For people who have finished a few Gentle puzzles and want a bit more to think about, and for regular solvers who like an easy one with a cup of tea.
Easy puzzles still need no guessing. You may have to check a whole row or column for a number before the next square gives itself away.
How to solve a Sudoku
Every row, every column and every 3 × 3 box must hold the numbers 1 to 9 exactly once. You never need to guess.
Look at a square and ask which numbers its row, column and box already use. If only one is left, write it in.
Pick a number, say 5, and look at one 3 × 3 box. If a 5 elsewhere rules out all but one square in that box, the 5 goes there.
Use a pencil, and keep the eraser handy. Lightly writing the possible numbers in a square, a “pencil note”, is how most solvers work.
Stuck? Take a break, then look at a different row or box. A fresh look finds what a tired one misses.
About these puzzles
The numbers are printed bold and big, about 30 points tall, in a grid more than six inches across. These six start with 34 to 37 numbers already filled in. Every puzzle has exactly one answer, and each was checked to be solvable by logic alone.
Printing tips
In the print window, choose Letter or A4 paper. Both are set up to fit, and each puzzle always fits on one page.
Leave the scale at 100% (“Default” or “Actual size”), and turn Headers and footers off, so the page is clean.
Black and white is fine. The answer key uses bold type rather than color, so it still reads clearly on a plain printer.
The answer key is always the second page. Ask the printer for page 1 only if you want to keep it back.