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Sudoku is one of the most popular puzzle games throughout the globe. Many people enjoy the challenge that they get with it. This said puzzle is so well-known that even those people who have not tried answering or completing a single Sudoku puzzle have at least an idea about what Sudoku is. However, most people have this very common misconception that Sudoku is a game which requires the player some advanced mathematical skills to complete it. With this notion in mind, people who are not really lovers of math start to give up the idea of trying to understand the puzzle and even fail to ask the question "How do you play Sudoku?". But before we answer that question, let us feed our minds first with some interesting information about Sudoku. It all started in the Land of the Rising Sun, Japan. A group of Japanese puzzle-makers designed this number-filling puzzle and named it Sudoku, which means "single number". In 1986, Sudoku is already known not only in Japan but also in other parts of the world after its first appearance in a local Japanese newspaper. Sudoku's challenging and entertaining nature made it very much wanted and played by Sudoku enthusiasts not only in Japan but in many countries as well. Completing a single Sudoku puzzle proves to be very stimulating in the mind since one should incorporate analytical abilities and a great amount of patience in order to get it done. When you begin to complete a Sudoku puzzle, your eyes will be greeted by rows and columns of numbers inside small boxes and blank or unfilled boxes. As mentioned above, the presence of numbers may cause some people to think that Sudoku involves mathematics. The thing is, there are no addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division processes that should be used in a classic Sudoku puzzle. Completing a 9x9-grid Sudoku puzzle only requires analysis, logic, and patience. Some sets may be easy and fast to complete while others can be very difficult and may take a person a number of hours to get it done. Sudoku is a number-completing puzzle. Thus, your main aim as a player is to complete the number puzzle by putting the right numbers, which range from 1 to 9, inside blank boxes of a 9x9 grid. No single mathematical operation is involved. Sudoku rules are very simple and easy to understand. 1st rule: A number (from 1 to 9) should not appear more than once in each row. 2nd rule: A number (from 1 to 9) should not appear more than once in each column. 3rd rule: A number (from 1 to 9) should not appear more than once in each sub-square (a 3x3 box within the 9x9 grid). You just have to make sure that each row, column, and sub-square contains a particular number, ranging from 1 to 9, only ONCE. That's it. Short and simple. Aside from the classic 9x9 grid Sudoku puzzle, there are also a number of Sudoku puzzles that bear various grid sizes. Two of them are the Mini Sudoku and Mega Sudoku. The concept and
rules found in the classic 9x9 grid Sudoku can also be applied to Mini Sudoku, which has smaller 4x4 or 6x6 grid sizes, and Mega Sudoku, which has larger 12x12 or 16x16 grid sizes. With these and many other Sudoku variants to choose from, you can enjoy Sudoku with a grid size of your choice. So, how do you play Sudoku? Playing Sudoku is actually very simple if you follow its rules and stay focused. Of course, you should exercise your mind and use some logic and analysis when playing Sudoku. A great amount of patience will also be very helpful to any Sudoku player especially those beginners. There is no age range or age limit in Sudoku. Everyone is welcome to try and complete the puzzle. Grab your pencil with eraser now and enjoy filling those boxes and eventually succeed in completing your Sudoku puzzle.
About this Author Gary Spero is the chief editor of http://www.sudoku-tips.org. As well as being a Sudoku enthusiast he is also interested in self improvement and psychology. To get more information and resources on how do you play Sudoku visit his website to sign up for his free 21 day Sudoku Tips Revealed mini-course..
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