When you know some simple tips, it's easy to become a better Suduko player, just like once you get familiar with wordsearches, crosswords or hangman you realize that there are strategies and ways to play which increase your chances of solving the puzzles faster.



The first thing to do is recognize that whatever Suduko puzzle you're playing, it will have a solution. Don't get frustrated or angry if you seem to reach a dead-end. By allowing yourself to get irate, you just cloud your judgement and make it more difficult to solve the puzzle. Instead, say to yourself, "Wow, this is a tricky little puzzle. I'm going to get much more satisfaction solving this one than if it had been easy and I solved it in two minutes"!

The next thing to do is try several easy suduko puzzles and decide which basic strategy works for you. Everyone's different, so I can't tell you which strategy you'll prefer. Let's go over which two strategies people use.

There's the "mental gymnast" who can hold, in memory, the possible numbers for each cell, row, column and region. If you have a monster memory, this strategy may suit you. It may also suit people who want to improve their memories. Of course, if you start with anything less than a monster memory, you will experience frustration while trying to adopt this strategy. On the other hand, the payoff is that your memory will be improving with each attempted puzzle.

The other strategy is called "elimination" and you attempt to solve the puzzle by writing in each possible answer for the sections you're working on, then, as you discover correct answers, you eliminate possible solutions from other areas. Hence, over time, you eliminate more and more wrong solutions leaving you with the right answer. Over time, the puzzle solves itself. If you're going to use this strategy, I would suggest writing the possible solutions in tiny-sized writing in pencil, and when you're sure of an answer, enter it in large-sized writing in pen. You don't want to get confused as to which parts of the puzzle have been solved and which parts haven't!

I hope these tips help you solve Sudoku puzzles faster and get more enjoyment out of what is a fun pastime.