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Sudoku #11 — the solutions

The three Sudoku boards from October 11, 2026 — Easy, Medium and Hard — each with its solved grid and a path through it, step by step, that never needs a guess.

Easy — 36 digits given

Every cell falls to scanning: a digit with only one place left in a row, a column or a box.

The board

5 · · | · · · | · 1 3
1 2 · | 5 · · | · 6 ·
9 3 4 | 7 6 · | · 8 ·
------+-------+------
3 4 · | · · 8 | · · ·
· 8 · | 6 · 9 | · 7 ·
· · · | 2 · · | · 4 5
------+-------+------
· 9 · | · 7 5 | 6 2 4
· 6 · | · · 2 | · 5 9
4 5 · | · · · | · · 8

The solution

5 7 6 | 8 2 4 | 9 1 3
1 2 8 | 5 9 3 | 4 6 7
9 3 4 | 7 6 1 | 5 8 2
------+-------+------
3 4 7 | 1 5 8 | 2 9 6
2 8 5 | 6 4 9 | 3 7 1
6 1 9 | 2 3 7 | 8 4 5
------+-------+------
8 9 1 | 3 7 5 | 6 2 4
7 6 3 | 4 8 2 | 1 5 9
4 5 2 | 9 1 6 | 7 3 8

A path through it

The order a solver takes — always the cheapest move left, so a pattern is only reached for when the singles run dry. 45 steps; yours need not match, and any order that never guesses ends on the same grid.

  1. Row 1, column 3 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  2. Row 2, column 3 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  3. Row 1, column 2 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  4. Row 3, column 6 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  5. Row 1, column 5 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  6. Row 1, column 4 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  7. Row 2, column 5 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  8. Row 2, column 6 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  9. Row 1, column 6 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  10. Row 2, column 7 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  11. Row 3, column 7 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  12. Row 3, column 9 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  13. Row 2, column 9 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  14. Row 1, column 7 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  15. Row 6, column 1 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  16. Row 5, column 5 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the center box.
  17. Row 6, column 5 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the center box.
  18. Row 4, column 5 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the center box.
  19. Row 5, column 3 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  20. Row 4, column 4 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the center box.
  21. Row 6, column 6 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the center box.
  22. Row 4, column 3 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  23. Row 5, column 1 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  24. Row 6, column 3 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  25. Row 6, column 2 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  26. Row 4, column 7 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  27. Row 5, column 7 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  28. Row 5, column 9 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  29. Row 4, column 9 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  30. Row 6, column 7 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  31. Row 4, column 8 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  32. Row 9, column 3 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  33. Row 8, column 1 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  34. Row 7, column 1 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  35. Row 8, column 4 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  36. Row 9, column 6 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  37. Row 8, column 5 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  38. Row 9, column 5 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  39. Row 9, column 4 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  40. Row 7, column 4 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  41. Row 8, column 3 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  42. Row 7, column 3 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  43. Row 8, column 7 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.
  44. Row 9, column 8 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.
  45. Row 9, column 7 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.

Medium — 28 digits given

Beyond singles, this board asks for a pointing line (2 times).

The board

9 · · | · · 6 | · · ·
· · 7 | 2 · · | · · ·
3 · 2 | · 1 · | 8 · ·
------+-------+------
· 1 · | · · 8 | 3 · 4
· 8 · | 1 · 7 | · 2 ·
5 · 3 | 9 · · | · 8 ·
------+-------+------
· · 4 | · 5 · | 1 · 8
· · · | · · 1 | 5 · ·
· · · | 7 · · | · · 9

The solution

9 4 1 | 8 7 6 | 2 5 3
8 5 7 | 2 9 3 | 4 1 6
3 6 2 | 4 1 5 | 8 9 7
------+-------+------
7 1 9 | 5 2 8 | 3 6 4
4 8 6 | 1 3 7 | 9 2 5
5 2 3 | 9 6 4 | 7 8 1
------+-------+------
2 7 4 | 6 5 9 | 1 3 8
6 9 8 | 3 4 1 | 5 7 2
1 3 5 | 7 8 2 | 6 4 9

A path through it

The order a solver takes — always the cheapest move left, so a pattern is only reached for when the singles run dry. 55 steps; yours need not match, and any order that never guesses ends on the same grid.

  1. Row 1, column 5 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  2. Row 5, column 5 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the center box.
  3. Row 4, column 4 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the center box.
  4. Row 6, column 9 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  5. Row 5, column 9 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  6. Row 5, column 1 is 4. 4 has only one place left in row 5.
  7. Row 6, column 7 is 7. 7 has only one place left in column 7.
  8. Row 4, column 1 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  9. Row 6, column 2 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  10. Row 4, column 5 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the center box.
  11. Row 6, column 5 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the center box.
  12. Row 6, column 6 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the center box.
  13. Row 3, column 4 is 4. Nothing but 4 is left for this cell.
  14. In the middle-left box, 6 can only sit in column 3, so it leaves the rest of that column.
  15. In the middle-left box, 9 can only sit in column 3, so it leaves the rest of that column.
  16. Row 8, column 3 is 8. Nothing but 8 is left for this cell.
  17. Row 2, column 1 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  18. Row 1, column 3 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  19. Row 1, column 4 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  20. Row 2, column 6 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  21. Row 3, column 6 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  22. Row 2, column 5 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  23. Row 2, column 8 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  24. Row 1, column 8 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  25. Row 2, column 2 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  26. Row 1, column 2 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  27. Row 3, column 2 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  28. Row 1, column 9 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  29. Row 1, column 7 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  30. Row 2, column 7 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  31. Row 2, column 9 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  32. Row 3, column 8 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  33. Row 3, column 9 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  34. Row 5, column 7 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  35. Row 4, column 3 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  36. Row 5, column 3 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  37. Row 4, column 8 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  38. Row 9, column 1 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  39. Row 9, column 3 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  40. Row 9, column 5 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  41. Row 8, column 5 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  42. Row 7, column 6 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  43. Row 8, column 2 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  44. Row 7, column 2 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  45. Row 9, column 2 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  46. Row 9, column 6 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  47. Row 8, column 9 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.
  48. Row 7, column 1 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  49. Row 8, column 1 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  50. Row 7, column 4 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  51. Row 8, column 4 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  52. Row 7, column 8 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.
  53. Row 9, column 8 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.
  54. Row 9, column 7 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.
  55. Row 8, column 8 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.

