Su Doku For Dummies

Su Doku is a number puzzle originally developed in Japan. It consists of a 9x9 grid, divided into nine 3x3 sub-grids. Each row and column must contain the numbers 1 to 9, which means that no number can appear more than once. Furthermore, each 3x3 sub-grid must also contain all the digits from 1 to 9, which again means that no number can appear more than once. With each puzzle, some of the numbers are already in place - your job is to fill in the blanks. The number and positioning of the numbers given to you will determine how easy or difficult the puzzle is. There is - or, at least, there should be - only one solution, which can be solved by reasoning and elimination.

The bulk of "Su Doku for Dummies" is made up of the Su Doku puzzles themselves. (Thankfully, their solutions are also included). However, it also starts with an explanation of Su Doku's rules and provides a detailed approach on how to start solving the puzzles - which is very helpful for those, like me, who have never tried them before. If you are already a successful Su Doku puzzle solver, you'll probably not learn much from this section. You will still, however, have over 200 new puzzles to solve.

You don't need to have studied maths in depth to enjoy Su Doku - a knowledge of Calculus isn't required, while those who studies Classical Mechanics will have absolutely no advantage over those who didn't. However, a sense of logic, a pencil and an eraser (don't rub too hard, though !) will be a great help. Highly recommended for puzzle-solvers everywhere!