Sudoku

At the beginning, it is important to recognise frequently occurring digits in Sudoku. Look carefully at all the columns and rows, then you will quickly see where the frequently represented number is still missing. Now look for the other numbers in a similar pattern.

Even though the Sudoku rules sound quite beginner-friendly, you may have to look at the grid longer in the beginning to find the solution. But don't worry: with time, you will develop an eye for Sudoku and will soon be able to move on to puzzles with a higher level of difficulty.

What is the meaning of the name Sudoku?

The Swiss mathematician and logician Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) is considered the inventor of a Sudoku precursor. The American Howard Garns is said to have developed the modern form of Sudoku and published it under the name "Number Place" from 1979. The Japanese Maki Kaji, on the other hand, gave his name to the world-famous brainteaser. Sudoku is the abbreviation for the Japanese phrase "Suji wa dokushin ni kagiru", which means "Numbers should be simple".

The Japanese Kaji gave the puzzle game its name in Japan in the 1980s; after the turn of the millennium, the game became very popular worldwide.