Hard — 31 digits given

Beyond singles, this board asks for a pointing line (3 times), a claimed box (2 times), a hidden pair (2 times) and an XY-wing.

The board

· 4 6 | 3 · · | 5 9 ·
· 8 · | · 1 · | 2 · ·
5 · 3 | · 4 · | · 1 ·
------+-------+------
4 · · | 6 · · | · · ·
· · 8 | · 5 · | 9 · ·
· · · | · · 3 | · · 1
------+-------+------
· 1 · | · 6 · | 3 · 9
· · 9 | · 3 · | · 4 ·
· 3 4 | · · 7 | 1 8 ·

The solution

1 4 6 | 3 7 2 | 5 9 8
9 8 7 | 5 1 6 | 2 3 4
5 2 3 | 9 4 8 | 7 1 6
------+-------+------
4 7 1 | 6 2 9 | 8 5 3
3 6 8 | 1 5 4 | 9 2 7
2 9 5 | 7 8 3 | 4 6 1
------+-------+------
8 1 2 | 4 6 5 | 3 7 9
7 5 9 | 8 3 1 | 6 4 2
6 3 4 | 2 9 7 | 1 8 5

A path through it

The order a solver takes — always the cheapest move left, so a pattern is only reached for when the singles run dry. 58 steps; yours need not match, and any order that never guesses ends on the same grid.

  1. Row 1, column 1 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  2. Row 3, column 2 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  3. Row 2, column 1 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  4. Row 2, column 3 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the top-left box.
  5. Row 2, column 9 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  6. Row 2, column 8 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  7. Row 4, column 3 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  8. Row 5, column 1 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  9. Row 4, column 9 is 3. 3 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  10. Row 6, column 7 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  11. Row 4, column 7 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  12. Row 2, column 6 is 6. 6 has only one place left in row 2.
  13. Row 2, column 4 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  14. Row 9, column 9 is 5. 5 has only one place left in row 9.
  15. Row 9, column 1 is 6. 6 has only one place left in row 9.
  16. In the middle-left box, 2 can only sit in row 6, so it leaves the rest of that row.
  17. In row 9, 2 can only sit inside the bottom-center box, so it leaves the rest of that box.
  18. In column 8, 6 can only sit inside the middle-right box, so it leaves the rest of that box.
  19. Row 5 has only two cells for 1 and 4, so those two hold nothing else.
  20. Row 9, column 4 is 2. 2 has only one place left in column 4.
  21. Row 9, column 5 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  22. In the center box, 2 can only sit in row 4, so it leaves the rest of that row.
  23. Column 4 has only two cells for 7 and 9, so those two hold nothing else.
  24. Row 6, column 5 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the center box.
  25. In the top-center box, 8 can only sit in column 6, so it leaves the rest of that column.
  26. XY-wing: one of its two wings must be 7, so no cell that sees both can be.
  27. Row 7, column 8 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.
  28. Row 5, column 9 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  29. Row 3, column 7 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  30. Row 1, column 5 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  31. Row 1, column 6 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  32. Row 3, column 6 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  33. Row 3, column 4 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the top-center box.
  34. Row 3, column 9 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  35. Row 1, column 9 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the top-right box.
  36. Row 4, column 5 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the center box.
  37. Row 6, column 4 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the center box.
  38. Row 4, column 2 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  39. Row 6, column 2 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  40. Row 6, column 3 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  41. Row 6, column 1 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  42. Row 5, column 2 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the middle-left box.
  43. Row 4, column 6 is 9. 9 has only one place left in the center box.
  44. Row 5, column 8 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  45. Row 4, column 8 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  46. Row 6, column 8 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the middle-right box.
  47. Row 7, column 3 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  48. Row 8, column 2 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  49. Row 8, column 1 is 7. 7 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  50. Row 7, column 1 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the bottom-left box.
  51. Row 7, column 6 is 5. 5 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  52. Row 7, column 4 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  53. Row 5, column 6 is 4. 4 has only one place left in the center box.
  54. Row 5, column 4 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the center box.
  55. Row 8, column 6 is 1. 1 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  56. Row 8, column 4 is 8. 8 has only one place left in the bottom-center box.
  57. Row 8, column 9 is 2. 2 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.
  58. Row 8, column 7 is 6. 6 has only one place left in the bottom-right box.

Previous: Sudoku #10 (Sat, Oct 10)

About Sudoku

Sudoku on Noggin is three boards a day, on the second shelf: every entry is checked at once, a hint fills the next cell a solver would and says why, and the first board finished is the day’s score, outside the daily line-up. How to play Sudoku, or play today’s.