Learning path

Learn Sudoku

Learn Sudoku with a clear path from the first rules to advanced candidate patterns. Each lesson answers the main question first, then gives you the next practice step.

Where should you start?

If you have never played, start with How to Play Sudoku and work down the path in order; every lesson builds on the one before it. If you already solve easy puzzles comfortably, jump to Pencil Marks and the technique lessons. Stuck on hard puzzles? Go straight to the advanced techniques guide.

Start with the basics

New players should begin with the goal, the three rules, and a few safe first moves. These pages keep the beginner path tight so you do not have to jump between overlapping guides.

How to Play SudokuThis guide to Sudoku for beginners starts from zero: Sudoku is a logic puzzle where you fill a 9x9 grid with the numbers 1 to 9, and each row, column, and 3x3 box must contain every number once.Sudoku RulesSudoku rules are simple: every row, column, and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 to 9 with no repeats.Full House / Last Digit SudokuFull House, also called Last Digit, is the simplest Sudoku solving technique: find a row, column, or box with one empty cell and place the only missing digit.How to Solve Sudoku Step by StepSolving a Sudoku puzzle means finding the next forced move, placing it, then updating what the grid tells you.

Build your solving method

Once the rules are clear, learn pencil marks and the two kinds of singles. This is the bridge from easy puzzles to medium puzzles.

Sudoku Pencil Marks and CandidatesPencil marks, also called candidates, are small notes that show which digits may still fit in an empty cell.Hidden Singles in SudokuA hidden single appears when a digit has only one possible cell in a row, column, or box.Naked Singles in SudokuA naked single is a cell with only one possible candidate left.Sudoku Strategy: Tips and TechniquesThe best Sudoku strategy is a sequence, not a trick: start with simple singles, keep clean candidates, and add elimination techniques only when easier moves are gone.

Learn advanced eliminations

Harder puzzles require candidate eliminations. Work through locked candidates, pairs, triples, fish patterns, and wings in order.

Advanced Sudoku TechniquesAdvanced Sudoku techniques use candidate patterns to remove possibilities without guessing.Locked Candidates in SudokuThe locked candidates technique lets you remove a digit when all its possible positions are trapped in one line or box.Naked Pairs and Triples in SudokuNaked pairs and triples reserve a small set of candidates in matching cells, so those candidates can be removed elsewhere in the same house.Hidden Pairs and Triples in SudokuHidden pairs and triples appear when two or three digits can only fit in the same two or three cells inside a house.Sudoku X-Wing StrategyX-Wing is a fish pattern where one candidate is restricted to the same two columns in two rows, or the same two rows in two columns.Swordfish Sudoku StrategySwordfish extends the X-Wing idea across three rows and three columns.XY-Wing Sudoku StrategyXY-Wing, also called Y-Wing, uses a pivot cell and two pincer cells to eliminate a shared candidate.

Practice while you learn

Use an easy puzzle for the rules and first moves, medium puzzles for candidates and singles, and hard or evil puzzles when you are practicing advanced patterns.

Start an Easy SudokuPlay the Daily SudokuPrint Sudoku puzzles

Last reviewed: July 18, 2026